Case C-540/21: Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 8 June 2023 — European Commission v Slovak Republic (Failure of a Member State to fulfil obligations — Package travel and linked travel arrangements — Directive (EU) 2015/2302 — Article 12(2) to (4) — Termination of a package travel contract — Unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances — COVID-19 pandemic — Refund of payments made by the traveller for the package — Refund in the form of a sum of money or in the form of a replacement package tour — Obligation to provide that traveller with a refund not later than 14 days after the relevant contract is terminated — Temporary derogation from that obligation)
Date: 2023-06-08
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: contractual liability, coronavirus disease, epidemic, indemnification, infringement of EU law, national implementing measure, package travel, provision of services, termination of a contract, traveller








C_2023261EN.01002401.xml










24.7.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 261/24






Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 8 June 2023 — European Commission v Slovak Republic
(Case C-540/21) (1)

(Failure of a Member State to fulfil obligations - Package travel and linked travel arrangements - Directive (EU) 2015/2302 - Article 12(2) to (4) - Termination of a package travel contract - Unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances - COVID-19 pandemic - Refund of payments made by the traveller for the package - Refund in the form of a sum of money or in the form of a replacement package tour - Obligation to provide that traveller with a refund not later than 14 days after the relevant contract is terminated - Temporary derogation from that obligation)
(2023/C 261/33)
Language of the case: Slovak

Parties


Applicant: European Commission (represented by: R. Lindenthal, I. Rubene and A. Tokár, acting as Agents)

Defendant: Slovak Republic (represented by: B. Ricziová, acting as Agent)

Intervener in support of the applicant: Kingdom of Denmark (represented initially by V. Pasternak Jørgensen and M. Søndahl Wolff, and subsequently by M. Søndahl Wolff, acting as Agent)

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Declares that, by introducing — by the adoption of zákon č. 136/2020 Z. z. (Law No 136/2020), of 20 May 2020 — Paragraph 33a into zákon č. 170/2018 Z. z. o zájazdoch, spojených službách cestovného ruchu, niektorých podmienkach podnikania v cestovnom ruchu a o zmene a doplnení niektorých zákonov (Law No 170/2018 on package travel, linked tourist services and certain conditions applicable to tourist activity, amending and supplementing certain laws), of 15 May 2018, the Slovak Republic has failed to fulfil its obligation under Article 12(2), (3)(b) and (4) of Directive (EU) 2015/2302 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2015 on package travel and linked travel arrangements, amending Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 and Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directive 90/314/EEC, read in conjunction with Article 4 of Directive 2015/2302;










2.


Orders the Slovak Republic to pay the costs.






(1)  OJ C 431, 25.10.2021.