CELEX: C1996/318/11
Language: en
Date: 1996-10-26 00:00:00
Title: Action brought on 9 September 1996 by the Federal Republic of Germany against the Commission of the European Communities (Case C-293/96)

No C 318/6               EN                  Official Journal of the European Communities                                    26 . 10 . 96
 received at the Court Registry on 3 September 1996, for a              Action brought on 9 September 1996 by the Federal
preliminary ruling in the criminal proceedings against                  Republic of Germany against the Commission of the
Martino Grado and Shahid Bashir on the following                                           European Communities
 question:                                                                                     ( Case C-293/96
                                                                                                 ( 96/C 318/11 )
 Is it compatible with European Community law or is it
 contrary to the prohibition on discrimination laid down in
 Article 6 of the Treaty on European Union for a
 Staatsanwalt ( Public Prosecutor ) expressly to refuse to use          An action against the Commission of the European
 the courtesy title 'Herr' in an application, which he has              Communities was brought before the Court of Justice of the
 drafted and subsequently placed before the court for                   European Communities on 9 September 1996 by the Federal
 signature, for a summary punishment order in the case of a             Republic of Germany, represented by Dr Ernst Roder, of the
 foreign employee ( for the purposes of Articles 48 to 51 of the        Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs, D-53107 Bonn, and
Treaty on European Union ) from another Member State of                 Dr Alfred Dittrich, of the Federal Ministry of Justice,
the European Union, particularly where this is contrary to              D-53175 Bonn .
the custom of the Staatsanwaltschaft ( Public Prosecutor's
 Office ) and to the Staatsanwalt's own usual practice ?
                                                                        The applicant claims that the Court should :
                                                                        — declare void Article 1 ( 1 ) of Commission Regulation
                                                                            ( EC ) No 1 107/96 of 12 June 1996 on the registration of
Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Finanzgericht                   geographical indications and designations of origin
Diisseldorf made by order of that court of 14 August 1996                   under the procedure laid down in Article 17 of Council
in the case of Goritz Intransco International GmbH v.                       Regulation ( EEC) No 2081 /92 (') in so far as it is laid
                     Hauptzollamt Diisseldorf                               down in the Annex thereto that for cheeses from Greece
                          ( Case C-292/96 )                                 the designation ' feta ' is to be registered as a protected
                                                                            designation of origin (PDO ) in the 'Register of protected
                             96/C 318/ 10 )
                                                                            designations of origin and protected geographical
                                                                            indications' maintained by the Commission,
Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the
European Communities by order of the Fourth Senate of the
Finanzgericht ( Finance Court ) Diisseldorf of 14 August               — order the defendant to pay the costs of the
 1996 , which was received at the Court Registry on                         proceedings.
4 September 1996 , for a preliminary ruling in the case of
Goritz Intransco International GmbH v. Hauptzollamt
( Principal Customs Office ) Diisseldorf on the following
questions :                                                            Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support
 1 . Is Article 76 ( 1 ) of Council Regulation ( EEC )
      No 2913/92 establishing the Community Customs                    The designation 'feta' does not constitute a designation of
      Code ( 1 ), in conjunction with Article 398 et seq. of            origin within the meaning of Article 2 ( 3 ) of Council
      Commission Regulation (EEC ) No 2454/93 laying                   Regulation (EEC ) No 2081 /92 (2 ). ' Feta ' is not a
      down provisions for the implementation of Council                geographical name . Nor is it a traditional name designating
      Regulation ( EEC ) No 2913/92 establishing the                   an agricultural product or foodstuff originating in a specific
      Community Customs Code ( 2 ), the legal basis for grant          region or place; cheeses marketed under the name ' feta ' have
      of 'authorized consignor' status, or is such                      been produced for a long time in numerous countries
      authorization, pursuant to Article 76 ( 4 ) of Regulation        outside Greece, for example Denmark, Germany, France ,
      ( EEC ) No 2913/92, to be based only on the said                 the Balkans, Iran and the USA. Moreover, feta cheeses are
      Article 398 et seq.}                                             not products, the quality or characteristics of which are
                                                                       essentially or exclusively due to a particular geographical
2 . Does Article 398 of Regulation ( EEC ) No 2454/93                  environment with its inherent natural and human factors
      preclude authorization as an 'authorized consignor'              and the production, processing and preparation of which
      where, as a result of goods having already been                  take place in a defined geographical area . According to the
      presented to customs, the exemption from the                     specification submitted by the competent Greek body, the
      obligation to present them is no longer possible ?               administrative district of Lesbos is the only possible area of
                                                                       origin in the Aegean Sea ; pursuant to Regulation ( EEC )
(') OJ No L 302 , 19 . 10 . 1992 , p . 1 .                             No 2019/93 ( 3 ) Community law provides for aid for the
( 2 ) OJ No L 253 , 11 . 10 . 1993 , p . 1 .                           production of feta on such islands as are not referred to in
                                                                       the abovementioned specification . The Federal Government
                                                                       takes the view that ' feta ' is a generic name which by virtue of
                                                                       Article 17 ( 2 ), third sentence, of Regulation No 2081/92
 ---pagebreak--- 26 . 10 . 96         I EN 1                     Official Journal of the European Communities                                 No C 318/7
may not be added to the ' Register of protected                            service in Luxembourg at the office of Carlos Gomez de la
designations'.                                                             Cruz, Wagner Centre, Kirchberg.
