Opinion of the Advocate General — ECLI:EU:C:1999:169
Date: 1999-03-25
Based on: Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (1957)
Subject matter: Environment;Social Policy
Procedure: Action for failure to fulfil obligations - successful
Origin: Italy

Summary of the Judgment 
Approximation of laws — Major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities — 
Directive 82/501 — Obligation on Member States to set up or appoint the competent 
authorities for drawing up emergency plans for action outside the establishments and 
organising inspections and measures of control — Scope 
(Council Directive 82/501, Art. 7(1), third indent, and (2)) 
Since the objective pursued by Directive 
82/501 on the major-accident hazards of 
certain industrial activities is to prevent 
major accidents and limit their conse­
quences by means of the measures specified 
therein, this would be in danger of being 
seriously compromised if, so far as con­
cerns their obligations under Article 7(1), 
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SUMMARY — CASE C-336/97 
third indent, and (2) of the Directive, it 
were open to the Member States merely to 
set up or appoint the competent authorities 
for drawing up emergency plans for action 
outside the establishments and organising 
inspections and measures of control, with­
out ensuring that those plans and inspec­
tions were actually completed. 
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