European Union Law

Joe  is  the  managing  director  of  a  food-processing  company  based  in  Copenhagen, Denmark. He has a new product on the market called the  “Fish-supper”, a frozen fish-based pie, which can only be prepared by cooking it in a microwave for 90 seconds. Danish  customers  are  very  fond  of  it  and  the  business  is  doing  well.    Joe  wants  to export the “Fish-supper” to other European markets, especially into the Netherlands. He is confident that the Dutch public, who like fish, will love the frozen food concept and the fact that it can be cooked in 90 seconds.

Joe packs a lorry with 30,000 “Fish-suppers” and sends them to the Netherlands. On arrival at the Dutch borders, the Dutch Customs and Excise, stop the consignment and carry out an inspection for which a fee of Euro 2000 is charged. They then decide to turn  the  lorry  back  to  Copenhagen.  The  official  explanation  is  contained  in  a  letter saying: “For  the  protection of human  health,  the  fact  that  the “Fish-supper”  can only  be cooked in a microwave and be ready to eat in 90 seconds could put consumers at risk, especially young children, and the elderly”.

The lorry turns back and heads to the ferry terminal to return to Denmark. Before the driver  reaches  the  terminal,  he  is  confronted  by  angry  demonstrators  protesting against fish imports. He misses the ferry’s departure and as a result of the delay, the freezing  equipment  of  the  lorry  malfunctions  and  the  “Fish-suppers”  start  to  decay. The smell is awful and Dutch police confiscate the lorry and its contents and escort it to a location for safe disposal of the rotting fish products.

The  driver  calls  Joe,  who  upon  hearing  the  news  has  a  nervous  breakdown.  His girlfriend,  Anna,  a  law  student,  calms  him  down  and  informs  him  that  he  has  rights under EU law. Anna discovers the following: The Director of the Dutch Customs and Excise did nothing to inform the driver of the lorry that there was a planned demonstration in the area.

Advise Joe and Anna on any issues arising in relation to the situation. 

MAXIMUM 2000 word count (Excluding footnotes/references)