CELEX: C1997/108/19
Language: en
Date: 1997-04-05 00:00:00
Title: References to the Court for preliminary rulings by the Pretura Circondariale di Trento by orders of 3 February 1997 in the proceedings pending before that court between 1. Epifanio Viscido, 2. Mauro Scandella and Others, and 3. Massimiliano Terragnolo and Others and Ente Poste Italiane (Case C-52/97, C-53/97 and C-54/97)

5 . 4 . 97               EN                       Official Journal of the European Communities                                 No C 108/ 11
6 February 1997 by the Commission of the European                            References to the Court for preliminary rulings by the
Communities, represented by Richard Wainwright,                              Pretura Circondariale di Trento by orders of 3 February
Principal Legal Adviser, acting as Agent, and J. J. Evrard,                   1997 in the proceedings pending before that court
of the Brussels Bar, with an address for service in                          between 1 . Epifanio Viscido, 2. Mauro Scandella and
Luxembourg at the office of Carlos Gomez de la Cruz,                         Others, and 3 . Massimiliano Terragnolo and Others and
Wagner Centre, Kirchberg.                                                                             Ente Poste Italiane
                                                                                            (Case C-52/97, C-53/97 and C-54/97)
                                                                                                           ( 97/C 108/19 )
The applicant claims that the Court should:
                                                                             Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the
                                                                             European Communities by orders of the Pretura Circonda­
                                                                             riale di Trento (Magistrate's Court for the District of
— declare that by maintaining in force two circulars                         Trento ), which was received at the Court Registry on
       allowing the maximum levels for nitrates and                          7 February 1997, for preliminary rulings in the cases of
       pesticides prescribed by Article 7 of Council Directive               1 . Epifanio Viscido, 2 . Mauro Scandella and Others, and
       80/778/EEC of 15 July 1980 relating to the quality of                 3 . Massimiliano Terragnolo and Others and Ente Poste
       water intended for human consumption ( l ) to be                      Italiane, on the following question:
       exceeded, the French Republic has failed to fulfil its
       obligations under that Directive,                                     ( a ) whether a legal provision which relieves a particular
                                                                                   public economic entity from the obligation of
                                                                                   complying with the generally applicable legislation
                                                                                   concerning fixed-term employment contracts falls
— order the French Republic to pay the costs .                                     within the scope of ' aid granted by a Member State or
                                                                                   through State resources in any form whatsoever';
                                                                             ( b ) whether, if question ( a ) is answered in the affirmative,
Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:                                an aid of that kind should be subject to the
                                                                                   preliminary examination procedure under Article 93
                                                                                   ( 3 ) of the Treaty;
Council Directive 80/778/EEC is implemented in French                        (c ) whether, where that procedure has not been followed,
law by, inter alia, Decree No 89-3 of 3 January 1989 on                            the prohibition of an aid of that kind can be regarded
water intended for human consumption other than natural                            as directly applicable within the domestic law of the
mineral waters, as amended by Decrees No 90-330 and                                Italian State;
No 91-257 ( 2). That statutory system is complemented by
two circulars from the Minister for Health and Social                        ( d ) whether, in the event of question (c ) being answered in
Security (Ministre de la solidarité, de la santé et la protec­                     the affirmative, such a prohibition may be relied on in
tion sociale ), addressed to all regional and departmental                         a dispute between the public economic entity and an
prefects ( 3 ). Those circulars are incompatible with the                          individual who complains of failure to apply to him
Directive in that, first, they permit levels of nitrates,                          the general legislation concerning fixed-term
atrazine and simazine which significantly exceed the                               employment in order to secure conversion of his
maximum permissible concentrations laid down by the                                employment relationship into one of indeterminate
Directive. Secondly, the circulars create a situation of legal                     duration and/or compensation for damage .
uncertainty in the conditions for applying Directive 80/
778/EEC in French territory; they imply that the result
required by the Directive has not been and cannot be
achieved, and that neither consumers, nor operators                          Appeal brought on 10 February 1997 by Association Inter­
entrusted with the production or distribution of water for                   nationale des Utilisateurs de Fils de Filaments Artificiels et
human consumption, nor the authorities in charge of                          Synthetiques et de Soie Naturelle (Aiuffass ) and Apparel,
ensuring water quality are able to ascertain the precise                     Knitting & Textiles Alliance (AKT) against the judgment
extent of their respective rights and obligations. Finally,                  delivered on 12 December 1996 by the Fifth Chamber,
the French Government's arguments calling into question                      Extended Composition, of the Court of First Instance of
the policy foundation of the Directive in relation to the                    the European Communities in Case T-3 80/94 between
requirements of public health are both irrelevant as                         Association Internationale des Utilisateurs de Fils de Fila­
regards the obligations imposed by Article 189 of the EC                     ments Artificiels et Synthetiques et de Soie Naturelle ( Aiuf­
Treaty and unfounded in fact.                                                fass ) and Apparel, Knitting & Textiles Alliance (AKT), on
                                                                             the one hand, and Commission of the European
                                                                             Communities, supported by the United Kingdom of Great
(') OJ No L 229 , 30 . 8 . 1980, p. 11 .
                                                                                          Britain and Northern Ireland, on the other
( 2 ) JORF, 4. 1 . 1989, 13 . 4. 1990 and 8 . 3 . 1991 .
(') DSG/PGE/ 1.D. No 717 — triazine content of water intended                                           ( Case C-55/97 P)
      for human consumption; DGS/PGE/1.D. No 1325 — nitrate
                                                                                                           ( 97/C 108/20 )
      content of water intended for human consumption.
                                                                             An appeal against the judgment delivered on 12 December
                                                                              1996 by the Fifth Chamber, Extended Composition, of the