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In those circumstances, the Raad van State (Council of State) decided to stay the proceedings and to refer the following questions to the Court for a preliminary ruling: ‘(1) Should Article[s] 49, 56, 45, 34, 35, 101 or 102 of the TFEU, whether or not read in conjunction with Article 106(1) of the TFEU, be interpreted as precluding the rule laid down in Article 1 of the [Royal Decree of 2004], read in conjunction with Article 2 of [that royal decree], namely, the rule that the dockers referred to in Article 1(1), first subparagraph, of [that royal decree], upon their recognition by the [Administrative Committee], composed jointly, on the one hand, of members designated by the employer organisations represented in the relevant joint subcommittee and, on the other hand, of members designated by the employee organisations represented on the joint subcommittee, are either included in the pool of dockers or are not included in that pool, whereby recognition for the purpose of inclusion takes into account the need for [labour] and also takes into account that a decision-making deadline has not been prescribed for that [administrative committee] and that against its recognition decisions provision has been made only for a jurisdictional appeal? (2) Should Article[s] 49, 56, 45, 34, 35, 101 or 102 of the TFEU, whether or not in conjunction with Article 106(1) of the TFEU, be interpreted as precluding the rule introduced by Article 4(1), subparagraphs 2, 3, 6 and 8 of the [Royal Decree of 2004], namely, the rule that lays down as a condition for recognition as a docker that the worker (a) has been declared medically fit by the external service for prevention and protection at the work with which the employer organisation designated as an agent under Article 3a of the [Law organising dock work] is associated, and (b) has passed the psychotechnical tests conducted by the body designated for that purpose by the recognised employer organisation designated as an agent under the same Article 3a of the [Law organising dock work], (c) has attended for three weeks the preparatory courses on safety at work and the attainment of professional competence and has passed the final test and (d) [is] already … in possession of an employment contract in the case of a docker who is not included in the pool, which, read in conjunction with Article 4(3) of the [Royal Decree of 2004], means that foreign dockers must be able to prove that they satisf[y] comparable conditions in another Member State so that, for the purpose of the application of the contested rule, they are no longer subject to those conditions? (3) Should Article[s] 49, 56, 45, 34, 35, 101 or 102 of the TFEU, whether or not in conjunction with Article 106(1) of the TFEU, be interpreted as precluding the rule introduced by Article 2(3) of the [Royal Decree of 2004], namely, the rule whereby the dockers who are not included in the pool and who are therefore directly recruited by an employer on an employment contract in accordance with the [Law on employment contracts] have the duration of their recognition limited to the duration of that employment contract so that each time a new recognition procedure must be started? (4) Should Article[s] 49, 56, 45, 34, 35, 101 or 102 of the TFEU, whether or not in conjunction with Article 106(1) TFEU, be interpreted as precluding the rule introduced by Article 13/1 of the [Royal Decree of 2004], namely, the transitional measure whereby the employment contract referred to in Question 3 must initially be concluded for an indefinite period[, second,] from 1 July 2017 for at least two years[, third,] from 1 July 2018 for at least one year, [fourth,] from 1 July 2019 for at least six months[ and, fifth and last], from 1 July 2020 for a period to be freely determined? (5) Should Article[s] 49, 56, 45, 34, 35, 101 or 102 of the TFEU, whether or not in conjunction with Article 106(1) TFEU, be interpreted as precluding the rule laid down in Article 15/1 of the [Royal Decree of 2004,] whereby the dockers recognised under the old rule are automatically recognised as dockers in the pool, as a result of which the possibility of direct employment (on a permanent contract) of those dockers by an employer is hindered and the employers are prevented from engaging and retaining good workers by concluding a permanent contract with them directly and offering them job security in accordance with the general rules of labour law? (6) Should Article[s] 49, 56, 45, 34, 35, 101 or 102 of the TFEU, whether or not in conjunction with Article 106(1) TFEU, be interpreted as precluding the rule introduced by Article 4(2) of the [Royal Decree of 2004,] whereby a [CLA] determines the conditions and detailed rules under which a docker can be employed in a port area other than the one where he or she was recognised, thereby limiting the mobility of workers between port areas without the regulator itself providing clarity as to what those terms and conditions might be? (7) Should Article[s] 49, 56, 45, 34, 35, 101 or 102 of the TFEU, whether or not in conjunction with Article 106(1) TFEU, be interpreted as precluding the rule introduced by Article 1(3) of the [Royal Decree of 2004,] whereby (logistics) workers who perform work within the meaning of Article 1 of the [Royal Decree of 1973] at locations where goods which, in preparation for their further distribution or dispatch, undergo a transformation that leads indirectly to demonstrable added value, must have a security certificate, whereby that security certificate constitutes recognition within the meaning of the [Law organising dock work], taking into account that that certificate is requested by the employer who has signed an employment contract with a worker for activities in that sense to be performed and issued upon presentation of the employment contract and identity card and whereby the detailed rules of the procedure to be followed are laid down by [CLA], without the regulator providing clarity on that point?’