Judgment — ECLI:EU:C:2001:208
Date: 2001-04-05
Based on: Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (1957)
Subject matter: Transport
Concepts: Defences
Procedure: Action for failure to fulfil obligations - successful
Origin: Greece

Summary of the Judgment 
Member States — Obligations — Implementation of directives — Failure to fulfil 
obligations — Justification — Not permissible 
(Art. 226 EC) 
A Member State may not plead provisions, 
practices or circumstances existing in its 
internal legal system in order to justify a 
failure to comply with the obligations and 
time-limits laid down in a directive. 
(see para. 10) 
I - 2761