Case C‑430/20 P

Christoph Klein

v

European Commission

Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber), 12 May 2022

(Appeal – Article 265 TFEU – Action for failure to act – Directive 93/42/EEC – Medical devices – Article 8(1) and (2) – Safeguard clause procedure – Notification by a Member State of a decision prohibiting the placing on the market of a medical device – Prolonged lack of reaction on the part of the European Commission – Absence of a decision – Admissibility – Locus standi – Out of time – Request for action to be taken within a reasonable time – Principle of good administration – Obligation to state reasons of the General Court of the European Union)

1. Appeal – Grounds – Incorrect assessment of the facts and evidence – Inadmissibility – Review by the Court of Justice of the assessment of the facts and evidence – Possible only where the clear sense of the evidence has been distorted

   (Art. 256(1), second subpara., TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, 1st para.; Rules of Procedure of the Court of Justice, Art. 168(1)(d))

   (see paragraph 23)

2. Appeal – Grounds – Plea directed against a ground included for the sake of completeness – Ground of appeal ineffective – Rejection

   (Art. 256(1) TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, 1st para.)

   (see paragraph 32)

3. Appeal – Grounds – Review by the Court of the legal classification of the facts – Whether permissible

   (Art. 256 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, 1st para.)

   (see paragraph 39)

4. Action for failure to act – Institution called upon to act – Invitation to act – Time limits – Conditions

   (Art. 265 TFEU)

   (see paragraphs 47- 51, 60, 82)

5. Appeal –Grounds – Inadequate or contradictory grounds – Admissibility – Scope of the obligation to state reasons – Scope of the Court’s review of judgments of the General Court

   (Art. 265 TFEU; Statute of the Court of Justice, Art. 58, 1st para.)

   (see paragraph 66)

6. Action for failure to act – Institution called upon to act – Invitation to act – Time limits – Safeguard clause procedure

   (Art. 256 TFEU; Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 41)

   (see paragraphs 72, 86-88, 91, 93, 99, 101)

See the text of the decision.