FOLLOWING THE DECISIONS WHICH THE COMMUNITY AND THE MEMBER STATES THEREOF ADOPTED IN 1976 IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THE INCREASINGLY URGENT NEED TO CONSERVE THE LIVING RESOURCES OF THE SEA AND TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE GENERAL EVOLUTION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN THE FIELD OF SEA FISHING , REPLACED THE PRIOR INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS EXISTING BETWEEN CERTAIN MEMBER STATES , SUCH AS FRANCE , AND SPAIN .
31 ACCORDINGLY , SPANISH FISHERMEN MAY NOT RELY ON PRIOR INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN FRANCE AND SPAIN IN ORDER TO PREVENT THE APPLICATION OF THE INTERIM REGULATIONS ADOPTED BY THE COMMUNITY IN THE EVENT OF ANY INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN THE TWO CATEGORIES OF PROVISIONS .
32 IT FOLLOWS FROM THE FOREGOING THAT CONSIDERATION OF THE QUESTION RAISED HAS DISCLOSED NO FACTOR OF SUCH A KIND AS TO AFFECT THE VALIDITY OF REGULATION NO 2160/77 AND THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THAT REGULATION ARE ENFORCEABLE AGAINST SPANISH NATIONALS .
Decision on costs
33 THE COSTS INCURRED BY THE FRENCH AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS AND BY THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES , WHICH HAVE SUBMITTED OBSERVATIONS TO THE COURT , ARE NOT RECOVERABLE . AS THESE PROCEEDINGS ARE , IN SO FAR AS THE PARTIES TO THE MAIN PROCEEDINGS ARE CONCERNED , IN THE NATURE OF A STEP IN THE PROCEEDINGS PENDING BEFORE THE NATIONAL COURT , THE DECISION ON COSTS IS A MATTER FOR THAT COURT .
Operative part
ON THOSE GROUNDS ,
THE COURT ,
IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION SUBMITTED TO IT BY THE FRENCH COUR DE CASSATION , BY JUDGMENT OF 7 JULY 1980 , HEREBY RULES :
CONSIDERATION OF THE QUESTION RAISED HAS DISCLOSED NO FACTOR OF SUCH A KIND AS TO AFFECT THE VALIDITY OF COUNCIL REGULATION ( EEC ) NO 2160/77 OF 30 SEPTEMBER 1977 LAYING DOWN CERTAIN INTERIM MEASURES FOR THE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF FISHERY RESOURCES APPLICABLE TO VESSELS FLYING THE FLAG OF SPAIN ( OFFICIAL JOURNAL 1977 L 250 , P . 17 ). THE PROVISIONS OF THAT REGULATION ARE ENFORCEABLE AGAINST SPANISH NATIONALS .