Judgment — ECLI:EU:C:2014:250
Date: 2014-04-10
Language of the case: Dutch
Court formation: First Chamber
Subject matter: Agriculture and Fisheries
Procedure: Reference for a preliminary ruling
Origin: Netherlands

Summary — Judgment of the Court (First Chamber), 10 April 2014 1. Questions referred for a preliminary ruling — Admissibility — Limits — Clearly irrelevant questions and hypothetical questions put in a context not permitting a useful answer (Art. 267 TFEU) 2. Agriculture — Common agricultural policy — Integrated administration and control system for certain aid schemes — Cross-checks — Finding of inaccuracies following verification on the basis of aerial photographs — Obligation to carry out an on-site inspection — Absence — Discretion as to the measures to be taken (Commission Regulation No 796/2004, as amended by Regulation No 972/2007, Art. 24(2)) 1. See the text of the decision. (see paras 31, 32) 2. Regulation No 796/2004 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of cross compliance, modulation and the integrated administration and control system provided for in Regulation No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the common agricultural policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers, as amended by Regulation No 972/2007, must be interpreted as meaning that, where, owing to the fact that the identification system for agricultural parcels is in the course of being updated, automated cross-checks intended to verify the eligibility for aid of parcels as declared in the single payment application submitted by a farmer are supplemented by verification on the basis of recent aerial photographs, which results in the detection of inaccuracies in the application submitted, the competent authority is not required to carry out a physical inspection in the field, but, in accordance with Article 24(2) of that regulation, enjoys discretion as to the measures to be taken as a result. In particular, that authority cannot be required to carry out a physical measurement of the parcels in question where it has no doubts as to the measurement data inferred from the aerial photographs available. (see para. 63, operative part)