CELEX: C2003/112/31
Language: en
Date: 2003-05-10 00:00:00
Title: Case C-120/03: Action brought on 18 March 2003 by the Commission of the European Communities against the Kingdom of Spain

C 112/18                 EN                        Official Journal of the European Union                                         10.5.2003
The Commission of the European Communities claims that                     Action brought on 19 March 2003 by the Commission of
the Court should:                                                           the European Communities against the French Republic
—     declare that, by failing to adopt the laws, regulations
      and administrative provisions necessary to comply with                                         (Case C-122/03)
      Commission Directive 2000/52/EC of 26 July 2000 on
      the transparency of financial relations between Member
      States and public undertakings as well as on financial                                         (2003/C 112/32)
      transparency within certain undertakings (1) or, in any
      event, by failing to notify them to the Commission,
      France has failed to fulfil its obligations under that
      directive;
                                                                           An action against the French Republic was brought before the
—     order France to pay the costs.                                       Court of Justice of the European Communities on 19 March
                                                                           2003 by the Commission of the European Communities,
                                                                           represented by H. Støvlbæk and B. Stromsky, acting as Agents,
                                                                           with an address for service in Luxembourg.
Pleas in law and main arguments
The period prescribed for transposition expired on 31 January              The applicant claims that the Court should:
2001.
                                                                           1.    Declare that, by imposing, pursuant to Article R. 5142-
( 1) OJ L 193 of 29 July 2002, p. 78.                                            15 of the Public Health Code, on traders importing or
                                                                                 distributing in France medicinal products which are
                                                                                 already covered by a marketing authorisation for the
                                                                                 French or Community market the requirement that they
                                                                                 submit, at the request of the monitoring authorities,
                                                                                 either a certified copy issued by the French agency for
Action brought on 18 March 2003 by the Commission of                             health products sanitary safety (FAHPSS) of the French
the European Communities against the Kingdom of Spain                            marketing authorisation or of the registration of the
                                                                                 medicinal product, or a document issued by the FAHPSS
                           (Case C-120/03)                                       attesting to the fact that the imported medicinal product
                                                                                 has obtained a marketing authorisation issued by the
                           (2003/C 112/31)                                       European Community, the French Republic has failed to
                                                                                 fulfil its obligations under Article 28 of the EC Treaty;
An action against the Kingdom of Spain was brought before                  2.    Order the French Republic to pay the costs.
the Court of Justice of the European Communities on 18 March
2003 by the Commission of the European Communities,
represented by K. Banks and J.L. Buendía Sierra, acting as
Agents, with an address for service in Luxembourg.
                                                                           Pleas in law and main arguments
The applicant claims that the Court should:
                                                                           So far as concerns the importation into France of pharmaceuti-
1.    Declare that, by failing to adopt the laws, regulations
                                                                           cal products already covered by a marketing authorisation for
      and administrative provisions necessary to comply with
                                                                           the French or Community market, Article R. 5142-15 of the
      Directive 98/71/EC ( 1) of the European Parliament and of
                                                                           Public Health Code requires the submission at the request of
      the Council of 13 October 1998 on the legal protection
                                                                           customs officers of either a certified copy of the marketing
      of designs or, in any event, by failing to communicate
                                                                           authorisation or of the registration of the medicinal product
      them to the Commission, the Kingdom of Spain has
                                                                           or a document attesting to the fact that the imported medicinal
      failed to fulfil its obligations under that directive;
                                                                           product has obtained a marketing authorisation issued by the
2.    Order the Kingdom of Spain to pay the costs.                         European Community, each of those documents being issued
                                                                           by the FAHPSS.
Pleas in law and main arguments
                                                                           The effects of that provision on traders wishing to import and
                                                                           distribute pharmaceutical products in France may be resumed
The period prescribed for implementation of the directive                  as follows: (i) formalities, costs and the time entailed by the
expired on 28 October 2001.                                                granting procedure are imposed on traders which they are
                                                                           obliged to bear, on pain of sanctions, throughout its term; (ii)
( 1) OJEC L 289 of 28 October 1998, p. 28.                                 those same traders are obliged to be constantly in possession
                                                                           of documents which could be potentially numerous and
                                                                           voluminous.