CELEX: C1997/199/26
Language: en
Date: 1997-06-28 00:00:00
Title: Action brought on 2 May 1997 by the Commission of the European Communities against SIVU du Plan d'Eau de la Vallée du Lot and Sàrl Hydro-Réalisations (Case C-172/97)

28 . 6 . 97            EN                    Official Journal of the European Communities                               No C 199/ 13
— in the alternative, declare that, by not informing                    Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:
     the Commission forthwith of such measures, the
     Portuguese Republic has failed to fulfil its obligations           The mandatory nature of the provisions of the third
     under the abovementioned provisions,                               paragraph of Article 189 and the first paragraph of
                                                                        Article 5 of the EC Treaty requires Member States to
                                                                        adopt the measures necessary to transpose directives
— order the Portuguese Republic to pay the costs.                       addressed to them into their domestic law before the
                                                                        expiry of the period prescribed for doing so and forthwith
Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:                     to inform the Commission thereof. That period, which is
                                                                        laid down in Article 2 of the Directive, expired on
                                                                        1 January 1992 without the Portuguese Republic having
The mandatory nature of the provisions of the third                     brought into force the necessary provisions.
paragraph of Article 189 and the first paragraph of
Article 5 of the EC Treaty requires Member States to                    (') OJ No L 373 , 31 . 12 . 1990 , p . 15 .
adopt the measures necessary to transpose directives                    (2 ) OJ No L 317, 6 . 11 . 1981 , p . 1 .
addressed to them into their domestic law before the
expiry of the period prescribed for doing so and forthwith
to inform the Commission thereof. That period, which is
laid down in Article 15 of the Directive, expired on 23 July
1993 without the Portuguese Republic having brought
into force the necessary provisions .                                   Action brought on 2 May 1997 by the Commission of the
                                                                        European Communities against SIVU du Plan d'Eau de la
0 ) OJ No L 228 , 17. 8 . 1991 , p . 70 .                                          Vallée du Lot and Sàrl Hydro-Réalisations
                                                                                                  ( Case C-l 72/97)
                                                                                                    ( 97/C 199/26 )
                                                                        An action against the SIVU du Plan d'Eau de la Vallee du
                                                                        Lot and Sari Hydro-Realisations was brought before the
Action brought on 2 May 1997 by the Commission of the                   Court of Justice of the European Communities on 2 May
  European Communities against the Portuguese Republic                  1997 by the Commission of the European Communities,
                         ( Case C-171 /97 )                             represented by Richard B. Wainwright, Principal Legal
                                                                        Adviser, and Jean-Francis Pasquier, an national civil
                           ( 97/C 199/25 )                              servant on secondment to the Legal Service , acting as
                                                                        Agents, assisted by Nicole Coutrelis and Stephanie Ponsot,
                                                                        lawyers, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the
An action against the Portuguese Republic was brought                   office of Carlos Gomez de la Cruz, Wagner Centre,
before the Court of Justice of the European Communities                 Kirchberg.
on 2 May 1997 by the Commission of the European
Communities, represented by Francisco de Sousa Fialho,                  The Commission of the European Communities claims
of its Legal Service, acting as Agent, with an address for              that the Court should :
service in Luxembourg at the office of Carlos Gomez de la
Cruz, of its Legal Service, Wagner Centre, Kirchberg.                   — order the SIVU and Sari Hydro-Realisations to pay to
                                                                              it the sum of ECU 83 928 ( eighty three thousand nine
The applicant claims that the Court should:                                   hundred and twenty eight ecus ) together with the
                                                                              interest due thereon from 17 January 1991 , calculated
                                                                              at the rate applied by the EMCF in relation to its
— declare that, by failing to adopt the laws, regulations                     transactions in ecus, as published on the first working
      or administrative provisions necessary to comply with                   day of each month, and, in addition, statutory default
      Council Directive 90/676/EEC ( 1 ) of 13 December                       interest from 28 February 1993 ,
      1990 amending Directive 81 /851 /EEC on the
      approximation of the laws of the Member States                    — order the SIVU and Sari Hydro-Realisations to pay the
      relating to veterinary medicinal products ( 2 ), the                    costs .
      Portuguese Republic has failed to fulfil its obligations
      under the third paragraph of Article 189 of the EC                Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:
      Treaty and Article 2 of Directive 90/676/EEC,
                                                                         On 6 December            1990, in the context of Council
— in the alternative, declare that, by not informing the                 Regulation ( EEC ) No 3640/85 of 20 December 1985 on
      Commission      forthwith       of   such   measures,    the      the promotion, by financial support, of demonstration
      Portuguese Republic has failed to fulfil its obligations           projects and industrial pilot projects in the energy field ( 1 ),
      under the abovementioned provisions,                               the Commission concluded with the SIVU du Pays d'Ac­
                                                                         ceuil de la Vallee du Lot and Sari Hydro-Realisations,
                                                                         acting jointly and severally, a contract providing for the
— order the Portuguese Republic to pay the costs .                       grant of financial support by the Community for the
 ---pagebreak---  No C 199/ 14         EN                     Official Journal of the European Communities                                      28 . 6 . 97
 project entitled 'Plan d'Eau sur le Lot — Integration d'une             paragraph of Article 5 of the Treaty, the Member States
 microcentrale hydroelectrique basse chute dans le seuil '               are to take all appropriate measures, whether general or
 (Stretch of water on the River Lot — Incorporation in the               particular, to ensure fulfilment of the obligations arising
 barrage weir of a small low-head hydro-electric power                   out of the Treaty or resulting from action taken by the
 station ).                                                              institutions of the Community.
