Ackermann Saatzucht GmbH & Co.KG and Others v European Parliament and Council of the European Union.

• Jurisdiction: European Union
• Celex Number: 62015CJ0408
• ECLI: ECLI:EU:C:2016:893
• Court: Court of Justice (European Union)
• Date: 24 November 2016
• Docket Number: C-409/15,C-408/15
• Procedure Type: Recurso de anulación

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Sixth Chamber)

24 November 2016 (*)

(Appeal — Action for annulment — Fourth paragraph of Article 263 TFEU — Right to bring an action — Locus standi — Act of individual concern to natural or legal persons by reason of ‘certain attributes which are peculiar to them’ — Regulation (EU) No 511/2014 — Measures concerning compliance by users in the Union with the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation — Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 — Limitation of the effects of Community plant variety rights — Breeders’ exemption)

In Joined Cases C‑408/15 P and C‑409/15 P,

TWO APPEALS under Article 56 of the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Union, lodged on 24 July 2015,

Ackermann Saatzucht GmbH & Co. KG, established in Irlbach (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Böhm-Nordkartoffel Agrarproduktion GmbH & Co. OHG, established in Hohenmocker (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Deutsche Saatveredelung AG, established in Lippstadt (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Ernst Benary, Samenzucht GmbH, established in Hannoversch Münden (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Freiherr Von Moreau Saatzucht GmbH, established in Osterhofen (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Hybro Saatzucht GmbH & Co. KG, established in Kleptow (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Klemm + Sohn GmbH & Co. KG, established in Stuttgart (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

KWS Saat AG, established in Einbeck (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Norddeutsche Pflanzenzucht Hans-Georg Lembke KG, established in Hohenlieth (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Nordsaat Saatzuchts GmbH, established in Halberstadt (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Peter Franck-Oberaspach, domiciled in Schwäbisch Hall (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

P. H. Petersen Saatzucht Lundsgaard GmbH, established in Grundhof (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Saatzucht Streng — Engelen GmbH & Co. KG, established in Uffenheim (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Saka Pflanzenzucht GmbH & Co. KG, established in Hamburg (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Strube Research GmbH & Co. KG, established in Söllingen (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

Gartenbau und Spezialkulturen Westhoff GbR, established in Südlohn-Oeding (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

W. von Borries-Eckendorf GmbH & Co. KG, established in Leopoldshöhe (Germany) (C‑408/15 P),

ABZ Aardbeien Uit Zaad Holding BV, established in Hoorn NH (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Agriom BV, established in Aalsmeer (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Agrisemen BV, established in Ellewoutsdijk (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Anthura BV, established in Bleiswijk (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Barenbrug Holding BV, established in Oosterhout (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

De Bolster BV, established in Epe (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Evanthia BV, established in Hook of Holland (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Gebr. Vletter & Den Haan VOF, established in Rijnsburg (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Hilverda Kooij BV, established in Aalsmeer (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Holland-Select BV, established in Andijk (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Könst Breeding BV, established in Nieuwveen (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Koninklijke Van Zanten BV, established in Hillegom (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Kweek- en Researchbedrijf Agirco BV, established in Emmeloord (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Kwekerij de Wester-Bouwing BV, established in Rossum (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Limgroup BV, established in Horst aan de Maas (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij Het Idee BV, established in Amsterdam (Netherlands) (C‑409/15 P),

represented by P. de Jong, E. Bertolotto, K. Claeyé, P. Vlaemminck and B. Van Vooren, avocats,

appellants,

the other parties to the proceedings being:

European Parliament, represented by L. Visaggio, J. Rodrigues and R. van de Westelaken, acting as Agents,

Council of the European Union, represented by M. Simm and M. Moore, acting as Agents,

defendants at first instance,

THE COURT (Sixth Chamber),

composed of A. Arabadjiev, acting as President of the Sixth Chamber, C. G. Fernlund (Rapporteur) and S. Rodin, Judges,

