Opinion of the Advocate General — ECLI:EU:C:2001:697
Date: 2001-12-13
Based on: Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (1957)
Subject matter: Agriculture and Fisheries;Fruit and vegetables
Procedure: Reference for a preliminary ruling
Origin: United Kingdom

Summary of the Judgment 
Agriculture — Common organisation of the markets — Fruit and vegetables — Quality 
standards — Right of an operator to seek enforcement of those obligations in civil 
proceedings 
(Council Regulations No 1035/72 and 2200/96) 
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SUMMARY — CASE C-253/00 
Regulation No 1035/72 and Regulation 
No 2200/96 on the common organisation 
of the market in fruit and vegetables are to 
be interpreted as meaning that compliance 
with the provisions on quality standards 
applicable to fruit or vegetables must be 
capable of enforcement by means of civil 
proceedings instituted by a trader against a 
competitor. 
The possibility of bringing such proceed­
ings strengthens the practical working of 
the Community rules on quality standards. 
As a supplement to the action of the 
authorities designated by the Member 
States to make the checks required by those 
rules it helps to discourage practices, often 
difficult to detect, which distort compe­
tition. In that context actions brought 
before the national courts by competing 
operators are particularly suited to con­
tributing substantially to ensuring fair trad­
ing and transparency of markets in the 
Community. 
(see paras 31-32, operative part) 
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