Order of the Court of First Instance (Fourth Chamber) of 3 November 2008 – Union nationale de l’apiculture française and Others v Commission

(Case T-403/07)

Action for annulment – Directive 91/414/EEC – Plant protection products – Directive 2007/52/EC – Not individually concerned – Inadmissibility

1.                     Actions for annulment – Natural or legal persons – Measures of direct and individual concern to them (Art. 230, fourth para., EC; Council Directive No 91/414; Commission Directive No 2007/52) (see paras 39-52)

2.                     European Communities – Judicial review of the legality of the acts of the institutions – Measures of general scope – Need for natural or legal persons to have recourse to a plea of illegality or a reference for a preliminary ruling on validity (Arts 230, fourth para., EC, 234 EC and 241 EC) (see paras 53-55)

3.                     Preliminary rulings – Assessment of validity – Declaration of invalidity of a Community measure – Effects (Arts 233 EC and 234 EC) (see para 56)

Re:

APPLICATION for annulment of Commission Directive 2007/52/EC of 16 August 2007 amending Council Directive 91/414/EEC to include ethoprophos, pirimiphos-methyl and fipronil as active substances (OJ 2007 L 214, p. 3).

Operative part

The Court:

1.

Dismisses the action as inadmissible;

2.

Orders that there is no need to rule on the applications to intervene;

3.

Orders Union nationale de l’apiculture française, Deutscher Berufs- und Erwerbsimkerbund eV, Unione nazionale associazioni apicoltori italiani and Asociación Galega de Apicultura to bear their own costs and pay those incurred by the Commission.