ADM succeeds in customs law proceedings before the CJEU with BLOMSTEIN
On 7 April 2016, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) confirmed the position of our client ADM in a legal dispute with the German customs authorities (case C-294/14). ADM had brought action against an import duty assessment of the Regional Customs Office of Hamburg before the Finance Court of Hamburg, which submitted the case to the CJEU for a preliminary ruling. The CJEU now confirmed ADM’s legal interpretation of EU customs laws.
According to the CJEU’s ruling, crude palm kernel oils of different preferential origins do not lose their preferential status where those products have been mixed in the tank of a vessel at the time of being transported into the EU provided it can be ruled out that other products, in particular products not benefiting from any preferential treatment, have been added to that tank. The judgment will have an impact on many customs proceedings within the EU concerning the import of bulk goods, liquids or oils. ADM was represented by a team of lawyers led by BLOMSTEIN Partner Dr. Roland M. Stein and including BLOMSTEIN associate Dr. Florian Wolf. BLOMSTEIN is a regular adviser to the ADM group on customs and excise tax law. With the above judgment Roland M. Stein continues his successful work for ADM in the new law firm BLOMSTEIN which was co-founded by him.