Opinion of the Advocate General — ECLI:EU:C:2000:194
Date: 2000-04-06
Based on: Treaty establishing the European Economic Community (1957)
Subject matter: Agriculture and Fisheries;Veterinary legislation
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 
(EC Treaty, Art. 169 (now Art. 226 EC)) 
I - 4657 
SUMMARY — CASE C-470/98 
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. 11) 
I - 4658