The Commission announced on Friday 30 October that it had sent a letter of formal notice to France because of the obstacles that Paris imposes on the parallel import of veterinary medicines by farmers for their own livestock.
Indeed, France makes these imports subject to very high administrative costs, which limits the volumes imported and, above all, may constitute a violation of Articles 34 (which prohibits import restrictions between Member States), 35 (which prohibits export restrictions), and 36 (which deals with the conditions for prohibiting or restricting imports for, for example, health reasons) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), says the institution.
More generally, these excessive costs contravene the principle of the free movement of goods, a pillar of the internal market. This announcement follows the Court’s ruling in Case C-114/15 AUDACE, according to which farmers are allowed to import veterinary medicines from other Member States for their own livestock.
France now has 2 months to respond. If it fails to do so, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)