Case C-222/07: Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 5 March 2009 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Tribunal Supremo (Spain)) — Unión de Televisiones Comerciales Asociadas (UTECA) v Administración General del Estado (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Article 12 EC — Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of nationality — Articles 39 EC, 43 EC, 49 EC and 56 EC — Fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the EC Treaty — Article 87 EC — State aid — Directive 89/552/EEC — Pursuit of television broadcasting activities — Obligation for television operators to earmark a percentage of their operating revenue for the pre-funding of European cinematographic films and films made for television, 60% of that funding being reserved to the production of works of which the original language is one of the official languages of the Kingdom of Spain and of which the majority is produced by the Spanish film industry)
Date: 2009-03-05
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: broadcasting, film industry, financing, interpretation of the law, television








C_2009102EN.01000401.xml










1.5.2009   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 102/4





Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 5 March 2009 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Tribunal Supremo (Spain)) — Unión de Televisiones Comerciales Asociadas (UTECA) v Administración General del Estado
(Case C-222/07) (1)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Article 12 EC - Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of nationality - Articles 39 EC, 43 EC, 49 EC and 56 EC - Fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the EC Treaty - Article 87 EC - State aid - Directive 89/552/EEC - Pursuit of television broadcasting activities - Obligation for television operators to earmark a percentage of their operating revenue for the pre-funding of European cinematographic films and films made for television, 60% of that funding being reserved to the production of works of which the original language is one of the official languages of the Kingdom of Spain and of which the majority is produced by the Spanish film industry)
2009/C 102/05
Language of the case: Spanish

Referring court

Tribunal Supremo

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicant: Unión de Televisiones Comerciales Asociadas (UTECA)

Defendant: Administración General del Estado

Intervening parties: Federación de Asociaciones de Productores Audiovisuales, Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE), Entidad de Gestión de Derechos de los Productores Audiovisuales (Egeda)

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — Tribunal Supremo — Interpretation of Articles 12 EC, 87(3) EC and Article 3(1) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC of 3 October 1989 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities (OJ 1989 L 298, p. 23) — Obligation for television operators to earmark a percentage of their operating revenue for the pre-funding of European cinematographic films and films made for television, 60 % of that funding being reserved to the production of original Spanish-language works the majority of which are produced by the Spanish film industry

Operative part of the judgment







1.


Council Directive 89/552/EEC of 3 October 1989 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities, as amended by Directive 97/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 1997, and, more particularly, Article 3 thereof and Article 12 EC must be interpreted as meaning that they do not preclude a measure adopted by a Member State such as the measure at issue in the main proceedings which requires television operators to earmark 5% of their operating revenue for the pre-funding of European cinematographic films and films made for television and, more specifically, to reserve 60% of that 5% for the production of works of which the original language is one of the official languages of that Member State.










2.


Article 87 EC must be interpreted as meaning that a measure adopted by a Member State, such as the measure at issue in the main proceedings, requiring television operators to earmark 5% of their operating revenue for the pre-funding of European cinematographic films and films made for television and, more specifically, to reserve 60% of that 5% for the production of works of which the original language is one of the official languages of that Member State does not constitute State aid in favour of the cinematographic industry of that Member State.






(1)  OJ C 155, 7.7.2007.