Order of the General Court (Eighth Chamber) of 16 September 2015 —
VSM Geneesmiddelen v Commission
(Case T‑578/14)
Action for failure to act and for annulment — Consumer protection — Health claims relating to food — Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 — Botanical substances — Time-limit for bringing proceedings — No interest in bringing proceedings — Non-actionable measure — Inadmissibility
1.                     Actions for failure to act — Definition of position within the meaning of Article 265, second paragraph, TFEU, before commencement of proceedings — Inadmissibility (Art. 265, second para., TFEU) (see para. 27)
2.                     Actions for failure to act — Institution called upon to act — Compulsory — Action brought before expiry of the time-limit for the institution’s reply — Inadmissibility (Art. 265, second para., TFEU) (see para. 28)
3.                     Actions for failure to act — Failure to act — Concept — Measure not considered satisfactory (Art. 265 TFEU) (see para. 33)
4.                     Actions for failure to act — Natural or legal persons — Interest in bringing proceedings — Need for an actual and current interest — Assessment at the time when the action was lodged — Action capable of securing a benefit for the applicant — None — Inadmissibility (Art. 265 TFEU) (see paras 42-45)
5.                     Approximation of laws — Nutritional and health claims concerning foodstuffs — Regulation No 1924/2006 — Conditions for using the said claims — Application of transitional measures for claims in the course of evaluation at the time of the entry into force of Regulation No 1924/2006 (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1924/2006, Arts 13(1), and 28(5) and (6)) (see paras 47-50)
6.                     EU law — Principles — Legal certainty — Concept (see para. 63)
7.                     Actions for annulment — Actionable measures — Concept — Measures producing binding legal effects — Commission letter repeating the grounds for its decision not to order the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) to assess certain health claims — Not included (Art. 263 TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1924/2006, Art. 13(3)) (see paras 71-73)
8.                     Approximation of laws — Nutritional and health claims concerning foodstuffs — Regulation No 1924/2006 — Health claims other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’s development and health — Procedure for adopting the list of authorised claims — Discretion of the Commission (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 1924/2006, Art. 13(3)) (see para. 74)
9.                     Actions for failure to act — Definition of position within the meaning of Article 265, second paragraph, TFEU, before commencement of proceedings — Concept (Art. 265, second para., TFEU) (see para. 76)
10.                     EU law — Principles — Right to effective judicial protection — Action for annulment against measures not producing binding legal effects inadmissible — Possibility of parties challenging such measures by an action in non-contractual liability of the Union (Arts 263 TFEU, 268 TFEU and 340, second para., TFEU) (see paras 79, 80)
Re:
APPLICATION for a declaration that the Commission failed to act in that it unlawfully failed to instruct the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to assess health claims relating to botanical substances as a precondition for the adoption of the definitive list of permitted claims in accordance with Article 13(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods (OJ 2006 L 404, p. 9) and, in the alternative, an application for annulment of the decision purportedly contained in the Commission’s letter of 19 June 2014 refusing to instruct the EFSA to assess those claims.
Operative part
1.
The action is dismissed as inadmissible.
2.
VSM Geneesmiddelen BV is ordered to pay the costs.