CELEX: C2002/274/16
Language: en
Date: 2002-11-09 00:00:00
Title: Judgment of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 24 September 2002 in Case C-255/00 (Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Tribunale di Trento): Grundig Italiana SpA v Ministero delle Finanze (Internal taxes contrary to Community law — Recovery of sums paid but not due — National legislation retroactively reducing time-limits for bringing proceedings — Compatibility with the principle of effectiveness)

C 274/10                 EN                       Official Journal of the European Communities                                          9.11.2002
3.    If it is demonstrated that there is in fact a risk to public health    Regulation (EEC) No 1035/72 of the Council of 18 May 1972
      arising from the coexistence of two versions of the same               and Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28 October 1996 on
      medicinal product on the market in a Member State such a risk          the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegetables are to
      may justify restrictions on the importation of the old version of      be interpreted as meaning that compliance with the provisions on
      the medicinal product in consequence of the withdrawal of the          quality standards applicable to fruit or vegetables must be capable of
      marketing authorisation of reference by the holder thereof in          enforcement by means of civil proceedings instituted by a trader
      relation to that market.                                               against a competitor.
( 1) OJ C 211 of 22.7.2000.                                                  (1 ) OJ C 247 of 26.8.2000.
                  JUDGMENT OF THE COURT                                                       JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
                      of 17 September 2002                                                            (Sixth Chamber)
in Case C-253/00 (Reference for a preliminary ruling from                                          of 24 September 2002
the Court of Appeal (England & Wales) (Civil Division):
Antonio Muñoz y Cia SA, Superior Fruiticola SA v Frumar
            Ltd, Redbridge Produce Marketing Ltd ( 1)
                                                                             in Case C-255/00 (Reference for a preliminary ruling from
                                                                             the Tribunale di Trento): Grundig Italiana SpA v Ministero
                                                                                                       delle Finanze ( 1)
(Agriculture — Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 — Quality
standards for varieties of table grapes — Legal obligations
of operators marketing table grapes within the Community
— Right of an operator to seek enforcement of those                          (Internal taxes contrary to Community law — Recovery of
                  obligations in civil proceedings)                          sums paid but not due — National legislation retroactively
                                                                             reducing time-limits for bringing proceedings — Compati-
                                                                                         bility with the principle of effectiveness)
                           (2002/C 274/15)
                                                                                                       (2002/C 274/16)
                    (Language of the case: English)
                                                                                                 (Language of the case: Italian)
In Case C-253/00: Reference to the Court under Article 234                   (Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be published
EC by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales (Civil                                           in the European Court Reports)
Division) for a preliminary ruling in the proceedings pending
before that court between Antonio Muñoz y Cia SA, Superior
Fruiticola SA and Frumar Ltd, Redbridge Produce Marketing
Ltd, on the interpretation of Regulation (EEC) No 1035/72 of
the Council of 18 May 1972 and Council Regulation (EC)                       In Case C-255/00: Reference to the Court under Article 234
No 2200/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organisation                     EC by the Tribunale di Trento (Italy) for a preliminary ruling
of the market in fruit and vegetables (OJ, English Special                   in the proceedings pending before that court between Grundig
Edition 1972 (II), p. 437, and OJ 1996 L 297, p. 1 respectively),            Italiana SpA and Ministero delle Finanze, on the interpretation
the Court, composed of: G.C. Rodríguez Iglesias, President,                  of the principles of Community law relating to the recovery of
P. Jann (Rapporteur), N. Colneric and S. von Bahr, (Presidents               sums paid but not due, the Court (Sixth Chamber), composed
of Chambers), C. Gulmann, D.A.O. Edward, A. La Pergola,                      of: F. Macken, President of the Chamber, C. Gulmann,
J.-P. Puissochet, R. Schintgen, J.N. Cunha Rodrigues and                     J.-P. Puissochet (Rapporteur), R. Schintgen and J.N. Cunha
C.W.A. Timmermans, Judges; L.A. Geelhoed, Advocate Gen-                      Rodrigues, Judges; D. Ruíz-Jarabo Colomer, Advocate General;
eral; R. Grass, Registrar, has given a judgment on 17 September              R. Grass, Registrar, has given a judgment on 24 September
2002, in which it has ruled:                                                 2002, in which it has ruled:
 ---pagebreak--- 9.11.2002                EN                        Official Journal of the European Communities                                           C 274/11
Community law precludes the retroactive application of a time-limit           A situation such as that in the main proceedings, in which the
that is shorter and, as the case may be, more restrictive for the             differences identified in the pay conditions of workers of different sex
claimant than the period for initiating proceedings that was previously       performing equal work or work of equal value cannot be attributed to
applicable to claims for the recovery of national taxes contrary to           a single source, does not come within the scope of Article 141(1) EC.
