Judgment — ECLI:EU:C:2000:649
Date: 2000-11-23
Language of the case: French
Court formation: Third Chamber
Based on: Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (1957)
Subject matter: Right of establishment;Freedom to provide services;Telecommunications
Concepts: Defences;Binding nature of time-limits for implementation
Procedure: Action for failure to fulfil obligations - successful
Origin: France

Summary of the Judgment 
Member States — Obligations — Implementation of directives — Failure to fulfil 
obligations — Justification — Not permissible 
(Art. 226 EC) 
I - 10439 
SUMMARY — CASE C-319/99 
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 by a directive. 
The governments of the Member States 
participate in the preparatory work for 
directives and must therefore be in a 
position to prepare within the period 
prescribed the legislative provisions neces­
sary for their implementation. 
(see para. 10) 
I - 10440