CELEX: C1999/174/19
Language: en
Date: 1999-06-19 00:00:00
Title: Case T-70/99: Action brought on 11 March 1999 by Alpharma Inc. against the Council of the European Union

19.6.1999              EN                     Official Journal of the European Communities                                         C 174/9
The applicant association concludes its arguments by asserting           The applicant raises the following pleas in law:
that insufficient reasons have been given for the requirement
that the aid in issue be repaid, and that this infringes the             — infringement of an essential procedural requirement in
principles of proportionality, the protection of legitimate                   that the contested regulation has provided no or at least
expectations, equal treatment and the prohibition of arbitrari-               no clear legal basis and/or that the joinder of two legal
ness.                                                                         bases results in a breach of the essential procedural
                                                                              requirements laid down in Directive 70/524/EEG; (2)
                                                                         — manifest error of assessment on the part of the Council in
                                                                              the application of Article 3(a)(e) of Directive 70/524/EEC;
                                                                         — infringement by the Council of fundamental principles of
                                                                              law forming part of the Community legal order, such as the
Action brought on 11 March 1999 by Alpharma Inc.                              proportionality principle, the principle of the protection of
          against the Council of the European Union                           legitimate expectations and the right to be heard and,
                                                                              finally;
                         (Case T-70/99)
                                                                         — insufficient reasoning for the contested regulation and,
                                                                              consequently, infringement by the Council of Article 190
                        (1999/C 174/19)                                       of the EC Treaty.
                   (Language of the case: English)                       (1) See also pending Case T-13/99 Pfizer Animal Health v Councilnot
                                                                             yet published in the OJ.
                                                                         (2) Council Directive of 23 November 1970 concerning additives in
An action against the Council of the European Union was                      feedingstuffs, OJ L 270, 14.12.1970, p. 1.
brought before the Court of First Instance of the European
Communities on 11 March 1999 by Alpharma Inc., Fort Lee
(the United States of America) represented by Mr. Gavin
Robert, London, and Mr. Bemard Van de Walle de Ghelcke,
Brussels, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the
Chambers of Loesch & Wolter, 11, Rue Goethe, Luxembourg.
                                                                         Action brought on 15 March 1999 by Eli Lilly and
The applicant claims that the Court should:                              Company Ltd against the Commission of the European
                                                                                                     Communities
— annul Council Regulation (EC) No 2821/98 of 17 Decem-
    ber 1998 amending, as regards withdrawal of the authoris-                                       (Case T-75/99)
    ation of certain antibiotics, Directive 70/524/EC concern-
    ing additives in feedingstuffs; or                                                             (1999/C 174/20)
— annul Council Regulation (EC) No 2821/98 in so far as it
    relates to withdrawal of authorisation of bacitracin zinc;                               (Language of the case: English)
    and
                                                                         An action against the Commission of the European Communi-
— order the Council to pay the costs.                                    ties was brought before the Court of First Instance of the
                                                                         European Communities on 15 March 1999 by Eli Lilly and
                                                                         Company Ltd, represented by Denis Waelbroeck and Dirk
Pleas in law and main arguments                                          Brinckman, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the
                                                                         Chambers of Arendt & Medernach, B.P. 39, L-2010.
The applicant, a company incorporated under the laws of the
State of Delaware and established in the United States of                The applicant claims that the Court should:
America, produces an antibiotic feed additive called bacitracin
zinc, in formulations appropriate for use as an antimicrobial            — declare, pursuant to Article 175 of the EC Treaty that, in
growth promoter in animals. The applicant is the only                         breach of Article 176 of the EC Treaty, the Commission
manufacturer and the most important supplier of bacitracin                    has failed to take the necessary measures to comply with
zinc in the EEA and markets its additive, which is produced in                the judgment of the Court of First Instance of 25 June
Norway, under the trade name Albac.                                           1998 in Case T-120/96 (Lilly Industries Ltd v Commission);
                                                                         — order the Commission to pay compensation of ECU
The contested regulation(1) withdraws the autorisation to use                 2.6 million, in accordance with Articles 178 and 215,
and market bacitracin zinc as an additive in animal feeding-                  second paragraph, of the EC Treaty, for the material and
stuffs with effect from 30 June 1999. Banning bacitracine zinc                non-material damage suffered by the applicant as a result
was found to be a necessary safeguard pending further                         of the Commission’s failure to act;
comprehensive evidence as to the possibility of antibiotic
resistance and the assessment of the risk of transfer from               — order the Commission to pay compensation of ECU 1 000
animals to humans. Such transfer of resistance would reduce                   per day from the date of the judgment in the present case
the effectiveness of bacitracin zinc used as a human medicinal                to the date until such time as the Commission has taken
product. Three other products, spiramycin, virginiamycin and                  the measures necessary in order to comply with the
tylosin phosphate, were banned at the same time. The ban is                   judgment of the Court of First Instance in Case T-120/96;
to be reviewed no later than 31 December 2000.                                and