Judgment of the General Court of 13 November 2024 – Aboca and Others v Commission

(Case T-302/21)  (1)

(Consumer protection - Substances prohibited, restricted or under EU scrutiny - Article 8(1) and (2) of, and Annex III to, Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 - Prohibition and placing under control of certain substances and preparations containing hydroxyanthracene derivatives - First, second and third entries in Article 1(1), and Article 1(2), of Regulation (EU) 2021/468 - Concepts of ‘substance’, ‘ingredient’ and ‘preparations’ - Error of law)

(C/2025/161)

Language of the case: English

Parties

Applicants: Aboca SpA Soc. agr. (Sansepolcro, Italy), Coswell SpA (Funo di Argelato, Italy), Associação portuguesa de suplementos alimentares (Apard) (Lisbon, Portugal) (represented by: B. Kelly, Solicitor, K. Ewert, lawyer, D. Scannell and C. Thomas, Barristers-at-Law)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: I. Galindo Martín, K. Mifsud-Bonnici and B. Rous Demiri, acting as Agents)

Re:

By their action under Article 263 TFEU, the applicants seek annulment of Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/468 of 18 March 2021 amending Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards botanical species containing hydroxyanthracene derivatives (OJ 2021 L 96, p. 6), in so far as, by the first, second and third entries in Article 1(1) of that regulation and by Article 1(2) thereof, the European Commission included certain hydroxyanthracene derivatives and certain preparations in Parts A and C of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on the addition of vitamins and minerals and of certain other substances to foods (OJ 2006 L 404, p. 26).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:

1.

Annuls the first, second and third entries in Article 1(1), and Article 1(2), of Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/468 of 18 March 2021 amending Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards botanical species containing hydroxyanthracene derivatives;

2.	Orders the European Commission to pay the costs.

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(1)   OJ C 289, 19.7.2021.