JUDICIAL REMEDIES IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES EUROPA INSTlTUUT UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM JUDICIAL REMEDIES IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES A Case book L. J. BRINKHORST H. G. SCHERMERS SECOND REVISED EDITION BY HENRY G. SCHERMERS PROFESSOR OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF AMS1ERDAM Springer Science+ Business Media, B.V. 1977 ISBN 978-90-268-0951-4 ISBN 978-94-017-4416-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-4416-4 © 1977 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Kluwer B. V., Deventer/The Netherlands in 1977 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publishers. Table of Contents LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Page xiv PREFACE Chapter One ACTIONS AGAINST MEMBER STATES BEFORE THE COURT OF JUSTICE 5 I. Settlement of disputes between Member States 5 II. Implementation of the Community Treaties 8 A. Supervision by Member States 8 B. Supervision by Community Institutions 9 1. Supervision under the ECSC Treaty 9 (1) Railway Tariffs Case (C. 3/59) 9 (2) Publication of Transport Tariffs Case (C. 25/59) 10 2. Supervision under the EEC Treaty 11 a. Purpose of the 169-action 12 (1) Premium for SlaUghtering Cows Case (C.39/72) 12 (2) Kohlegesetz Case (C.70/72) 13 b. Discretion of the Commission in bringing the action 14 (1) Administrative Fees in Germany Case (C.52 and 55/65) 14 (2) Marine Labour Code Case (C.167/73) 15 c. Object of the reasoned opinion 16 (1) Pork Case (C.7/61) 16 (2) Tax Refund in Italy Case (C.45/64) 18 (3) Wool Imports Case (C.7/69) 20 d. Can the reasoned opinion be annulled? 21 Rediscount Rate Case (C.6 and 11/69) 21 e. Violations by national institutions other than the Government 22 Wood Case (C.77/69) 22 f. Violation of an irregular act 23 Olive Oil Case (C.26/69) 23 g. Violation provoked by other violations 25 Dairy-products Case (C.90 and 91/63) 25 h. Exhaustion of local remedies 26 (1) Export Rebates Case (C.31/69) 26 (2) Molkerei-Zentrale Case (C.28/67) 27 i. Non-compliance with previous judgment 28 Second Art Treasures Case (C.48/71) 28 3. Sanctions 30 (1) Belgian Fromagerie Le Ski Case (First instance) 30 (2) Belgian Fromagerie Le Ski Case (Second instance) 31 v CONTENTS Chapter Two ACTIONS AGAINST COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS BEFORE THE COURT OF JUSTICE: ADMINISTRATIVE JURISDICTION 34 I. Review of the Legality of Community Acts 34 A. Action for annulment 36 1. Acts susceptible of judicial review 36 a. Acts considered as binding and therefore susceptible of review 36 (1) First Lemmerzwerke Case (C.53 and 54/63) 37 (2) Cement-Convention Case (C.8-11/66) 39 (3) ERTA Case (C.22/70) 42 (4) ICI Case (C.48/69) 43 b. Acts by others than Community Institutions 44 c. One action against several decisions 44 (1) First Monnet-Rabat Case (C.l/54) 44 (2) Ley Case (C.12 and 29/64) 44 (3) SIMET-FERAM Case (C.25 and 26/65) 45 d. Action against part of a decision 46 (1) First Geitling Case (C.2/56) 46 (2) Transocean Marine Paint Case (C.17/74) 46 (3) Jamet Case (C.37j71) 47 2. Capacity to bring an action 48 a. Actions by Member States and Community Institutions 48 b. Actions by associations of individuals 48 Fedechar Case (C.8/55) 48 c. Actions by Private Parties: ECSC 49 (i) First restriction: Coal or steel undertaking 49 (1) Steel Industries in Luxembourg Case (C.7 and 9/54) 49 (2) Coal Consumers in Luxembourg Case (C.8 and 10/54) 50 (ii) Second restriction: either individual act or misuse of powers 50 IX Individual act 50 (1) Fedechar Case (C.8/55) 50 (2) First Nold Case (C.18/57) 51 ~ Misuse of powers 53 (1) Assider Case (C.3/54) 53 (2) Fedechar Case (C.8/55) 54 (iii) Third restriction: being concerned 55 (1) Chambre syndicale de l'Est de la France Case (C.24 and 34/58) 55 (2) Limburg Coalmines Case (C.30/59) 55 d. Actions by private parties: EEC 57 (i) First restriction: the act must be a decision 57 (1) Fruit and Vegetables Case (C.16 and 17/62) 57 (2) Zuckerfabrik Watenstedt Case (C.6/68) 59 (3) Compagnie Francaise Case (C.64/69) 60 (4) First International Fruit Company Case (C.41-44/70) 62 (5) CAM Case (C.100j74) 64 vi CONTENTS (ii) Second restriction: individual concern 65 (1) Plaumann Case (C.25/62) 65 (2) First Getreide-Import Case (C.38/64) 67 (3) Toepfer Case (C.I06 and 107163) 67 (4) Chinese Mushroom Case (C.62/70) 69 (5) CAM Case (C.l00j74) 70 (iii) Third restriction: direct concern 70 (1) Toepfer Case (C. 106 and 107/63) 70 (2) Chinese Mushroom Case (C.62j70) 71 3. Grounds of illegality 72 Schroeder Case (CAO/72) 72 a. Lack of competence 72 (1) F6d6char Case (C.8/55) 72 (2) First Meroni Case (C.9156) 73 (3) Koster Case (C.25/70) 74 (4) ICI Case (C.48/69) 76 b. Infringement of an essential procedural requirement 77 (1) Brennwein Case (C.24/62) 77 (2) Schwarze Case (C.16/65) 79 (3) Beus Case (C.5/67) 80 (4) Food Gifts Case (C.13/72) 80 c. Infringement of the Treaty 81 Hauts Fourneaux Case (C.8/57) 81 d. Infringement of any rule of law relating to the application of the Treaty 82 (i) Rules of human rights 82 (1) Handelsgesellschafft Case (C.11j70) 82 (2) Second Nold Case (CAI73) 83 (ii) Rules of international law 84 Third International Fruit Company Case (C.21-24/72) 84 e. Misuse of powers 86 (1) First Monnet-Rabat Case (C.l/54) 86 (2) Hauts Fourneaux de Chasse Case (C.15157) 87 (3) Giuffrida Case (C.I05j75) 87 4. Consequences of Annulment 88 Limburg Coalmines Case (C.30/59) 89 B. Action against failure to act 89 (1) Steel Industries in Luxembourg Case (C.7 and 9154) 90 (2) First Liitticke Case (CA8/65) 91 (3) Eridania Case (C.10 and 18/68) 92 (4) Chevalley Case (C.15/70) 93 (5) Steel Subsidies Case (C.59j70) 95 C. Plea of illegality 96 (1) First Meroni Case (C.9/56) 97 (2) Wohrmann Case (C.31 and 33/62) 98 (3) Third Dalmas Case (C.21/64) 99 (4) Group Exemption Regulation Case (C.32/65) 100 vii CONTENTS II. Unlimited Jurisdiction 101 A. Non-contractual liability of the Communities 103 1. ECSC 103 (1) FERAM Case (C.23/S9) 104 (2) First Fives Lill Cail Case (C.19, 21/60 and 2, 3/61) 105 2. EEC 107 (1) Plaumann Case (C.2S/62) 107 (2) First Kampffmeyer Case (C.S,7 and 13,24 /66) 108 (3) Third Liitticke Case (C.4/69) 110 (4) Merkur Case (C.43/72) 112 (5) Compagnie Continentale Case (C.169/73) 113 (6) CNTA Case (C.74/74) 114 B. Actions against penalties 116 (I) ALMA Case (C.8/56) 117 (2) First Dalmas Case (C.I/s9) 117 (3) First Modena Case (C.16/61) 118 (4) First Boehringer Case (C.45/69) 118 (5) Sugar Cases, Interpretation (C.41, 43 and 44/77) 120 C. Civil Servant Cases 121 Sixth Reinarz Case (C.48/76) 121 Chapter Three THE APPLICATION OF COMMUNITY LAW BY NATIONAL COURTS 123 I. The obligation of national courts to apply Community law 123 A. The obligation in general 123 (1) Costa-ENEL Case (C.6/64) 124 (2) Neumann Case (C.17/67) 126 B. The limitation to provisions having direct effect 127 1. Treaty provisions 128 (1) Van Gend en Loos Case (C.26/62) 128 (2) Second Liitticke Case (C.s7/6s) 130 (3) Molkerei-Zentrale Case (C.28/67) 131 (4) Eunomia Case (C.18/71) 134 (5) Second Defrenne Case (C.43/7s) 136 2. Community Acts 139 (1) Grad Case (C.9/70) 139 (2) Sace Case (C.33/70) 144 t3) Slaughtered Cow Case (C.93/71) 146 (4) Undertakings of the Netherlands Case (C.S1/76) 147 II. Court systems in the Member States 148 A. Belgium 148 1. Judicial organization 148 2. Administrative jurisdiction 149 B. Denmark 149 viii CONTENTS C. Germany 151 1. Judicial organization 151 2. Administrative jurisdiction 152 3. Constitutional review 153 D. France 155 1. Judicial organization 155 2. Administrative jurisdiction 156 3. Constitutional review 158 E. Ireland 159 F. Italy 160 1. Judicial organization 160 2. Administrative jurisdiction 161 3. Constitutional review 162 G. Luxembourg 163 H. The Netherlands 164 1. Judicial organization 164 2. Administrative jurisdiction 165 I. United Kingdom 167 1. English Courts 167 2. Scottish Courts 170 3. The Courts of Northem Ireland 170 4. The Courts of the United Kingdom 171 a. The House of Lords 171 b. United Kingdom Courts of Special Jurisdiction 171 c. Administrative Jurisdiction 172 III. National Constitutions and the application of Community law 172 A. Belgium 173 Belgian Fromagerie Le Ski Case (Final instance) 173 B. Denmark 175 C. Germany 177 (1) German Konkordat Case 181 (2) German French-Barley Case 181 (3) German Constitutional Rigbts Case 183 (4) German Liitticke Case 185 (5) German Handelsgesellschaft Case 186 D. France 191 (1) French Semoules Case 197 (2) French Budgetary Powers Case 198 (3) French Ramel Case 200 (4) French Jacques Vabre Case 202 (5) French Von Kempis Case 203 E. Ireland 204 m R~ (1) First Italian Costa-ENEL Case 210 (2) Italian San Michele Case 212 (3) Italian Frontini Case 213 (4) Italian ICIC Case 217 ix CONTENTS n~~~ ~ Luxembourg Chambre des Metiers Case 221 H. The Netherlands 222 (1) Netherlands Nyugat Case 224 (2) Netherlands Bosch Case 225 I. United Kingdom 226 Chapter Four DIVISION OF COMPETENCES BETWEEN NATIONAL COURTS AND THE COURT OF JUSTICE 232 I. Interaction Community Law and National Law: the division of competences 232 A. Cumulative application of Community and National Legislations 233 (1) Walt Wilhelm Case (C.14/68) 233 (2) German Walt Wilhelm Case 235 (3) Second Boehringer Case (C. 7172) 236 B. Community competences and residual national competences 237 (1) Turkey Tail Case (C.40/69) 237 (2) Reliable Importers Case (C.39j70) 239 (3) Mayonnaise Case (C.77/71) 240 (4) First SchlUter Case (C.94/71) 241 (5) Rutili Case (C.36/75) 242 (6) Comet Case (C.45/76) 243 (7) Amsterdam Bulb Case (C.50/76) 245 C. Concurrent actions before Community and Municipal Courts 245 (1) First German Toepfer and Kampffmeyer Case 245 (2) Second German Toepfer and Kampffmeyer Case 247 II. Preliminary Rulings 249 A. Nature of preliminary rulings 249 B. Jurisdiction of the Court of Justice 252 1. Interpretation of Treaty provisions and Community acts 252 a. ECSC 252 Belgian Bauffe Case 253 b. EEC 253 (1) Bosch Case (C.13/61) 254 (2) Van Gend en Loos Case (C.26/62) 255 (3) Costa-ENEL Case (C.6/64) 257 (4) Schwarze Case (C.16/65) 258 (5) LTM-MBU Case (C.56/65) 259 (6) Salgoil Case (C.13/68) 260 (7) Cristini Case (C.32/75) 261 2. Validity of Community acts 262 Intematio Case (C.73 and 74/63) 262 3. Protection of private parties under Article 177 264 (1) Van Gend en Loos Case (C.26/62) 264 x