Case T-33/16: Judgment of the General Court of 14 March 2018 — TestBioTech v Commission (Environment — Genetically modified products — Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 — Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 — Genetically modified soybeans MON 87769, MON 87705 and 305423 — Rejection of an application for internal review of market authorisation decisions — Concept of ‘environmental law’ — Article 10 of Regulation No 1367/2006)
Date: 2018-03-14
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: access to EU information, environmental law, food safety, leguminous vegetable, market approval, soya bean, transgenic plant








C_2018152EN.01002601.xml










30.4.2018   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 152/26





Judgment of the General Court of 14 March 2018 — TestBioTech v Commission
(Case T-33/16) (1)

((Environment - Genetically modified products - Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 - Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 - Genetically modified soybeans MON 87769, MON 87705 and 305423 - Rejection of an application for internal review of market authorisation decisions - Concept of ‘environmental law’ - Article 10 of Regulation No 1367/2006))
(2018/C 152/31)
Language of the case: English

Parties


Applicant: TestBioTech eV (Munich, Germany) (represented by: R. Stein, Solicitor, K. Smith QC, and J. Stevenson, Barrister)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: J. Tomkin, L. Pignataro-Nolin and C. Valero, acting as Agents)

Interveners in support of the defendant: Monsanto Europe (Antwerp, Belgium) and Monsanto Company (Wilmington, Delaware, United States) (represented by: M. Pittie, lawyer), Pioneer Overseas Corp. (Johnston, Iowa, United States) and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. (Johnston) (represented by: G. Forwood, lawyer, J. Killick, Barrister, and S. Nordin, Solicitor)

Re:

Action under Article 263 TFEU for annulment of the letter from the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety of 16 November 2015 rejecting an application for internal review, based on Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 on the application of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters to Community institutions and bodies (OJ 2006 L 264, p. 13), of implementing decisions authorising the placing on the market of the genetically modified soybeans MON 87769, MON 87705 and 305423.

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Annuls the letter of the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety of 16 November 2015, bearing the reference Ares(2015) 5145741, concerning a request for internal review, based on Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 September 2006 on the application of the provisions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters to Community institutions and bodies, of the implementing decisions authorising the placing on the market of the genetically modified soybeans MON 87769, MON 87705 and 305423.










2.


Orders the Commission to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by TestBioTech eV.










3.


Orders Monsanto Europe, Monsanto Company, Pioneer Overseas Corp. and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. each to bear their own costs.






(1)  OJ C 136, 18.4.2016.