Community law where no adequate transitional period is provided
during which claims relating to sums paid before the entry into force
of the legislation introducing the new time-limit may still be brought        (1 ) OJ C 316 of 4.11.2000.
within the old period. Where a limitation period of five years is
replaced with a time-limit of three years, a transitional period of 90
days must be regarded as insufficient and six months must be
regarded as the minimum period required to ensure that the exercise
of rights of recovery is not rendered excessively difficult.
( 1) OJ C 247 of 26.8.2000.                                                                     JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
                                                                                                      of 17 September 2002
                                                                              in Case C-334/00 (Reference for a preliminary ruling from
                                                                              the Corte suprema di cassazione): Fonderie Officine
                                                                              Meccaniche Tacconi SpA v Heinrich Wagner Sinto
                                                                                             Maschinenfabrik GmbH (HWS) ( 1)
                  JUDGMENT OF THE COURT                                       (Brussels Convention — Article 5(1) and (3) — Special
                                                                                           jurisdiction — Pre-contractual liability)
                       of 17 September 2002                                                               (2002/C 274/18)
in Case C-320/00 (Reference for a preliminary ruling from                                           (Language of the case: Italian)
the Court of Appeal (England & Wales) (Civil Division):
A.G. Lawrence and Others v Regent Office Care Ltd,
Commercial Catering Group, Mitie Secure Services Ltd (1)                      (Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be published
                                                                                                   in the European Court Reports)
(Principle of equal pay for men and women — Direct
effect — Comparison of the work performed for different
                               employers)                                     In Case C-334/00: Reference to the Court under the Protocol
                                                                              of 3 June 1971 on the interpretation by the Court of Justice of
                                                                              the Convention of 27 September 1968 on Jurisdiction and the
                                                                              Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters
                           (2002/C 274/17)
                                                                              by the Corte suprema di cassazione (Italy) for a preliminary
                                                                              ruling in the proceedings pending before that court between
                                                                              Fonderie Officine Meccaniche Tacconi SpA and Heinrich
                     (Language of the case: English)                          Wagner Sinto Maschinenfabrik GmbH (HWS), on the interpret-
                                                                              ation of Article 5(1) and (3) of the abovementioned Convention
                                                                              of 27 September 1968 (OJ 1978 L 304, p. 36), as amended by
                                                                              the Convention of 9 October 1978 on the Accession of the
                                                                              Kingdom of Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom of
In Case C-320/00: Reference to the Court under Article 234                    Great Britain and Northern Ireland (OJ 1978 L 304, p. 1 and
EC by the Court of Appeal of England and Wales (Civil                         — amended version — p. 77), by the Convention of 25 Octo-
Division) for a preliminary ruling in the proceedings pending                 ber 1982 on the Accession of the Hellenic Republic (OJ 1982
before that court between A. G. Lawrence and Others and                       L 388, p. 1) and by the Convention of 26 May 1989 on the
Regent Office Care Ltd, Commercial Catering Group, Mitie                      Accession of the Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese
Secure Services Ltd, on the interpretation of Article 141(1) EC,              Republic (OJ 1989 L 285, p. 1), the Court, composed of:
the Court, composed of: G. C. Rodríguez Iglesias, President,                  G. C. Rodríguez Iglesias, President, N. Colneric and S. von Bahr
P. Jann, F. Macken, N. Colneric (Rapporteur) and S. von Bahr                  (Presidents of Chambers), C. Gulmann, D. A. O. Edward, A. La
(Presidents of Chambers), D. A. O. Edward, A. La Pergola,                     Pergola, J.-P. Puissochet, M. Wathelet, R. Schintgen, J. N. Cunha
J.-P. Puissochet, M. Wathelet, R. Schintgen and V. Skouris,                   Rodrigues (Rapporteur) and C. W. A. Timmermans, Judges;
Judges; L. A. Geelhoed, Advocate General; H. A. Rühl, Principal               L. A. Geelhoed, Advocate General; R. Grass, Registrar, has
Administrator, for the Registrar, has given a judgment on                     given a judgment on 17 September 2002, in which it has
17 September 2002, in which it has ruled:                                     ruled: