# C_2008116EN.01001402.xml

| 9.5.2008 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 116/14 |
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Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Cour de Cassation, Luxembourg lodged on 5 March 2008 — Audiolux S.A., BIP Investment Partners SA, Jean-Paul Felten, Joseph Weyland, Luxiprivilège SA, Foyer SA, Investas ASBL, Claudie Stein-Lambert, Christiane Worre-Lambert, Baron Antoine de Schorlemer, Jacques Funck, Marc Meyer et Jean Petitdidier v Groupe Bruxelles Lambert SA (GBL), RTL Group SA, Juan Abello Gallo, Didier Bellens, André Desmarais, Gérald Frère, Jocelyn Lefebvre, Onno Ruding, Gilles Samyn, Martin Taylor, Bertelsmann AG, Siegfried Luther, Thomas Middelhoff, Ewald Wagenbach, Rolf Schmidt-Holz, Erich Schumann, WAZ Finanzierungs-GmbH, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitungsverlagsgesellschaft E. Brost & J. Funke GmbH & Co (WAZ) — Interveners: Dexia Luxpart SA e.a.

(Case C-101/08)

(2008/C 116/25)

Language of the case: French

Referring court

Cour de Cassation

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicants: Audiolux S.A., BIP Investment Partners SA, Jean-Paul Felten, Joseph Weyland, Luxiprivilège SA, Foyer SA, Investas ASBL, Claudie Stein-Lambert, Christiane Worre-Lambert, Baron Antoine de Schorlemer, Jacques Funck, Marc Meyer et Jean Petitdidier

Defendants: Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL), RTL Group SA, Juan Abello Gallo, Didier Bellens, André Desmarais, Gérald Frère, Jocelyn Lefebvre, Onno Ruding, Gilles Samyn, Martin Taylor, Bertelsmann AG, Siegfried Luther, Thomas Middelhoff, Ewald Wagenbach, Rolf Schmidt-Holz, Erich Schumann, WAZ Finanzierungs-GmbH, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitungsverlagsgesellschaft E. Brost & J. Funke GmbH & Co (WAZ)

Questions referred

| 1. | Are the references to the equality of shareholders, and more specifically, to the protection of minorities
(a)
in Articles 20 and 42 of the Second Company Directive 77/91/EC of 13 December 1976( 1 ); (b)
in the Third General Principle and Supplementary Principle 17 of the Commission Recommendation of 25 July 1977 concerning a European code of conduct relating to transactions in transferable securities( 2 ); (c)
in Schedule C, point 2(A) annexed to Council Directive 79/279/EEC of 5 March 1979 coordinating the conditions for the admission of securities to official stock exchange listing and carried over in the consolidating directive of 28 May 2001( 3 ); (d)
in Article 3(1)(a) of Directive 2004/25/EC of 21 April 2004 on takeover bids, read together with the eight recital in the preamble thereto( 4 ) manifestations of a general principle of Community law and did that general principle exist as such before the adoption of Directive 2004/25/EC? | (a) | in Articles 20 and 42 of the Second Company Directive 77/91/EC of 13 December 1976( 1 ); | (b) | in the Third General Principle and Supplementary Principle 17 of the Commission Recommendation of 25 July 1977 concerning a European code of conduct relating to transactions in transferable securities( 2 ); | (c) | in Schedule C, point 2(A) annexed to Council Directive 79/279/EEC of 5 March 1979 coordinating the conditions for the admission of securities to official stock exchange listing and carried over in the consolidating directive of 28 May 2001( 3 ); | (d) | in Article 3(1)(a) of Directive 2004/25/EC of 21 April 2004 on takeover bids, read together with the eight recital in the preamble thereto( 4 ) |
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| (a) | in Articles 20 and 42 of the Second Company Directive 77/91/EC of 13 December 1976( 1 ); | | | | | | | | |
| (b) | in the Third General Principle and Supplementary Principle 17 of the Commission Recommendation of 25 July 1977 concerning a European code of conduct relating to transactions in transferable securities( 2 ); | | | | | | | | |
| (c) | in Schedule C, point 2(A) annexed to Council Directive 79/279/EEC of 5 March 1979 coordinating the conditions for the admission of securities to official stock exchange listing and carried over in the consolidating directive of 28 May 2001( 3 ); | | | | | | | | |
| (d) | in Article 3(1)(a) of Directive 2004/25/EC of 21 April 2004 on takeover bids, read together with the eight recital in the preamble thereto( 4 ) | | | | | | | | |

| 2. | Does that general principle of Community law apply only to the relations between a company and its shareholders or, on the contrary, does it also apply to the relations between majority shareholders exercising or acquiring control of a company and the minority shareholders of that company? |
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| 3. | If the answer to the foregoing two questions is in the affirmative, must that general principle of Community law be regarded, having regard to the development in time of the references referred to in Question 1, as having existed and being binding on the relations between majority and minority shareholders within the meaning of Question 2 before the entry into force of the abovementioned Directive 2004/25/EC and before the facts at issue, which occurred during the first half of 2001? |
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( 1 )  Second Council Directive 77/91/EEC of 13 December 1976 on coordination of safeguards which, for the protection of the interests of members and others, are required by Member States of companies within the meaning of the second paragraph of Article 58 of the Treaty, in respect of the formation of public limited liability companies and the maintenance and alteration of their capital, with a view to making such safeguards equivalent (OJ 1977 L 26, p. 1).

( 2 )  OJ 1977 L 212 p. 37.

( 3 )  OJ 1979 L 66, p. 21.

( 4 )  OJ 2004 L 142, p. 12.

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