Judgment of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 25 March2004 in Joined Cases C-480/00 to 482/00, C-484/00, C-489/00 to C-491/00and C-497/00 to C-499/00 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Tribunaleamministrativo regionale del Lazio): Azienda Agricola Ettore Ribaldi v Aziendadi Stato per gli interventi nel mercato agricolo (AIMA), Ministero del Tesoro,del Bilancio e della Programmazione Economica and Others (Agriculture — Commonorganisation of the markets — Milk and milk products — Additional levy onmilk — Regulations (EEC) Nos 3950/92 and 536/93 — Reference quantities — Expost correction — Notification of producers)
Date: 2004-04-30
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: EU Member State, agricultural levy, agricultural quota, interpretation of the law, milk, regulation of agricultural production

C 106/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.4.2004

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT

(Sixth Chamber)

of 25 March 2004

in Joined Cases C-480/00 to 482/00, C-484/00, C-489/00 to
C-491/00 and C-497/00 to C-499/00 (reference for a preli-
minary ruling from the Tribunale amministrativo regionale
del Lazio): Azienda Agricola Ettore Ribaldi v Azienda di
interventi nel mercato agricolo (AIMA),
Stato per gli
Ministero del Tesoro, del Bilancio e della Programmazione
Economica and Others (1)

(Agriculture — Common organisation of the markets —
Milk and milk products — Additional levy on milk — Regu-
lations (EEC) Nos 3950/92 and 536/93 — Reference quanti-
ties — Ex post correction — Notification of producers)

(2004/C 106/02)

(Language of the case: Italian)

(Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be published in
the European Court Reports)

In Joined Cases C-480/00 to 482/00, C-484/00, C-489/00 to
C-491/00 and C-497/00 to C-499/00 – reference to the Court
under Article 234 EC by the Tribunale amministrativo regio-
nale del Lazio (Italy) for a preliminary ruling in the proceedings
pending before that court between Azienda Agricola Ettore
Ribaldi and Azienda di Stato per gli interventi nel mercato agri-
colo (AIMA), Ministero del Tesoro, del Bilancio e della
Programmazione Economica,
intervener: Caseificio Nazionale
Novarese Soc. coop. arl (C-480/00), between Domenico Butti-
glione and Others and Azienda di Stato per gli interventi nel
mercato agricolo (AIMA), Ministero delle Politiche Agricole e
Forestali
(C-481/00), between Azienda Agricola Ettore Raffa
and Others and Azienda di Stato per gli interventi nel mercato
agricolo (AIMA), Ministero del Tesoro, del Bilancio e della
Programmazione Economica (C-482/00), between Carlo Bales-
treri and Azienda di Stato per gli interventi nel mercato agri-
colo (AIMA), Ministero del Tesoro, del Bilancio e della
Programmazione Economica, intervener: Parmalat SpA (C-484/
00) between Azienda Agricola 'Corte delle Piacentine' and
Others and Azienda di Stato per gli interventi nel mercato agri-
colo (AIMA) (C-489/00), between Cesare e Michele Filippi ss
and Azienda di Stato per gli
interventi nel mercato agricolo
(AIMA), Ministero del Tesoro, del Bilancio e della Programma-
zione Economica (C-490/00), between Cooperativa Produttori
Latte Associati della Lessinia arl and Azienda di Stato per gli
interventi nel mercato agricolo (AIMA), Ministero del Tesoro,
del Bilancio e della Programmazione Economica (C-491/00),
between Azienda Agricola Simone e Stefano Gonal di Gonzato
and Azienda di Stato per gli
interventi nel mercato agricolo
(AIMA), Ministero del Tesoro, del Bilancio e della Programma-
zione Economica (C-497/00), between Azienda Agricola Gian-

luigi Cerati e Maria Ceriali ss and Azienda di Stato per gli inter-
venti nel mercato agricolo (AIMA), Ministero del Tesoro, del
Bilancio e della Programmazione Economica (C-498/00), and
between Nicolò Musini, acting for l'Azienda Agricola Tenuta di
Fassia, and Azienda di Stato per gli interventi nel mercato agri-
colo (AIMA), Ministero del Tesoro, del Bilancio e della
Programmazione Economica,
intervener: Cooperativa Produt-
tori Latte Soc. coop. arl (C-499/00), on the interpretation and
validity of Articles 1, 2 and 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No
3950/92 of 28 December 1992 establishing an additional levy
in the milk and milk products sector (OJ 1992 L 405, p. 1),
and of Articles 3 and 4 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No
536/93 of 9 March 1993 laying down detailed rules on the
application of the additional levy on milk and milk products
(OJ 1993 L 57, p. 12), the Court (Sixth Chamber) – composed
of: V. Skouris (Rapporteur), acting for the President of the Sixth
Chamber, C. Gulmann,
J.-P. Puissochet, F. Macken and
N. Colneric, Judges, P. Léger, Advocate General, L. Hewlett and
H.A. Rühl, Principal Administrators, for the Registrar, has given
judgment on 25 March 2004, in which it:

1. On a proper construction of Articles 1 and 4 of Council Regu-
lation (EEC) No 3950/92 of 28 December 1992 establishing an
additional levy in the milk and milk products sector, and Articles
3 and 4 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 536/93 of 9
March 1993 laying down detailed rules on the application of the
additional levy on milk and milk products, it is not contrary to
those provisions for a Member State, after checks have been carried
out, to correct the individual reference quantities allocated to each
producer and, after the unused reference quantities have been real-
located, to recalculate in consequence the additional levies payable,
after the final date for payment of those levies for the production
period concerned.

2. Regulations Nos 3950/92 and 536/92 are to be interpreted as
requiring that the original allocation of individual reference quanti-
ties and any later alteration to them should be notified to the
producers concerned by the competent national authorities.

The principle of legal certainty demands that that communi-
cation should be of such a nature as to give the natural or
legal persons concerned all
information relating to the
original allocation of their individual reference quantity or
later alteration to it. It is for the national court to determine,
on the basis of the facts before it, whether that is so in the
cases in the main proceedings.

(1) OJ C 108 of 7.4.2001.

OJ C 118 of 21.4.2001.
OJ C 134 of 30.5.2001.