CELEX: C2002/323/02
Language: en
Date: 2002-12-21 00:00:00
Title: Judgment of the Court of 5 November 2002 in Case C-467/98: Commission of the European Communities v Kingdom of Denmark (Failure by a Member State to fulfil its obligations — Conclusion and application by a Member State of a bilateral "open skies" agreement with the United States of America — Secondary legislation governing the internal air transport market (Regulations (EEC) Nos 2299/89, 2407/92, 2408/92, 2409/92 and 95/93) — External competence of the Community — Article 52 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment, Article 43 EC) — Article 5 of the EC Treaty (now Article 10 EC))

C 323/2                  EN                      Official Journal of the European Communities                                        21.12.2002
                  JUDGMENT OF THE COURT                                           previously concluded, the Kingdom of Denmark has, by
                                                                                  not rescinding those provisions of the said previously-
                                                                                  concluded agreements which are incompatible with the
                        of 5 November 2002                                        EC Treaty, especially Article 52 thereof, and with second-
                                                                                  ary law, or by failing to take all necessary legal steps to
                                                                                  that end, failed to comply with its obligations under
in Case C-467/98: Commission of the European Communi-
                                                                                  Article 234 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment,
                ties v Kingdom of Denmark (1)
                                                                                  Article 307 EC),
(Failure by a Member State to fulfil its obligations —
Conclusion and application by a Member State of a bilateral                 the Court, composed of: J.-P. Puissochet, President of the Sixth
                                                                            Chamber, acting for the President, R. Schintgen (President of
‘open skies’ agreement with the United States of America —
Secondary legislation governing the internal air transport                  Chamber), C. Gulmann, D.A.O. Edward, A. La Pergola, P. Jann,
market (Regulations (EEC) Nos 2299/89, 2407/92, 2408/                       V. Skouris (Rapporteur), F. Macken, N. Colneric, S. von Bahr
92, 2409/92 and 95/93) — External competence of the                         and J.N. Cunha Rodrigues, Judges; A. Tizzano, Advocate
Community — Article 52 of the EC Treaty (now, after                         General; H. von Holstein, Deputy Registrar, and D. Louterman-
                                                                            Hubeau, Head of Division, has given a judgment on 5 Novem-
amendment, Article 43 EC) — Article 5 of the EC Treaty
                        (now Article 10 EC))                                ber 2002, in which it:
                           (2002/C 323/02)                                  1.    Declares that, by entering into or maintaining in force, despite
                                                                                  the renegotiation of the air transport agreement between the
                                                                                  Kingdom of Denmark and the United States of America of
                    (Language of the case: Danish)
                                                                                  16 December 1944, international commitments with the
                                                                                  United States of America
(Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be published
                    in the European Court Reports)
                                                                                  —     concerning air fares and rates charged by carriers desig-
                                                                                        nated by the United States of America on intra-Com-
                                                                                        munity routes,
In Case C-467/98, Commission of the European Communities
(Agents: F. Benyon and H. P. Hartvig) v Kingdom of Denmark                        —     concerning computerised reservation systems offered for
(Agent: J. Molde), supported by Kingdom of the Netherlands                              use or used in Danish territory, and
(Agents: M. A. Fierstra and J. van Bakel): Application for:
                                                                                  —     recognising the United States of America as having the
—     as its principal claim, a declaration that, by having                             right to withdraw, suspend or limit traffic rights in cases
      individually negotiated, initialled and concluded, in 1995,                       where air carriers designated by the Kingdom of Denmark
      an ‘open skies’ agreement with the United States of                               are not owned by the latter or by Danish nationals, the
      America in the field of air transport, the Kingdom of                             Kingdom of Denmark has failed to fulfil its obligations
      Denmark has failed to fulfil its obligations under the EC                         under Article 5 of the EC Treaty (now Article 10 EC) and
      Treaty, and in particular Articles 5 (now Article 10 EC)                          Article 52 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment,
      and 52 (now, after amendment, Article 43 EC) thereof,                             Article 43 EC) and under Council Regulation (EEC)
      and also under secondary law adopted pursuant to                                  No 2409/92 of 23 July 1992 on fares and rates for air
      that Treaty, and in particular Council Regulation (EEC)                           services and Council Regulation (EEC) No 2299/89 of
      No 2407/92 of 23 July 1992 on licensing of air carriers                           24 July 1989 on a code of conduct for computerised
      (OJ 1992 L 240, p. 1), Council Regulation (EEC) No 2408/                          reservation systems, as amended by Council Regulation
      92 of 23 July 1992 on access for Community air carriers                           (EEC) No 3089/93 of 29 October 1993;
      to intra-Community air routes (OJ 1992 L 240, p. 8),
      Council Regulation (EEC) No 2409/92 of 23 July 1992
      on fares and rates for air services (OJ 1992 L 240, p. 15),           2.    Dismisses the remainder of the application;
      Council Regulation (EEC) No 2299/89 of 24 July 1989
      on a code of conduct for computerised reservation
      systems (OJ 1989 L 220, p. 1), as amended by Council                  3.    Orders the Kingdom of Denmark to pay the costs;
      Regulation (EEC) No 3089/93 of 29 October 1993 (OJ
      1993 L 278, p. 1), and Council Regulation (EEC) No 95/
      93 of 18 January 1993 on common rules for the                         4.    Orders the Kingdom of the Netherlands to bear its own costs.
      allocation of slots at Community airports (OJ 1993 L 14,
      p. 1); and,
                                                                            (1 ) OJ C 71 of 13.3.1999.
—     in the alternative, in relation to the remaining provisions
      of the agreement of 1944/1954, a declaration that, in so
      far as the 1995 agreement cannot be regarded as having
      radically amended and thus replaced the agreements