Case C-339/21, Colt Technology Services and Others: Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 16 March 2023 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Consiglio di Stato — Italy) — Colt Technology Services SpA and Others v Ministero della Giustizia and Others (Reference for a preliminary ruling — Electronic communications networks and services — Directive (EU) 2018/1972 — Article 13 — Conditions attached to the general authorisation — Annex I, Part A, point 4 — Enabling of legal interception by competent national authorities — Article 3 — General objectives — National legislation on the reimbursement of costs associated with interception activities that telecommunications operators are ordered by the judicial authorities to carry out — Absence of full reimbursement mechanism — Principles of non-discrimination, proportionality and transparency)
Date: 2023-03-16
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: administrative transparency, anti-discriminatory measure, equal treatment, principle of proportionality, protection of communications, regulation of telecommunications, transmission network, universal service








C_2023164EN.01000601.xml










8.5.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 164/6






Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 16 March 2023 (request for a preliminary ruling from the Consiglio di Stato — Italy) — Colt Technology Services SpA and Others v Ministero della Giustizia and Others
(Case C-339/21, (1) Colt Technology Services and Others)
(Reference for a preliminary ruling - Electronic communications networks and services - Directive (EU) 2018/1972 - Article 13 - Conditions attached to the general authorisation - Annex I, Part A, point 4 - Enabling of legal interception by competent national authorities - Article 3 - General objectives - National legislation on the reimbursement of costs associated with interception activities that telecommunications operators are ordered by the judicial authorities to carry out - Absence of full reimbursement mechanism - Principles of non-discrimination, proportionality and transparency)
(2023/C 164/07)
Language of the case: Italian

Referring court

Consiglio di Stato

Parties to the main proceedings


Applicants: Colt Technology Services SpA, Wind Tre SpA, Telecom Italia SpA, Vodafone Italia SpA, Ministero della Giustizia, Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, Procura Generale della Repubblica presso la Corte d’appello di Reggio Calabria, Procura della Repubblica presso il Tribunale di Cagliari, Procura della Repubblica presso il Tribunale di Roma

Defendants: Ministero della Giustizia, Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, Ministero dell’Economia e delle Finanze, Procura Generale della Repubblica presso la Corte d’appello di Reggio Calabria, Procura della Repubblica presso il Tribunale di Cagliari, Procura della Repubblica presso il Tribunale di Roma, Procura della Repubblica presso il Tribunale di Locri, Wind Tre SpA

Operative part of the judgment

Article 13, read in the light of Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 establishing the European Electronic Communications Code, and point 4 of Part A of Annex I to that directive, must be interpreted as not precluding national legislation which does not require full reimbursement of the costs actually incurred by providers of electronic communications services when they enable the legal interception of electronic communications by the competent national authorities, provided that that legislation is non-discriminatory, proportionate and transparent.


(1)  OJ C 329, 16.8.2021.