CELEX: C1999/226/09
Language: en
Date: 1999-08-07 00:00:00
Title: Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 15 June 1999 in Case C-394/97 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Helsingin Käräjäoikeus): Criminal proceedings against Sami Heinonen (Goods contained in travellers personal luggage - Travellers arriving from non-member countries - Duty-free allowances - Prohibition on imports linked to minimum period spent abroad)

C 226/6                   EN                       Official Journal of the European Communities                                            7.8.1999
     employer, or for that State to be held liable for damage caused to       2. National legislation restricting imports of alcoholic drinks by
     them by failure to transpose the directive correctly, where the               travellers arriving from non-member countries in order to
     events which give rise to the operation of the guarantee provided             maintain public order is not, in principle, contrary to Regulation
     for in the directive occurred prior to the date of accession.                 No 918/83 or Directive 69/169.
                                                                              3. National legislation restricting imports by travellers arriving
(1) OJ C 331 of 1.11.1997.                                                         from third countries of alcoholic drinks, on the basis of the
                                                                                   duration of the journey, with a view to combating disturbances
                                                                                   of public order connected with the consumption of alcohol, is not
                                                                                   contrary to Regulation No 918/83 or Directive 69/169.
                                                                              (1) OJ C 41 of 7.2.1998.
                   JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
                            (Fifth Chamber)
                            of 15 June 1999
in Case C-394/97 (reference for a preliminary ruling from                                       JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
the Helsingin Käräjäoikeus): Criminal proceedings against
                           Sami Heinonen (1)
                                                                                                         (Fifth Chamber)
(Goods contained in travellers personal luggage — Travellers
arriving from non-member countries — Duty-free allow-                                                    of 15 June 1999
ances — Prohibition on imports linked to minimum period
                              spent abroad)                                   in Case C-421/97 (reference for a preliminary ruling from
                                                                              the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Meaux): Yves Tarantik
                            (1999/C 226/09)                                      v Direction des Services Fiscaux de Seine-et-Marne(1)
                     (Language of the case: Finnish)                          (Article 95 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment, Article
                                                                                        90 EC) — Differential tax on motor vehicles)
(Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be published                                   (1999/C 226/10)
                     in the European Court Reports)
In Case C-394/97: reference to the Court under Article 234                                         (Language of the case: French)
EC (ex Article 177) by the Helsingin Käräjäoikeus, Finland, for
a preliminary ruling in the criminal proceedings before that
court against Sami Heinonen — on the interpretation of                        (Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be published
Council Regulation (EEC) No 918/83 of 28 March 1983                                               in the European Court Reports)
setting up a Community system of reliefs from customs duty
(OJ 1983 L 105, p. 1) and Council Directive 69/169/EEC of
28 May 1969 on the harmonisation of provisions laid                           In Case C-421/97: reference to the Court under Article 234
down by law, regulation or administrative action relating to                  EC (ex Article 177) by the Tribunal de Grande Instance de
exemption from turnover tax and excise duty on imports in                     Meaux, France, for a preliminary ruling in the proceedings
international travel (OJ, English Special Edition 1969 (I),                   pending before that court between Yves Tarantik and Direction
p. 232) — the Court (Fifth Chamber), composed of                              des Services Fiscaux de Seine-et-Marne — on the interpretation
J.-P. Puissochet, President of the Chamber, P. Jann (Rappor-                  of Article 95 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment,
teur), J.C. Moitinho de Almeida, C. Gulmann and M. Wathelet,                  Article 90 EC) — the Court (Fifth Chamber), composed of:
Judges; A. Saggio, Advocate General; H. von Holstein, Deputy                  J.-P. Puissochet, President of the Chamber, J.C. Moitinho de
Registrar, has given a judgment on 15 June 1999, in which it                  Almeida, C. Gulmann, L. Sevón and M. Wathelet (Rapporteur),
has ruled:                                                                    Judges; F.C. Jacobs, Advocate General; H. von Holstein, Deputy
                                                                              Registrar, has given a judgment on 15 June 1999, in which it
1. National legislation prohibiting or restricting imports of certain         has ruled:
     goods by travellers arriving from non-member countries on
     grounds of public morality, public policy, public security or            National rules on motor vehicle tax such as those in point in the
     protection of health and life of humans is not contrary to Council       main proceedings do not, as a result of the increase in the progression
     Regulation (EEC) No 918/83 of 28 March 1983 setting up a                 coefficient of the tax between the 15-16 CV tax band, on the one
     Community system of reliefs from customs duty and Council                hand, and the tax bands above 18 CV, which contain only imported
     Directive 69/169/EEC of 28 May 1969 on the harmonisation                 vehicles, on the other, have discriminatory or protective effects which
     of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative             are incompatible with the first paragraph of Article 95 of the EC
     action relating to exemption from turnover tax and excise duty           Treaty (now, after amendment, the first paragraph of Article 90 EC)
     on imports in international travel.                                      where: