Case C-73/19: Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 16 July 2020 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Hof van beroep te Antwerpen — Belgium) — Belgische Staat, represented by the Minister van Werk, Economie en Consumenten, belast met de Buitenlandse handel, and by the Directeur-Generaal van de Algemene Directie Controle en Bemiddeling van de FOD Economie, K.M.O., Middenstand en Energie, now Algemene Directie Economische Inspectie, Directeur-Generaal van de Algemene Directie Controle en Bemiddeling van de FOD Economie, K.M.O., Middenstand en Energie, now Algemene Directie Economische Inspectie v Movic BV, Events Belgium BV, Leisure Tickets & Activities International BV (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Judicial cooperation in civil matters — Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 — Article 1(1) — Scope — Concept of ‘civil and commercial matters’ — Action for the cessation of unfair commercial practices brought by a public authority to protect the interests of consumers)
Date: 2020-07-16
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: civil law, commercial law, consumer protection, judicial cooperation in civil matters in the EU, jurisdiction, restriction on competition








C_2020297EN.01001101.xml










7.9.2020   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 297/11






Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of 16 July 2020 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Hof van beroep te Antwerpen — Belgium) — Belgische Staat, represented by the Minister van Werk, Economie en Consumenten, belast met de Buitenlandse handel, and by the Directeur-Generaal van de Algemene Directie Controle en Bemiddeling van de FOD Economie, K.M.O., Middenstand en Energie, now Algemene Directie Economische Inspectie, Directeur-Generaal van de Algemene Directie Controle en Bemiddeling van de FOD Economie, K.M.O., Middenstand en Energie, now Algemene Directie Economische Inspectie v Movic BV, Events Belgium BV, Leisure Tickets & Activities International BV
(Case C-73/19) (1)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Judicial cooperation in civil matters - Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 - Article 1(1) - Scope - Concept of ‘civil and commercial matters’ - Action for the cessation of unfair commercial practices brought by a public authority to protect the interests of consumers)
(2020/C 297/14)
Language of the case: Dutch

Referring court

Hof van beroep te Antwerpen

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicants: Belgische Staat, represented by the Minister van Werk, Economie en Consumenten, belast met de Buitenlandse handel, and by the Directeur-Generaal van de Algemene Directie Controle en Bemiddeling van de FOD Economie, K.M.O., Middenstand en Energie, now Algemene Directie Economische Inspectie, Directeur-Generaal van de Algemene Directie Controle en Bemiddeling van de FOD Economie, K.M.O., Middenstand en Energie, now Algemene Directie Economische Inspectie

Defendants: Movic BV, Events Belgium BV, Leisure Tickets & Activities International BV

Operative part of the judgment

Article 1(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters must be interpreted as meaning that an action where the opposing parties are the authorities of a Member State and businesses established in another Member State, in which those authorities seek, primarily, findings of infringements constituting allegedly unlawful unfair commercial practices and an order for the cessation of such infringements and, as ancillary measures, an order for publicity measures and the imposition of a penalty payment, falls within the scope of the concept of ‘civil and commercial matters’ in that provision.


(1)  OJ C 139, 15.4.2019.