Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Free Movement of Goods
- Article 28
- customs union which shall
cover all trade in goods and
which shall involve the
prohibition between Member
States of customs duties on
imports and
- exports and of all charges
having equivalent effect
- What are Goods?
- products which can be valued in money and which
are capable, as such, of forming the subject of
commercial transactions’(7/68 Commission v Italy)
- Article 30
- Customs duties on
imports and exports and
charges having equivalent
effect shall be prohibited
between Member States.
- Whatever the rationale, if the
charge is made because goods
are crossing a border, they will be
in breach of art 30 tfeu
- Commission v Italy (historical artefacts)
- Effect not purpose
- Social Foonds -- Diamond WOrkers
case....whatever the purpose, any
pecuniary charge, whatevr its designation
or application which is imposed
- unilaterelally on domestic or foreign
goods when they cross a frontier and
which is not a customs duty in the
strict sense, constitutes a CEE
- Also, Commission v Italy--- statistical levy
- Inspections carried out pursuant
to community law are lawful
(Commission v Germany)
- 3 Exceptions to Article 30
- when the charge is a general
system of internal dues
applied to imported and
domestic products equally
- Internal tax which applied
almost esxclusively to
imported banans offered
indirect protection
(Cooperative co fruta)
- they are fees for services
rendered to the importer
- must be proportionate,
must benefit importer
- charges for mandatory
inspections required by EU law
- CHEE or Genuine Service?
- If a service is required
under EU law or
international law, the
Member State is entitled to
charge for providing the
service, but it must
establish
- that the charge is
proportionate to the cost of
providing the service.
- If not mandatory, i.e. eu
permits, then the member
state cannot charge any fees
- Chee or Internal Tax?
- Genuine taxes measures "relating
to a system of internal dues applied
systematically to categories of
products in accordance with
objective criteria
- irrespective of the origin of the
products". (Commision v France
(Reprogaphic machines)
- Compulsory vet health inspection
imposed on oublic interest could
not be regarded as a service
rendered as it benefitted oublic as
a whole (Bresciani)
- Article 110
(Discrimanatory
Tax provisions)
- No member state shall impose,
directily or indirectly, on the products
of other M.S. any internal taxation of
any kind in excess of that imposed
- directly or indirectly on similar
domestic products
- Humblot..same regime of tax was applied to
imported and domestic cars but due to imported car
being more powerful, they were liable to greater tax
- INDIRECT DISCRIMINATION
- Chemical farmaceutici.. synthetic alcohol taxed
higher feremented. objective was to favour alcohol
from agriculatural products in ordr to reserve raw
- material for more economic uses..held
objective justification acceptable to a measure
which benefits domestic more than imported
- Comm. v Italy, lower taxes on regenerated oils
than ordinary, same relief not given to imported
products as ITL argued not possible to determine
- Comm. v Ireland..more leniency in paying
same taxes equates to direct
discrimiantion
- Purpose? to prevent
restrictions of art 28-30 being
undermined by discrimnatory
internal taxation
- 110(1) prohibits taxes on import
in excess of those imposed on
similar domestic products
- John Walker, is fruit liquor simialr to
whisky? objective chareceristics i.e.
alcohol content. method of manufacture,
consuemer perceptions of product
- not simialr therefore 110(2) needs to be examined
- Comm v Italy-bananas not simalar to apples as they had
diffe objective charecterstics i.e organoleptic and also
could not satisfy same consumer needs
- 110(2) prohibits unequal tax ratings on
products that are not similar but are in
competition with each other i.e. affording
indirect protection
- Commision v UK..wine and
beer..if one is taxed higher, will
consumers substitute it for the
other?
- what is the degree of
cross-elasticisty?
