The EU’s economy is extremely regulated, allowing for commercialisation in certain sectors of products that meet a number of scientific, technical and safety standards.

Products can only be placed on the market if they have undergone a stringent authorisation procedure, in which compliance with these standards is checked. This procedure is of paramount importance in the EU legal system, as it is being replicated and used in all regulatory branches under the EU’s competence (food, medicinal products, chemicals, pesticides, etc).

It is also characterised by its acute complexity, calling for the implication of economic operators, specialised scientific and decision-making committees, as well as various European agencies and the European Commission. Furthermore, each year, the decisions finally taken are the source of a significant number of cases of private litigation.