CELEX: C1997/166/11
Language: en
Date: 1997-05-31 00:00:00
Title: Action brought on 24 March 1997 by the Commission of the European Communities against the Federal Republic of Germany (Case C-121/97)

31 . 5 . 97          I EN                  Official Journal of the European Communities                                No C 166/7
Appeals Board ) of 12 March 1997, which was received at               of Justice, the latter must nevertheless begin
the Court Registry on 20 March 1997, for a preliminary                implementation of the judgment without delay and
ruling in the proceedings brought by Laura Pitkaranta,                conclude it as soon as possible .
represented by her legal guardian Anne Pitkaranta , on the
following questions :                                                 The application for determination of a penalty payment is
                                                                      based on Article 171 ( 2 ) of the EC Treaty. The
1 . ( Question 1 is the same as Question 1 in Case C- 9/              Commission justifies the amount of the penalty by
     97 H )                                                           reference to its calculation method set out in Official
                                                                      Journal No C 242 of 21 . 8 . 1996, p. 6 . In evaluating the
2 . Is it contrary, with respect in particular to a minor             severity of the infringement, it proceeds on the basis that
     who regularly lives with her guardian in the Helsinki            only a single provision in a single Bundesland does not yet
     region about 70 kilometres by road from the                      comply with Council Directive 79/409/EEC ( 2 ), and that
     operational centre of the farm and who cannot herself            the infringement is essentially procedural , since there are
     carry on agriculture on the farm and whose guardian              no known cases of environmental damage arising from
     does not do so either on her own account, to the                 application of the rules currently in force in the Saarland
     prohibition of discrimination, the principle of                  ( Coefficient 1 /20 ). The Commission regards the period of
     proportionality or other principles to be observed in            treaty infringement as very considerable ( Coefficient 2/3 ).
     Community law to exclude her from the compensation               Concerning the deterrent effect of the penalty applied for,
     in question ?                                                    the Commission uses a calculation formula notified to the
                                                                      Member States, whereby reference is made to the relative
o OJ No C 74 , 8 . 3 . 1997, p . 15 .                                 position of each Member State in relation to its gross
                                                                      domestic product and its weighted voting strength in the
                                                                      Council under Article 148 ( 2 ) of the EC Treaty.
                                                                      o [ 1990] ECR 1-2721 .
                                                                      ( 2 ) OJ No L 103 , 1979 , p . 1 .
Action brought on 24 March 1997 by the Commission of
the European Communities against the Federal Republic
                            of Germany
                        ( Case C-121 /97 )
                          ( 97/C 166/ 11 )
                                                                      Action brought on 24 March 1997 by the Commission of
                                                                      the European Communities against the Federal Republic
An action against the Federal Republic of Germany was
                                                                                                    of Germany
brought before the Court of Justice of the European
Communities on 24 March 1997 by the Commission of                                               ( Case C-122/97 )
the European Communities, represented by Gotz zur                                                 ( 97/C 166/ 12 )
Hausen, Legal Adviser to the Commission, with an
address for service in Luxembourg at the offices of Carlos
Gomez de la Cruz, a member of the Commission's Legal                  An action against the Federal Republic of Germany was
Service, Wagner Centre, Kirchberg.                                    brought before the Court of Justice of the European
                                                                      Communities on 24 March 1997 by the Commission of
The applicant claims that the Court should :                          the European Communities, represented by Gotz zur
                                                                      Hausen, Legal Adviser to the Commission, with an
— declare the Federal Republic of Germany in breach of                address for service in Luxembourg at the offices of Carlos
     its obligations under Article 171 of the EC Treaty for           Gomez de la Cruz, a member of the Commission's Legal
     failing to bring the Hunting Law of the Saarland into            Service, Wagner Centre, Kirchberg.
     line with the judgment of the Court of Justice in Case
     C-288/88 Commission v. Germany ('),                              The applicant claims that the Court should :
— order the Federal Republic of Germany to pay the
                                                                      — declare the Federal Republic of Germany in breach of
     Commission a penalty of ECU 26 400 (to Account
     H 1 KEG 'EC Own Resources', Bundeskasse Bonn ) for
                                                                             its obligations under Article 171 of the EC Treaty for
                                                                             failing to comply with the judgment of the Court of
     each day of non-compliance with the obligations in
                                                                             Justice in Case C-58/89 Commission v. Germany ( 1 ),
     the first indent above, as from the date judgment is
     delivered,
                                                                      — order the Federal Republic of Germany to pay the
— order the Federal Republic of Germany to pay the                           Commission a penalty of ECU 158 400 ( to Account
     costs .                                                                 H 1 KEG ' EC Own Resources ', Bundeskasse Bonn ) for
                                                                             each day of non-compliance with the obligations in
Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:                          the first indent above , as from the date judgment is
                                                                             delivered,
Whilst Article 171 ( 1 ) of the EC Treaty does not lay down
a specific time-limit for the Member State concerned to               — order the Federal Republic of Germany to pay the
fulfil its obligations arising under a judgment of the Court                 costs .