Advocate General: M. Szpunar,

Registrar: A. Calot Escobar,

having regard to the written procedure,

having decided, after hearing the Advocate General, to proceed to judgment without an Opinion,

gives the following

Judgment

1 By their appeals, Ackermann Saatzucht GmbH & Co. KG, Böhm-Nordkartoffel Agrarproduktion GmbH & Co. OHG, Deutsche Saatveredelung AG, Ernst Benary, Samenzucht GmbH, Freiherr Von Moreau Saatzucht GmbH, Hybro Saatzucht GmbH & Co. KG, Klemm + Sohn GmbH & Co. KG, KWS Saat AG, Norddeutsche Pflanzenzucht Hans-Georg Lembke KG, Nordsaat Saatzuchts GmbH, Peter Franck-Oberaspach, P. H. Petersen Saatzucht Lundsgaard GmbH, Saatzucht Streng — Engelen GmbH & Co. KG, Saka Pflanzenzucht GmbH & Co. KG, Strube Research GmbH & Co. KG, Gartenbau und Spezialkulturen Westhoff GbR, W. von Borries-Eckendorf GmbH & Co. KG, on the one hand, and ABZ Aardbeien Uit Zaad Holding BV, Agriom BV, Agrisemen BV, Anthura BV, Barenbrug Holding BV, De Bolster BV, Evanthia BV, Gebr. Vletter & Den Haan VOF, Hilverda Kooij BV, Holland-Select BV, Könst Breeding BV, Koninklijke Van Zanten BV, Kweek- en Researchbedrijf Agirco BV, Kwekerij de Wester-Bouwing BV, Limgroup BV and Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij Het Idee BV, on the other hand, request the Court to set aside the order of the General Court of the European Union of 18 May 2015, Ackermann Saatzucht and Others v Parliament and Council (T‑559/14, not published, EU:T:2015:315) and the order of the General Court of 18 May 2015, ABZ Aardbeien Uit Zaad Holding and Others v Parliament and Council (T‑560/14, not published, EU:T:2015:314), respectively, (together ‘the orders under appeal’) by which the General Court dismissed the actions they had brought seeking annulment of Regulation (EU) No 511/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on compliance measures for users from the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation in the Union (OJ 2014 L 150, p. 59) (‘the contested regulation’).

Legal context

International law

2 The European Union is a contracting party to the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants of 2 December 1961, as revised on 19 March 1991, (‘the UPOV Convention’). According to Article 15 of that convention, entitled ‘Exceptions to the Breeder’s Right’, the breeder’s right is not to extend to acts done for the purpose of breeding other varieties.

EU law

Regulation (EC) No 2100/94

3 Recital 15 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2100/94 of 27 July 1994 on Community plant variety rights (OJ 1994 L 227, p 1), as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 15/2008 of 20 December 2007 (OJ 2008 L 8, p 2) (‘Regulation No 2100/94’), provides:

‘Whereas in order to stimulate plant breeding, the system basically confirms the internationally accepted rule of free access to protected varieties for the development therefrom, and exploitation, of new varieties’.

4 In accordance with recital 29, the regulation takes into account, inter alia, the UPOV Convention.

5 Under Article 15 of that regulation, entitled ‘Limitation of the effects of Community plant variety rights’:

‘The Community plant variety rights shall not extend to:

...

(c) acts done for the purpose of breeding, or discovering and developing other varieties;

...’

The contested Regulation

6 Article 1 of the contested regulation, headed ‘Subject matter’, provides:

‘This Regulation establishes rules governing compliance with access and benefit-sharing for genetic resources and traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources in accordance with the provisions of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation to the Convention on Biological Diversity (“the Nagoya Protocol”). The effective implementation of this Regulation will also contribute to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (“the Convention”).’

7 Article 2 of that regulation, entitled ‘Scope’, provides in paragraph 1:

‘This Regulation applies to genetic resources over which States exercise sovereign rights and to traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources that...