Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 15 April 2021 – Netherlands v Council and Parliament
(Case C‑733/19)(1)
(Action for annulment – Common fisheries policy – Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 – Conservation and sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources – Protection of marine ecosystems – Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 – Technical measures – Annex V, Part D – Ban on fishing by vessels using electric pulse trawls – Principle of proportionality – Precautionary principle)
1.      Acts of the institutions – Validity – Examination of secondary law in the light of provisions of the same rank – Not included
(European Parliament and Council Regulations 2019/1241, Art. 3(1) and Annexe V, Part D, and No 1380/2013, Arts 2, 3(c), (h) and (i), and 6(2))
(see paras 44, 70)
2.      Fisheries – Common fisheries policy – Technical conservation measures – Ban on fishing by vessels using electric pulse trawls – Legal basis – Provisions governing the common fisheries policy – Environmental protection considerations also taken into account – Irrelevant
(Arts 11 and 43(2) TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulation 2019/1241)
(see paras 47, 48)
3.      EU law – Principles – Proportionality – Scope – EU legislature’s wide discretion in matters concerning the common fisheries policy – Judicial review – Limits
(Art. 40 to 43 TFEU)
(see para. 50)
4.      Fisheries – Common fisheries policy – Technical conservation measures – Ban on fishing by vessels using electric pulse trawls – Discretion of the EU legislature – Scientific and technical advice taken into account – Scope – Manifest error of assessment – None – Obligation to further innovation and technological development – None
(Art. 3(3) TEU; Arts 11 and 173(3) TFEU; European Parliament and Council Regulations 2019/1241 and No 1380/2013, Arts 2, 3(h) and 6(2))
(see paras 49, 52-54, 60-61, 71-74)
Operative part
The Court:
1.
Dismisses the action.
2.
Orders the Kingdom of the Netherlands to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.
3.
Orders the French Republic to bear its own costs.
1 OJ C 423, 16.12.2019.