Case C-204/09: Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesverwaltungsgericht (Germany) lodged on 8 June 2009 — Flachglas Torgau GmbH v Federal Republic of Germany
Date: 2009-06-08
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: EU environmental policy, Germany, access to EU information, confidentiality, dissemination of information, environmental impact, environmental monitoring, interpretation of the law








C_2009193EN.01001101.xml










15.8.2009   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 193/11





Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Bundesverwaltungsgericht (Germany) lodged on 8 June 2009 — Flachglas Torgau GmbH v Federal Republic of Germany
(Case C-204/09)
2009/C 193/14
Language of the case: German

Referring court

Bundesverwaltungsgericht

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicant: Flachglas Torgau GmbH

Defendant: Federal Republic of Germany

Questions referred







1.








(a)


Is the second sentence of Article 2(2) of Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on public access to environmental information and repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC (1) to be interpreted as meaning that only bodies and institutions for whom it is, under the law of the Member State, to take the final (binding) decision in the legislative process act in a legislative capacity, or do bodies and institutions which have been given certain functions and rights of involvement in the legislative process by the law of the Member State, in particular to table a draft law and to give opinions on draft laws, also act in a legislative capacity?










(b)


May the Member States always provide that the definition of ‘public authority’ does not cover bodies and institutions, in so far as they act in a judicial or legislative capacity, only if at the same time the constitutional provisions of those Member States did not provide, at the date of the adoption of the directive, for a review procedure within the meaning of Article 6 of Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on public access to environmental information and repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC?










(c)


Are bodies and institutions, in so far as they act in a legislative capacity, excluded from the definition of ‘public authority’ only for the period until the conclusion of the legislative process?














2








(a)


Is the confidentiality of proceedings within the meaning of indent (a) of Article 4(2) of Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on public access to environmental information and repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC provided for by law where the national-law provision enacted to implement Directive 2003/4/EC lays down generally that a request for access to environmental information is to be refused if the disclosure of the information would adversely affect the confidentiality of the proceedings of authorities which are required to provide information, or is it necessary, for that purpose, for a separate statutory provision to provide for the confidentiality of the proceedings?










(b)


Is the confidentiality of proceedings within the meaning of indent (a) of Article 4(2) of Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on public access to environmental information and repealing Council Directive 90/313/EEC provided for by law where under national law there is a general unwritten legal principle that the administrative proceedings of public authorities are not public?










(1)  OJ L 41, p. 26