ECJ rejects attempt by Spain's IQV to lift metalaxyl ban

05 July 2005 16:59  [Source: ICIS news]

PARIS (CNI)--The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has thrown out an attempt by Spanish chemical company Industrias Químicas del Vallés (IQV) to reverse a European Commission (EC) ban on the fungicide metalaxyl.

IQV, of Mollet del Vallés, had imported metalaxyl from India into Spain from 1994 for plant protection products sold domestically.

However, following a series of delays and difficulties over the collection of data on the product, it was banned within the European Union (EU) by the Commission under Directive 91/414/EEC on plant protection products. The prohibition was effected through a refusal to include it on a mandatory list of approved substances.

At the ECJ, IQV cited a series of mitigating circumstances, including alleged refusals by rival Syngenta to release associated studies. The ECJ, however, ruled the Commission had acted properly when banning metalaxyl, awarding costs against IQV.

By: Keith Nuthall
+44 20 8652 3214

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