Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Non-Financial Barriers
- Applicable law
- TFEU Art.34
- Quantitative restrictions on imports and all measures having equivalent effect,
shall be prohibited between MS
- Prohibits QRs and MHEEs on imports
- TFEU Art.35
- Quantitative restrictions on exports, and all measures having equivalent effect,
shall be prohibited
- Prohibits QRs and MHEEs on exports
- TFEU Art.36
- The provisions of Art.34&35 shall not preclude prohibitions or restrictions on
imports, exports or goods in transit justified on the grounds of public morality, public
policy or public security; the protection of health and life of humans, animals or
plants; the protection of national treasures possessing artistic, historic or
archaeological value; or the protection of industrial and commercial property. Such
prohibitions or restrictions shall not, however, constitute a means of arbitrary
discrimination or a disguised restriction on trade between MS
- Derogations from Art.34&35 where QRs
and MHEEs may be justified
- Quantitative Restrictions
- Definition
- Geddo Case 2/73 - "measure which amounts to a total or
partial restraint of imports, exports or goods in transit"
- Commission v France (Strawberries) Case 265/95 -
'measure' includes positive action and failure to act
- Case examples
- Commission v Italy Case 7/61 - ban on pork imports
- Commission v France Case C-1/00 - French refusal to lift EU
ban on British beef imports following BSE crisis
- Commission v UK Case 124/81 - British requirement of
import licence for importation of UHT milk and cream
- Unlawful unless covered by
Art.36 derogation
- Measures Having Equivalent Effect
- Definitions
- Directive 70/50 - divides into two categories
- Art.2 - Distinctly applicable
measures ie. applying to imports
only - make importation more
difficult or costly than the
disposal of domestic production
- Art.3 - Indistinctly applicable measures
ie. applying equally to domestic and
imported goods of a particular type -
where the 'restrictive effect of such
rules of FMOG exceeds the effects
intrinsic to trade rules' ie. rules are out
of proportion to their purpose, same
objective can be achieved by means
which are less of a hindrance to trade;
will be lawful if proportionate
- IDAMs
- No overt discrimination based
on origin but have greater
restrictive effects for imports
- Case law examples...
- Cassis de Dijon Case 120/78
- Leading case...
- Cassis de Dijon Case 120/78 - two key
principles established
- 1) Principle of Mutual Recognition - any product lawfully
produced and marketed in one MS must in principle be
admitted to the market of any other MS
- 2) Rule of Reason - 'Mandatory Requirements' - broadening of the
permissible grounds of derogation from the principle of FMOG in
situations where no harmonising legislation exists
- Mandatory Requirements
- Rau Case 261/81
- Commission v Germany Case 178/84
- May be occasions where MS may legitimately
enact reasonable and proportionate measure
restricting inter-state trade, for overriding reasons in
the general interest of the union
- Commission v UK Case 207/83 - Origin marking increased production
costs and held not to be a necessary consumer protection measure
- Commission v Ireland Case 45/87 - Pipes for drinking water must comply with certain
Irish standards, only 1 Irish manufacturer could do this, held: was ok to specify standards
of he pipes but could also have accepted foreign manufactured pipes which were up to
a standard equivalent to the Irish one
- So IDAM will not violate Art.34 if imposed for a
'mandatory requirement' (overriding reason in the
general interest) AND if proportionate
- Mandatory requirement examples (non-exhaustive) from
Cassis - effectiveness of fiscal supervision, protection of
public health, fairness of consumer transactions,
defence of consumer
- Examples from later cases - environmental
protection, health and safety of workers, protection
of national socio-cultural characteristics
- Further split into 2 more categories!
- Indistinctly Applicable Dual Burden Rules
- Rules in MS of import which apply to imported and domestic goods, appear
to impose equal burden on imported in domestic (eg product requirements),
BUT in fact the import has to comply with 2 sets of requirements (rules in MS
of origin and MS of import) so under additional burden
- Rules relating to goods themselves, usually affecting the standards
and marketing of the products (eg size, composition, labelling etc)
- Unlawful under Art.34 UNLESS
can be saved 1) under Cassis
'Rule of Reason' or 2) under Art.36
derogations
- Indistinctly Applicable Equal Burden Rules
- Burden of the rule in the MS of import falls equally on
imported and domestic goods so impose no additional
burden on the imported products (eg selling arrangements like Sunday trading)
- Keck & Mithouard Cases C-267&268/91 - (contrary to all
previous case law) national measures prohibiting or
restricting selling arrangements will not infringe Art.34
where: those provisions apply to all affected traders
operating withing national territory, and they affect in same
manner in law & in fact the marketing of domestic products
and those from other MS
- Punto Casa Cases C-69&258/93 - Italian Sunday closing rules
- Banchero Case C-387/93 - Restrictions on places where tobacco can be sold
- Commission v Greece Case 391/92 - Baby milk could only be sold in pharmacies
- Morellato Case 416/00 - Italian law requiring bread to be sold wrapped
- DAMs
- Import/export restrictions,
favouring/promoting domestic
products (buy Irish)
- Case law examples...
- Commission v Italy Case 154/83 - Import/export restrictions
- Commission v Ireland (Buy Irish) Case 249/81
- Openbaar Ministerie v van Tiggele Case 82/77 - Price-fixing
- Schloh V Auto Controle technique Case 50/85 - Making imports more costly
- Dassonville Case 8/74 - Making imports more difficult by discriminating between different channels of trade
- Violate Art.34 unless covered
by Art.36 derogations
- Dassonville Case 8/74 - "All trading rules
enacted by Member States which are capable of
hindering directly or indirectly, actually or
potentially, intra-Community trade are to be
considered as measures having equivalent
effect to quantitative restrictions"
- CofJ concerned with the effect, or
potential effect, of the measure, not the
intention behind it
- Very wide: virtually any law/policy that
hinders imports/export in any way would be
caught
- Reined in by...