Case C-226/04: Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Tribunale Amministrativo Regionale del Lazio, Division Ia, by order of that court of 22 April 2004 in the case of ‘La Cascina’ s.c.r.l. and Zilch s.r.l. v Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Pedus Service P. Dussmann s.r.l. and Others
Date: 2004-07-24
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: award of contract, interpretation of the law, invitation to tender, payment, public contract, social-security contribution, tax

24.7.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 190/9

Action brought on 1 June 2004 by the Commission of the
European Communities against the Republic of Finland

(Case C-225/04)

(2004/C 190/15)

An action against the Republic of Finland was brought before
the Court of Justice of the European Communities on 1 June
2004 by the Commission of the European Communities, repre-
sented by M. Huttunen and K. Simonsson, acting as Agents,
with an address for service in Luxemburg.

The Commission claims that the Court should:

1. Declare that, by failing to bring into force the laws, regula-
tions and administrative provisions necessary to comply
with Directive 2001/106/EC of the European Parliament
and of the Council (1) of 19 December 2001 amending
Council Directive 95/21/EC concerning the enforcement, in
respect of shipping using Community ports and sailing in
the waters under the jurisdiction of the Member States, of
international standards for ship safety, pollution prevention
and shipboard living and working conditions (port State
control), or at least by failing to inform the Commission
thereof, the Republic of Finland has failed to fulfil its obliga-
tions under Article 2 of that directive;

2. Order Finland to pay the costs.

Pleas in law and main arguments

The period prescribed for implementing the directive expired
on 22 July 2003.

(1) OJ L 19 of 22.1.2002, p. 17.

Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Tribunale
Amministrativo Regionale del Lazio, Division Ia, by order
of that court of 22 April 2004 in the case of ‘La Cascina’
s.c.r.l. and Zilch s.r.l. v Ministry of Defence, Ministry of
Economy and Finance, and Pedus Service P. Dussmann
s.r.l. and Others

(Case C-226/04)

(2004/C 190/16)

Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the Euro-
pean Communities by order of Division Ia of the Tribunale
Amministrativo Regionale del Lazio (Regional Administrative
Court, Lazio) of 22 April 2004, received at the Court Registry
on 2 June 2004, for a preliminary ruling in the case of ‘La
Cascina’ s.c.r.l. and Zilch s.r.l. v Ministry of Defence, Ministry
of Economy and Finance and Pedus Service P. Dussmann s.r.l.
and Others, on the following questions:

1) Must

subparagraphs

(e) and (f) of Council Directive
92/50/EEC (1) of 18 June 1992 relating to the coordination
of procedures for the award of public service contracts, as
regards only the abovementioned provisions, be interpreted
as meaning that, where the Community legislature employs

the country of

the expression ‘has not fulfilled obligations relating to the
payment of social security contributions in accordance with
the legal provisions of the country in which he is estab-
the contracting
lished or with those of
authority’ or ‘has not fulfilled obligations relating to the
payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of
the country of the contracting authority’,
the legislature
intended to refer – solely and exclusively – to a situation in
which the person concerned has – when the period
prescribed for submitting applications to participate in a
public tendering procedure expires (or in any event before
the award of the contract, as indicated under point III.4
above) – fulfilled those obligations by paying in full and in
time?

2) Consequently, must

the

Italian national

implementing
measure (Article 12 (d) and (e) of Legislative Decree No 157
of 17 March 1995) – in so far as, unlike the Community
provision cited above, it allows the exclusion from tendering
procedures of persons who ‘are not
in compliance in
respect of obligations relating to the payment of social
security contributions for employees,
in accordance with
Italian legislation or the legislation of the State in which
they are established’ or who ‘are not
in compliance in
respect of obligations relating to the payment of taxes, in
accordance with Italian legislation or the legislation of the
State in which they are established’ - be interpreted with
reference solely to the failure – verifiable at
the date
mentioned above (the expiry of the period prescribed for
submitting applications to participate or immediately before
the award, even provisional, of the contract) – to fulfil those
obligations, without any importance being attached to
subsequent ‘regularisation’ of their position?

3) Or, conversely (if, in the light of the indications set out in
question 2 above, the national measure is held not to be in
harmony with the rationale and function of the Community
provision), may the national legislature be regarded, in the
light of the limitations to which it is subject for the purpose
of giving effect to the Community rules contained in the
Directive at issue, as being entitled to introduce the option
of allowing the admission to a tendering procedure of
persons who, although not ‘in compliance’ when the period
prescribed for participation in the procedure expires, never-
theless show that they can regularise their position (and
have taken positive steps to do so) before the award of the
contract?

4) And, if the interpretation referred to in question 3 above is
held to be workable - thus permitting the introduction of
more flexible rules than would be allowed on a stricter
interpretation of the ‘fulfilment’ of obligations referred to by
the Community legislature - do such rules conflict with
fundamental Community principles, such as the principle of
equal treatment for all citizens of the Union, or – with
regard only to public tendering procedures – that of equal
conditions for all persons who have applied for admission
to such procedures?

(1) OJ L 209 of 24.7.1992, p. 1.