Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Freedom of Establishment (General)
- DEFINITION: the 'actual pursuit of an economic activity through a
fixed establishment in another MS for an indefinite period' -
Factortame II[1991]
- Art 49: Individual - the right to take up and pursue
activities as self-employed persons and to set up and
manage undertakings
- Art 54: Companies - the right to be treated in the same way as
natural persons who are nationals of Member States.
- Distinction between
Establishment & Services
- Establishment is carried out for an
indefinite period, that is on a 'stable and
continuous basis' [Gebhard 1995)
- Services, however are carried out on a
temporary basis in regards to its ‘regularity,
periodicity or continuity’
- Distinction between Art.49 Self-Employed &
Art.45 Workers
- Jany [2001] Defined self-employment as operating outside any relationship of
subordination (a.k.a no boss/ superior), under their own responsibility receiving
remuneration directly and in full
- TYPES of Establishment
- Primary Est. - The right to exercise a
self-employed activity through a principal
establishment in another Member State.
- Secondary Est. - The right to maintain additional offices or
places of activity within the EU. i.e 'agencies, branches,
subsidiaries' - Gebhard 1995
- Direct Effect
- Vertical: Established in the
Reyners case 1974
- Horizontal: Wouter 2002 applies where 'the case of rules which are not
public in nature but which are designed to regulate, collectively,
self-employment'
- RIGHTS under FoE
- Entry of Residence: Commission v Ireland [1997] - Every national of a MS has the
freedom to pursue employed/self-employed activity and reside in that given MS
- Departure/ Exit: Right to leave one MS to
another without the burden of visa
formalities. X and Y [1999]
- Tax Advantages: Asscher [1996] The implementation of higher tax rates for
non-residents was a breach of Art.49. 'Member States must exercise
competence consistently with Union law to avoid any overt or covert
discrimination by reason of nationality'
- Other Miscellaneous Rights: Self-employed persons can enter into contracts, submit
tenders for work, obtain licences/authorisations issued by the State and acquire, use
or dispose property - Steinhauser [1985]
- RESTRICTIONS on FoE
- DIRECT DISCRIMINATION: Commission v Austria (Certification) [2008] - The requirement for a State to obtain a certificate with the Austrian labour
market before they could register partnership or company was considered to be direct discrimination prohibited by Art.49
- INDIRECT DISCRIMINATION: Is also prohibited. "[T]he rules regarding equality of treatment forbid overt
discrimination by reason of nationality and covert forms of discrimination which, lead in fact to the same
result.” - Halliburton [1994]
- DUAL BURDEN: Vlassopoulou [1991] Requiring a national who has already met the
standards required for access to a profession in one MS to meet the national
qualification requirements forms a dual burden. Not allowable unless justified.
- NON - DISCRIMINATORY MEASURES: Gebhard 1995 - A German national who was a qualified German lawyer. Established a set of chambers in Milan and used the title
'avvocato' without proper registration. Then was suspended by the Milan Bar Council. It was held that whilst Italy could set restrictions on access to profession. Those
restrictions were “liable to hinder or make less attractive the exercise of fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Treaty”. For it to be JUSTIFIABLE, must be by way of
express derogation or public interest.
- NON-DISCRIMINATORY MEASURES II: Kraus [1993] - A German national obtained a UK postgraduate academic title that was not authorised by German law. It
was held that "Article 49 precludes any national measure... applicable without discrimination on grounds of nationality, is liable to hinder or to render less
attractive the exercise by Union standards."
- Cross Border Element
- The provisions on freedom of establishment, do not apply to wholly
internal situations Kraus [1993]
- Claimants must show some type of cross-border element, needn't be a physical move from one MS to
another. Can cover, acquiring a qualification in another MS.
- MARKET ACCESS LIMITS/ Remoteness test: Commission v Italy (“Lawyers’ Fees”) [2011] - The measure will be deemed restrictive if it deprives individuals or
companies "of the opportunity of gaining access to the market of the host Member State under conditions of normal and effective competition.” So no
obstacle to market access no restriction imposed.
- DEROGATIONS & JUSTIFICATIONS
- EXPRESS DEROGATION: Can be applied to both distinctly and indistinctly applicable measures. Art 51 TFEU -
Exercise of official authority & Art. 52 TFEU - Public policy, public security or public health
- PUBLIC INTEREST JUS.
- PUBLIC INTEREST REQ.: As per Haim II [2000] - A language requirement can constitute a valid justification. "Dialogue with patients, c
compliance with rules of professional conduct and law specific to dentistry in the Member State of establishment and performance of
administrative tasks require an appropriate knowledge of the language of that State.”
- Gullung [1988] - Registration requirement is allowable so long as it was non-discriminatory... “to ensure the
observance of moral and ethical principles and the disciplinary control of the activity of lawyers and thus
pursues an objective worthy of protection.”
- Gebhard [1995] - Restrictive measures can be justified if "applied in a non-discriminatory manner; justified by
overriding reasons based on the general interest; suitable for securing the attainment of the objective which
they pursue; and they mustn't go beyond what is necessary in order to attain that objective.”
- To maintain standards of the professions indistinctly applicable measures that are restrictive are often justifiable. Vlassopoulou [1991] - Art. 49 does not
prevent MS from conducting checks to ensure that that foreign nationals hold the knowledge and qualifications required by national provisions for that
profession (qualifications).