EN Official Journal of the European Union C 260/15

Judgment of the Court (Eighth Chamber) of 18 July 2013 (requests for a preliminary ruling from the Tribunale amministrativo regionale per il Lazio — Italy) — Vodafone Omnitel NV (C-228/12, C-231/12 and C-258/12), Fastweb SpA (C-229/12 and C-232/12), Wind Telecommunicazioni SpA (C-230/12 and C-254/12), Telecom Italia SpA (C-255/12 and C-256/12), Sky Italia srl (C-257/12) v Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni, Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri (C-228/12 to C-232/12, C-255/12 and C-256/12), Commissione di Garanzia dell’Attuazione della Legge sullo Sciopero nei Servizi Pubblici Essenziali (C-229/12, C-232/12 and C-257/12), Ministero dell’Economia e delle Finanze (C-230/12)

(Joined Cases C-228/12 to C-232/12 and C-254/12 to C-258/12) (1)

(Electronic communications networks and services - Directive 2002/20/EC - Article 12 - Administrative charges imposed on undertakings in the sector concerned - National legislation making operators of electronic communications subject to the payment of a charge intended to cover the operating costs of the national regulatory authorities)

2013/C 260/25

Language of the case: Italian

Referring court

Tribunale amministrativo regionale per il Lazio

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicants: Vodafone Omnitel NV (C-228/12, C-231/12 and C-258/12), Fastweb SpA (C-229/12 and C-232/12), Wind Telecommunicazioni SpA (C-230/12 and C-254/12), Telecom Italia SpA (C-255/12 and C-256/12), Sky Italia srl (C-257/12)

Defendants: Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni, Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri (C-228/12 to C-232/12, C-255/12 and C-256/12), Commissione di Garanzia dell’Attuazione della Legge sullo Sciopero nei Servizi Pubblici Essenziali (C-229/12, C-232/12 and C-257/12), Ministero dell’Economia e delle Finanze (C-230/12)

In the presence of: Wind Telecomunicazioni SpA (C-228/12, C-229/12. C-232/12, C-255/12 to C-258/12), Telecom Italia SpA (C-228/12, C-230/12, C-232/2 and C-254/12), Vodafone Omnitel NV (C-230/12 and C-254/12), Fastweb SpA (C-230/12, C-254/12 and C-256/12), Television Broadcasting System SpA (C-257/12)

Re:

Request for a preliminary ruling — Tribunale amministrativo regionale per il Lazio — Interpretation of Article 12 of Directive 2002/20/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on the authorisation of electronic communications networks and services (‘the Authorisation Directive’) (OJ 2002 L 108, p. 21) — Administrative charges imposed on undertakings in the sector concerned — Legislation providing that all costs for the national regulatory authorities, not financed by the State, are to be imposed upon individual undertakings in the sector concerned according to the income received for the relevant sales of goods and provision of services

Operative part of the judgment

Article 12 of Directive 2002/20/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on the authorisation of electronic communications networks and services (‘the Authorisation Directive’) must be interpreted as meaning that it does not preclude legislation of a Member State, such as that at issue in the main proceedings, pursuant to which undertakings providing electronic communications services or networks are liable to pay a charge intended to cover all the costs incurred by the NRA which are not financed by the State, the amount of which being determined according to the income received by those undertakings, provided that that charge is exclusively intended to cover the costs relating to the activities mentioned in Article 12(1)(a), that the totality of the income obtained in respect of that charge does not exceed the total costs relating to those activities and that that charge is imposed upon individual undertakings in an objective, transparent and proportionate manner, which is for the national court to ascertain.

(1) OJ C 217, 21.7.2012.