- Denkavit..if related to a general
system of dues applied
systematically and with dame criteria
for domestic products and imported,
then will be lawful
- feeding stuffs from denmark
- if a charge is made upon a product of
which there is no similar domes product,
then applying art 30 would make little
sense..it must come under 110
- cooperative...italy did
not produce any
banana's
- if a tax refund/ rebate is made in full
--art 30----if part refund art 110
- IF a mesure is caught under art.30 it is
unlawful..if art 110 inquiry as to whther tax
discriminates under 110(1) or has
protective effect 110(2)
- Article 34 (Quota's and MEQR's)
- Dassonville: all trading
rules enacted by member
states which have the
capability of actually or
potentially, directly or
indirectly hindering
- Intra community trade shall
be considered as MEQR's
- 'Quantitative restrictions on
imports and all measures
having equivalent effect
shall be prohibited between
Member States.'
- Distinctly applicable
- MEQR's are intrepeted quite widely
- Commission v italy..registration requirements
which were longer, more complicated and costly
than that of domestic vehicles were prohibited by
art 34
- Commission v
Ireland..promtion by national
govt to buy domestic equated
to a 'measure'
- Comm. v UK..origin marking requirement
allowed customers to assert
prejudices..liable to increase production
costs:.making it more difficult to sell
- Contract put out for tender which required use of
certain pipes to comply with irish standard and
refusal to accept similar alternatives was an MEQR
- (Austrian/german
publishers) Price fixing
to what domestic
publisher has
recoomended is an
MEQR
- (Belgium car dealer case)
subject to art 36 and
whether it constitutes a
means of arbitary
discrimination or a
disguised restriction on
trade
- Can apply to a state even if
private parties have been the main
proponents
- Comm. v France..angry french farmers..govt
had taken insufficent measures to prevent
farmers disrupting imports
- Indistinctly applicable
- foundations laid down in Cassis
- Principle 1
- if measure falls within one of
the mandatory requirements, it
may be justifiable
- Public Health
- protection of the
consumer
- has to be proportionate (Rau)
Margarine in cube shaped boxes
- Gilli and Andres..italian vinegar which was not
made from fermentation..MS prosecuted...ECJ
held labelling will do the trick
- Principle 2
- If a product is lawfully sold and
marketed in one MS, other MS cannot
impose any further restrictions
- unless they fall under mandatory
requirements or art 36
- even if prima facie caught by art 34, it could
escape if objectively justifiabe and the effect of the
rules were proportionate (B&Q) sunday trading
- Keck (Selling arrangements)
- resale at a loss
- certain selling arrangements are not to be
prohibited if they affect in the same manner, in law
and fact, the marketing of domestic and imported
- Tankstation..national rule that provided
for compulsory closing of petrol
stations was not caught by art 34
- in which a product can be sold..austrian
publisher, prizes, crossword....
- differntial impact in law and in fact
- even though a measure applies to all, if it impedes
market access for imported more than domestic
- Austrian law relating to permanant establishment
- comm v italy 2009..prohibiton on
motorcylces from towing
trailers..although it fell under art 34, it
could be justified on grounds of public
safety
- where in the abcese of
harmonisation, it must be
proprtionate and/or necessary
- up to the national court to ascertain
- national rule can be justified for the protection
of the enviroment provided that certain
conditions are met.
- Article 36:
Derrogations
- Art.34 can be saved if justifiable based
on public morality, policy, security,
Protection of Health and Life of Humans,
Animals and Plants, national
- treasures and industrial and
commercial property
- Public morality
- ECJ will look to whether imported
products were treated more harshly
- Henn & Darby..UK ban on both
imported and domestic was justifiable
- Conegate..Ban on
imported product even
though state had not
banned was clearly not
justifiable
- Public Policy
- French argued that minimum retail prices were
essential to prevent rioting..ECJ stated that France
has not shown that they do not have the resources
- Cullett
- Public Security
- Ireland req. importer of petrol to buy 35%of their
requirements from state owned refinery at prices
fixed by Irish govt to maintain its own oil
- refining capacity Held..justifiable as essential
to economy but must be proportionate
- Public Health
- ECJ decide whether health claim is sustainable in
principle, if uncertainty, member state to decide
degree of protection but proportionality (Sandoz)