Judgment of the General Court of 17 March 2016 — Zoofachhandel Züpke and Others v Commission
(Case T-817/14) 1
(Non-contractual liability — Health policy — Combating avian influenza — Prohibition of the importation of captured wild birds into the EU — Regulation (EC) No 318/2007 and Implementing Regulation (EU) No 139/2013 — Sufficiently serious breach of rules of law conferring rights on individuals — Manifest and serious disregard for the limits of discretion — Proportionality — Duty of care — Articles 15 to 17 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights)
Language of the case: German
Parties
Applicants: Zoofachhandel Züpke GmbH (Wesel, Germany), Zoohaus Bürstadt, Helmut Ofenloch GmbH & Co. KG (Bürstadt, Germany), Zoofachgeschäft — Vogelgroßhandel Import-Export Heinz Marche (Heinsberg, Germany), Rita Bürgel (Uthleben, Germany), and Norbert Kass (Altenbeken, Germany) (represented by: C. Correll, lawyer)
Defendant: European Commission (represented by: B. Eggers and H. Kranenborg, acting as Agents)
Re:
Action for compensation in respect of the harm allegedly suffered by the applicants, from 1 January 2010, by reason of the adoption of the prohibition of the importation of captured wild birds into the European Union contained, first, in Commission Regulation (EC) No 318/2007 of 23 March 2007 laying down animal health conditions for imports of certain birds into the Community and the quarantine conditions thereof (OJ 2007 L 84, p. 7) and, subsequently, in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 139/2013 of 7 January 2013 laying down animal health conditions for imports of certain birds into the Union and the quarantine conditions thereof (OJ 2013 L 47, p. 1).
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Dismisses the action;
Orders Zoofachhandel Züpke GmbH, Zoohaus Bürstadt, Helmut Ofenloch GmbH & Co. KG, Zoofachgeschäft — Vogelgroßhandel Import-Export Heinz Marche, Ms Rita Bürgel and Mr Norbert Kass to pay their own costs and those incurred by the European Commission.
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1     OJ C 89, 16.3.2015.