Under the second paragraph of Article 37 of the Statute of the Court of Justice the right to intervene in a case before the Court is open to any person establishing an interest in the result of the case. In particular, representative associations whose object is to protect their members in cases raising questions of principle liable to affect those members are allowed to intervene.

In a case raising questions of principle regarding the Commission's margin for manoeuvre under the Community procedure laid down by Regulation No 2377/90 for establishing maximum residue limits of veterinary medicinal products in foodstuffs of animal origin, an association comprising national associations from the animal health industry in Europe and manufacturers of animal health products are able to establish such an interest inasmuch as the answer to those questions is of direct concern to the members of that association.