(') OJ No L 148 , 21 . 6 . 1996 , p . 1 .                                  The applicant claims that the Court should:
( 2 ) OJ No L 208 , 24 . 7 . 1992 , p . 1 .
(•') OJ No L 184, 27 . 7. 1993 , p . 1 .                                   — declare that, by not adopting within the prescribed
                                                                                 period the laws, regulations and administrative
                                                                                 provisions necessary to comply with Council Directive
                                                                                 93/76/EEC of 13 September 1993 to limit carbon
                                                                                 dioxide emissions by improving energy efficiency
Action brought on 9 September 1996 by the Commission of                          ( SAVE )( 1 ) and, in any event, by not communicating
the European Communities against the Kingdom of                                  those measures to the Commission, the Kingdom of
                                  Belgium                                        Belgium has failed to fulfil its obligations under that
                                                                                 Directive,
                            Case C-294/96 )
                             ( 96/C 318/ 12 )                              — order the Kingdom of Belgium to pay the costs .
An action against the Kingdom of Belgium was brought                       Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support
before the Court of Justice of the European Communities on
9 September 1996 by the Commission of the European                         The pleas in law and main arguments are analogous to those
Communities, represented by Hendrik van Lier and                           put forward in Case C-294/96 ( 2 ); the period prescribed by
                                                                           the Directive expired on 31 December 1994 .
Jean-Francis Pasquier, acting as Agents, with an address for
service in Luxembourg at the office of Carlos Gomez de la
                                                                           (') OJ No L 237, 22 . 9 . 1993 , p. 28 .
Cruz, of the Commission's Legal Service, Wagner Centre,                    ( 2 ) See page 7 of this ed . Official Journal .
Kirchberg.
The applicant claims that the Court should :
— declare that the Kingdom of Belgium has failed to fulfil
      its obligations under the EC Treaty by not adopting                  Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Pretura
      within the prescribed period the laws, regulations and               Circondariale di Roma — Sezione Distaccata di Tivoli — by
      administrative provisions necessary to comply with                   order of that court of 9 June 1995 in the criminal
      Council Directive 93/42/EEC of 14 June 1993                                       proceedings against Giancarlo Pezzola
      concerning medical devices ('),                                                                ( Case C-296/96 )
                                                                                                        ( 96/C 318/ 14 )
— order the Kingdom of Belgium to pay the costs .
                                                                           Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the
Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support                         European Communities by order of the Pretura
                                                                           Circondariale di Roma — Sezione Distaccata di Tivoli
The binding character of the third paragraph of Article 189                ( Rome District Magistrates' Court — Tivoli Division ) of
of the EC Treaty places Member States to whom Directives                   9 June 1995 , which was received at the Court Registry on
are addressed under an obligation to adopt the measures                    9 September 1996 , for a preliminary ruling in the criminal
necessary to comply with those Directives within the time                  proceedings against Giancarlo Pezzola on questions
limits set therein for their implementation. In the present                identical to those submitted in Joined Cases C-58/95 and
case, when the period prescribed by Directive 93/42/EEC                    C-75/95 ( 1 ).
expired on 1 July 1994 , the Kingdom of Belgium had not
adopted the necessary measures .                                           (') See OJ No C 119 , 13 . 5 . 1995 , p . 6 .
 (') OJ No L 169 , 12 . 7 . 1993 , p . 1 .
                                                                           Reference for a preliminary ruling by a Social Security
                                                                           Commissioner, by Decision of 2 September 1996, in the case
Action brought on 9 September 1996 by the Commission of                    of Mrs Vera A. Partridge against the Adjudication
the European Communities against the Kingdom of                                                              Officer
                                  Belgium                                                            ( Case C-297/96 )
                            Case C-295 /96
                                                                                                        ( 96/C 318/15 )
                              ( 96/C 318 / 13 )
                                                                           Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the
An action against the Kingdom of Belgium was brought                       European Communities by decision of a Social Security
 before the Court of Justice of the European Communities on                 Commissioner, of 2 September 1996 , which was received at
 9 September 1996 by the Commission of the European                        the Court Registry on 1 1 September 1996 , for a preliminary
 Communities, represented by Hendrik van Lier and                          ruling in the case of Mrs Vera A. Partridge against the
Jean-Francis Pasquier, acting as Agents, with an address for               Adjudication Officer, on the following question :