CELEX: C2006/086/06
Language: en
Date: 2006-04-08 00:00:00
Title: Judgment of the Court (First Chamber) of  26 January 2006  in Case C-514/03 Commission of the European Communities v Kingdom of Spain (Failure to fulfil obligations — Articles 43 EC and 49 EC — Restrictions on the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services — Private security undertakings and services — Conditions — Legal personality — Minimum share capital — Security — Minimum number of staff — Directives 89/48/EEC and 92/51/EEC — Recognition of professional qualifications)

8.4.2006   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 86/4
            
         
      JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
   
   (First Chamber)
   of 26 January 2006
   in Case C-514/03 Commission of the European Communities v Kingdom of Spain (1)
   
   (Failure to fulfil obligations - Articles 43 EC and 49 EC - Restrictions on the freedom of establishment and the freedom to provide services - Private security undertakings and services - Conditions - Legal personality - Minimum share capital - Security - Minimum number of staff - Directives 89/48/EEC and 92/51/EEC - Recognition of professional qualifications)
   (2006/C 86/06)
   Language of the case: Spanish
   In Case C-514/03 Commission of the European Communities (represented by: M. Patakia and L. Escobar Guerrero, Agents) v Kingdom of Spain (represented by: E. Braquehais Conesa, Agent) — action under Article 226 EC for failure to fulfil obligations, brought on 8 December 2003 — the Court (First Chamber), composed of P. Jann, President of the Chamber, K. Schiemann, N. Colneric, J.N. Cunha Rodrigues and E. Levits (Rapporteur), Judges; J. Kokott, Advocate General; R. Grass, Registrar, gave a judgment on 26 January 2006, in which it:
   
               1.
            
            
               Declares that, by maintaining in force provisions of Law No 23/1992 of 30 July 1992 on private security services and Royal Decree No 2364/1994 of 9 December 1994 approving the Regulation on private security services which impose a series of requirements on foreign private security undertakings for the pursuit of their activities in Spain, namely the obligation:
               
                           —
                        
                        
                           to be constituted as legal persons;
                        
                     
                           —
                        
                        
                           to have a specific minimum share capital;
                        
                     
                           —
                        
                        
                           to pay a security to a Spanish body;
                        
                     
                           —
                        
                        
                           to employ a minimum number of workers, insofar as the undertaking in question carries out its activities in fields other than the transport and distribution of explosives;
                        
                     
                           —
                        
                        
                           generally, for members of their staff, to hold a special administrative authorisation issued by the Spanish authorities, and
                           by failing to adopt the provisions necessary to ensure recognition of attestations of professional competence for the pursuit of the activity of private detective, the Kingdom of Spain has failed to fulfil its obligations under, firstly, Articles 43 EC and 49 EC and, secondly, Council Directive 92/51/EEC of 18 June 1992 on a second general system for the recognition of professional education and training to supplement Council Directive 89/48/EEC of 21 December 1988 on a general system for the recognition of higher-education diplomas awarded on completion of professional education and training of at least three years' duration;
                        
                     
         
               2.
            
            
               Dismisses the remainder of the action;
            
         
               3.
            
            
               Orders the Kingdom of Spain to pay three quarters of the costs of the Commission of the European Communities and to bear its own costs;
            
         
               4.
            
            
               Orders the Commission of the European Communities to bear one quarter of its own costs.
            
         
      (1)  OJ C 47, 21.02.2004.