CELEX: C1998/041/21
Language: en
Date: 1998-02-07 00:00:00
Title: Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Oberster Gerichtshof by order of that court of 22 October 1997 in the case of Landesgrundverkehrsreferent der Tiroler Landesregierung v. (1) Adolf Sparber, (2) Atelier Delta Entwurf- und Planungsgesellschaft mbH in liquidation, (3) Hans-Eberhard Junkersdorf and (4) Maria-Margareta Junkersdorf (Case C-407/97)

7.2.98                EN                Official Journal of the European Communities                                   C 41/11
3. If so:                                                          Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Oberster
                                                                   Gerichtshof by order of that court of 22 October 1997 in
                                                                   the case of Landesgrundverkehrsreferent der Tiroler
    Should Article 522 in conjunction with Article 526(4)          Landesregierung v. (1) Adolf Sparber, (2) Atelier Delta
    of the Provisions implementing the Community                   Entwurf- und Planungsgesellschaft mbH in liquidation, (3)
    Customs Code, in the versions enacted by Article 1,            Hans-Eberhard Junkersdorf and (4) Maria-Margareta
    points 16 and 18, of Commission Regulation (EC)                                          Junkersdorf
    No 3254/94 of 19 December 1994 (OJ L 346,
    31.12.1994, p. 1), also be applied to customs                                         (Case C-407/97)
    declarations before 7 January 1995?                                                     (98/C 41/21)
                                                                   Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the
                                                                   European Communities by an order of the Oberster
                                                                   Gerichtshof (Supreme Court), Austria, of 22 October
                                                                   1997, which was received at the Court Registry on
Action brought on 4 December 1997 by the Commission                5 December 1997, for a preliminary ruling in the case of
of the European Communities against the Grand Duchy of             Landesgrundverkehrsreferent der Tiroler Landesregierung
                         Luxembourg                                v. (1) Adolf Sparber, (2) Atelier Delta Entwurf- und
                       (Case C-406/97)                             Planungsgesellschaft mbH in liquidation, (3) Hans-
                                                                   Eberhard      Junkersdorf      and   (4)  Maria-Margareta
                         (98/C 41/20)                              Junkersdorf on the following question:
An action against the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was                Is Article 70 of the Act concerning the conditions of
brought before the Court of Justice of the European                accession of the Republic of Austria, the Republic of
Communities on 4 December 1997 by the Commission of                Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden and the adjustments
the European Communities, represented by Michel Nolin,             to the Treaties on which the European Union is
of its Legal Service, acting as Agent, with an address for         founded (1), which provides that notwithstanding the
service in Luxembourg at the office of Carlos Gómez de la          obligations under the treaties on which the European
Cruz, of its Legal Service, Wagner Centre, Kirchberg.              Union is founded the Republic of Austria may maintain its
                                                                   existing legislation regarding secondary residences for five
                                                                   years from the date of accession (1 January 1995), to be
The applicant claims that the Court should:                        interpreted as meaning that the transitional provisions
                                                                   in paragraph 40(2) and (5) of the Tiroler
                                                                   Grundverkehrsgesetz 1996 (Landesgesetzblatt für Tirol
Ð declare that, by failing to adopt and bring into force           No 61/1996), which entered into force on 1 October
    within the prescribed period the laws, regulations or          1996, fall within the definition of existing legislation, or
    administrative provisions necessary to comply with             are those provisions to be regarded as new legislation
    Council Directive 93/7/EEC of 15 March 1993 on the             if, as a result of decisions of the Austrian
    return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the         Verfassungsgerichtshof, the provisions of previous Tyrol
    territory of a Member State (1), or by failing to inform       laws on the sale of land were not applicable in the present
    the Commission thereof, the Grand Duchy of                     case?
    Luxembourg has failed to fulfil its obligations under
    that Directive,
                                                                   (1) OJ C 241, 29.8.1994, p. 1.
Ð order the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to pay the
    costs.
Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:
                                                                   Action brought on 5 December 1997 by the Commission
                                                                   of the European Communities against the Grand Duchy of
The mandatory nature of the provisions of the third                                         Luxembourg
paragraph of Article 189 of the EC Treaty requires
                                                                                          (Case C-409/97)
Member States to adopt the measures necessary to
transpose directives addressed to them into their domestic                                  (98/C 41/22)
law before the expiry of the period prescribed for doing
so. In the present case, that period expired on
15 December 1993 without the Grand Duchy of                        An action against the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was
Luxembourg having brought into force the necessary                 brought before the Court of Justice of the European
provisions.                                                        Communities on 5 December 1997 by the Commission of
                                                                   the European Communities, represented by Marie
                                                                   Wolfcarius, of its Legal Service, acting as Agent, with an
(1) OJ L 74, 27.3.1993, p. 74.
                                                                   address for service in Luxembourg at the office of Carlos
                                                                   Gómez de la Cruz, of its Legal Service, Wagner Centre,
                                                                   Kirchberg.