Case C-59/03: Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Tribunale di Genova — Sezione Lavoro by order of that Court of 28 January 2003 in the case of Mario Cigliola and Others against Ferrovie dello Stato SpA
Date: 2003-04-05
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: State aid, control of State aid, interpretation of the law, termination of a contract, work contract

C 83/12

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

5.4.2003

The applicant claims that the Court should:

a)

b)

declare that, by not adopting the measures necessary to
comply with the judgment of the Court of Justice of the
European Communities of 9 March 2000 in Case C-386/
98 (1), the Italian Republic has failed to fulfil its obligations
under Article 228(1) EC.

impose a penalty payment on the Italian Republic in the
sum of EUR 238 950 per day from the date of notification
of the judgment in the present case to the date of
execution thereof.

c)

order the Italian Republic to pay the costs.

Pleas in law and main arguments

Under Article 228(1) EC, where the Court of Justice finds that
a Member State has failed to fulfil an obligation under the
Treaty, that State is required to take the measures necessary to
comply with the judgment of the Court of Justice.

Notwithstanding the repeated assurances of the Italian Govern-
ment that the implementation of Directive 93/104 (2) into
Italian law was imminent, it must be found that Italy has
not yet notified the Commission of the national measures
implementing that directive. It should be noted that, pursuant
to Article 18(1)(a) and (c) of Directive 93/104, those measures
should have been notified by 23 November 1996.

In those circumstances, the Commission must find that the
Italian Republic has failed to adopt the measures necessary to
comply with the judgment of the Court of 9 March 2000 in
Case C-386/98, and has thus failed to fulfil its obligations
under Article 228 EC.

Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Raad van State
by order of that Court of 4 February 2003 in the case of
Y.G. Encheva against Staatssecretaris van Justitie

(Case C-58/03)

(2003/C 83/20)

Reference has been made to the Court of
Justice of the
European Communities by order of the Raad van State (Council
of State) of 4 February 2003, received at the Court Registry on
12 February 2003, for a preliminary ruling in the case of
Y.G. Encheva against Staatssecretaris van Justitie on the
following questions:

1.

Is Article 59(1) of the Agreement establishing an associ-
ation between the European Communities and their
Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of
Bulgaria, of the other part, to be interpreted as precluding
the refusal of an application made in the Netherlands for
an ordinary residence permit subject to a restriction that
the person concerned be ‘self-employed’ on the grounds
that the foreigner concerned, who is a national of
Bulgaria, did not apply in that country or in the country
of permanent residence for a temporary residence author-
isation to be issued to that end and await the decision
thereon in that country before coming to the Netherlands
and therefore failed not satisfy the requirement laid down
by Article 3.71(1) of the Vb 2000?

2. Does the fact that, unlike the situation concerned in the
judgment of the Court of Justice of 27 September 2001
in Case C-257/99 [Barkoci and Malik], the foreigner
concerned already intended to work as a self-employed
person before leaving Bulgaria for the Netherlands and
failed to apply for such authorisation in Bulgaria despite
having an opportunity to do so have any bearing on the
answer to the first question?

Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Tribunale di
Genova — Sezione Lavoro by order of that Court of
28 January 2003 in the case of Mario Cigliola and Others
against Ferrovie dello Stato SpA

Pursuant to Article 228(2) EC, the Commission requests that
the Court impose a penalty on the Italian Republic in the sum
of EUR 238 950 for each day’s delay in complying with the
Court’s judgment in Case C-386/98, with effect from the date
of judgment in the present case.

(Case C-59/03)

(2003/C 83/21)

( 1) OJ C 149 of 27.5.2000, p. 2.
( 2) OJ L 307 of 13.12.1993, p. 18.

Reference has been made to the Court of
Justice of the
European Communities by order of the Tribunale di Genova
— Sezione Lavoro (District Court, Genoa — Employment
Division) of 28 January 2003, received at the Court Registry
on 13 February 2003, for a preliminary ruling in the case of
Mario Cigliola and Others against Ferrovie dello Stato SpA on
the following question:

5.4.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 83/13

Does national legislation (Decree-Law No 324 of 10 September
1998, unconverted, and Article 43(7) of Law No 448 of
23 December 1998) which, by setting aside the ordinary law
that permits continuation of the employment relationship,
allows an undertaking (Ferrovie dello Stato SpA) to dismiss its
older employees — thereby creating a situation in which the
undertaking can save on labour costs (salaries and insurance
obligations), with an immediate resulting burden to the State
in the form of reduced contribution revenue and the payment
of pensions to dismissed workers — fall within the concept of
aid that is incompatible with the common market within the
meaning of Article 87 of the Treaty?

Action brought on 14 February 2003 by the Commission
of the European Communities against the Kingdom of
Belgium

(Case C-65/03)

(2003/C 83/23)

Action brought on 14 February 2003 by the Commission
of the European Communities against the Kingdom of the
Netherlands

(Case C-63/03)

(2003/C 83/22)

An action against the Kingdom of the Netherlands was brought
before the Court of Justice of the European Communities on
14 February 2003 by the Commission of the European
Communities, represented by W. Wils, acting as Agent.

The applicant claims that the Court should:

1. Declare that, by failing to bring into force the laws,
regulations and administrative provisions necessary to
comply with Directive 98/71/EC (1) of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 13 October 1998 on
the legal protection of designs, or in any event by failing
to forward those provisions to the Commission, the
Kingdom of
its
obligations under that directive;

the Netherlands has failed to fulfil

2. Order the Kingdom of the Netherlands to pay the costs.

Pleas in law and main arguments

The period within which the directive had to be transposed
expired on 28 October 2001.

( 1) Directive 98/71/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
of 13 October 1998 on the legal protection of designs (OJ 1998
L 289, p. 28).

An action against the Kingdom of Belgium was brought
before the Court of Justice of the European Communities on
14 February 2003 by the Commission of
the European
Communities, represented by D. Martin, acting as Agent, with
an address for service in Luxembourg.

The applicant claims that the Court should:

— declare that, by not adopting the measures necessary to
ensure that holders of secondary education qualifications
obtained in the other Member States may be admitted
to higher education organised by the Belgian French-
speaking Community on the same terms as holders of
the CESS (certificat d’enseignement secondaire supérieur),
the Kingdom of Belgium has failed to fulfil its obligations
under Articles 12, 149 and 150 EC.

— order the Kingdom of Belgium to pay the costs.

Pleas in law and main arguments

The Belgian authorities in question require holders of diplomas
and qualifications attesting to the completion of secondary
studies in other Member States (with the exception of the
Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg), who are nationals of other
Member States and who wish to be admitted to higher
education in Belgium, to sit and pass an aptitude test unless,
by way of an additional requirement,
they are able to
demonstrate that they have been granted admission in their
country of origin to the desired university faculty without an
entrance examination or other form of restriction of admission.
The Commission considers that this practice is discriminatory
and contrary to the articles cited in the above claims.