 On 17 January 1991 an advance payment of ECU 83 928                     The Commission notes that the Hellenic Republic has not
was made to the said contracting parties .                               yet taken the appropriate measures to transpose the
                                                                         Directive in question fully into the Greek legal system .
Thereafter, the project was modified and the construction
                                                                         (') OJ No L 375 , 31 . 12 . 1991 , p . 1 .
of a small hydro-electric power station was abandoned . By
letter of 6 November 1992, the SIVU stated that the
financial support of the Community was no longer needed
and, by letter of 18 November 1992, the Commission
terminated the contract and demanded repayment of the
sum advanced .
                                                                        Appeal brought on 5 May 1997 by Fédération Française
The Commission has been unsuccessful in the steps which                 des Sociétés d'Assurances (FFSA), Union des Sociétés
it has taken since then to secure the said repayment.                  Etrangères d'Assurances ( USEA), Groupe des Assurances
                                                                       Mutuelles Agricoles ( Groupama), Fédération Nationale
                                                                        des Syndicats d'Agents Généraux d'Assurances (FNSAGA),
(■) OJ No L 350, 27. 12 . 1985 , p . 29 .                              Fédération Française des Courtiers d'Assurance et de Réas­
                                                                        surances ( FCA) and Bureau International des Producteurs
                                                                       d'Assurances et de Réassurances (BIPAR ) against the
                                                                       judgment delivered on 27 February 1997 by the Third
                                                                       Chamber, Extended Composition, of the Court of First
                                                                       Instance of the European Communities in Case T-l 06/95
Action brought on 5 May 1997 by the Commission of the                  between the Fédération Française des Sociétés d'Assuran­
    European Communities against the Hellenic Republic                 ces ( FFSA), Union des Sociétés Etrangères d'Assurances
                                                                        ( USEA), Groupe des Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles
                       ( Case C-173/97
                                                                       ( Groupama), Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d'Agents
                         ( 97/C 199/27)                                Généraux d'Assurances (FNSAGA), Fédération Française
                                                                       des Courtiers d'Assurance et de Réassurances (FCA ) and
                                                                       Bureau International des Producteurs d'Assurances et de
An action against the Hellenic Republic was brought                    Réassurances       (BIPAR)       and     the Commission  of the
before the Court of Justice on 5 May 1997 by the                       European Communities, supported by the French Republic
Commission of the European Communities, represented                                                   and La Poste
by Maria-Kondou-Durande, of its Legal Service, with an                                          ( Case C-l 74/97 P)
address for service in Luxembourg at the office of Carlos
Gomez de la Cruz, also of the Commission's Legal                                                    ( 97/C 199/28 )
Service, Wagner Centre, Kirchberg.
                                                                       An appeal against the judgment delivered on 27 February
The applicant claims that the Court should:                            1997 by the Third Chamber, Extended Composition, of
                                                                       the Court of First Instance of the European Communities
— declare that, by failing to adopt within the period                  in Case T-106/95 between Fédération Française des Socié­
     prescribed the laws, regulations and administrative               tés d'Assurances (FFSA), Union des Sociétés Etrangères
                                                                       d'Assurances ( USEA ), Groupe des Assurances Mutuelles
     provisions necessary to comply fully with Council
     Directive   91 /676/EEC        of    12  December      1991       Agricoles ( Groupama ), Fédération Nationale des Syndicats
                                                                       d'Agents Généraux d'Assurances ( FNSAGA ), Fédération
     concerning the protection of waters against pollution
                                                                       Française des Courtiers d'Assurance et de Réassurances
     caused by nitrates from agricultural sources (') and to
                                                                       ( FCA) and Bureau International des Producteurs d'Assu­
     identify vulnerable zones on its territory, the Hellenic
                                                                       rances et de Réassurances ( BIPAR) and the Commission of
     Republic has failed to fulfil its obligations under the
     EC Treaty and that Directive,                                     the European Communities was brought before the Court
                                                                       of Justice of the European Communities on 5 May 1997
                                                                       by Fédération Française des Sociétés d'Assurances ( FFSA ),
— order the Hellenic Republic to pay the costs.                        Union Syndicale des Sociétés Etrangères d'Assurances
                                                                       ( USEA ), Groupe des Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles
Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:                    ( Groupama ), Fédération des Syndicats d'Agents Généraux
                                                                       d'Assurances (FNSAGA ), Fédération Française des Cour­
                                                                       tiers d'Assurance et des Réassurances (FCA) and Bureau
Under the third paragraph of Article 189 of the Treaty                 International des Producteurs d'Assurance et de Réassu­
establishing the European Community, a directive is to be              rances ( BIPAR), represented by Dominique Voillemot,
binding, as to the result to be achieved, upon each                    with an address for service in Luxembourg at the
Member State to which it is addressed . Under the first                Chambers of Jacques Loesch, 11 rue Goethe .