France to go to court over personal imports
France is facing a court case over personal medicine imports. Restrictions imposed by the French government on personal imports of standard and homeopathic medicines via the post from other EU member states are to be challenged in the European Court of Justice.
The Commission is bringing a case against Paris, claiming that the rules 'constitute a disproportionate obstacle to free movement of medicinal products in the internal (EU) market'.
Brussels noted that the authorisation to receive such supplies is 'particularly cumbersome on account of the information (qualitative and quantitative composition of the product, package insert and labelling) that patients themselves are required to produce'. It added that these rules applied even when a patient had been prescribed medicines.