CELEX: C2000/163/36
Language: en
Date: 2000-06-10 00:00:00
Title: Case C-131/00: Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Länsrätten i Norrbottens Län of 28 March 2000 in the case of Ingemar Nilsson against Länsstyrelsen Norrbottens Län

C 163/20                 EN                    Official Journal of the European Communities                                      10.6.2000
Pleas in law and main arguments                                           Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Employment
                                                                          Appeal Tribunal, United Kingdom, by order of that court
                                                                          of 7 April 2000, in the case of Mrs J.R. Bowden, Mrs J.L.
The pleas in law and main arguments are the same as in                    Chapman and Mrs J.J. Doyle against Tuffnells Parcels
Case C-105/00 (2); the period for implementation expired on                                          Express Ltd
13 October 1998.
                                                                                                   (Case C-133/00)
(1) OJ L 328 of 28 November 1997, p. 1.
(2) See p. 10 of this Official Journal.                                                            (2000/C 163/37)
                                                                          Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the
                                                                          European Communities by an order of the Employment
                                                                          Appeal Tribunal, United Kingdom, of 7 April 2000, which
                                                                          was received at the Court Registry on 10 April 2000, for a
                                                                          preliminary ruling in the case of Mrs J.R. Bowden, Mrs J.L.
                                                                          Chapman and Mrs J.J. Doyle against Tuffnells Parcels Express
                                                                          Ltd, on the following questions:
                                                                          1. Given that the informed view of responsible bodies that
Reference for a preliminary ruling by the Länsrätten i                        amendment is needed if a legislative provision is to achieve
Norrbottens Län of 28 March 2000 in the case of Ingemar                       a certain effect is likely to be consistent only with a view
        Nilsson against Länsstyrelsen Norrbottens Län                         that the provision, before amendment, does not have that
                                                                              effect, and given also the previously expressed views of the
                                                                              ESC, the European Parliament, the Commission and the
                           (Case C-131/00)                                    Council’s Common Position Paper on the subject of the
                                                                              exceptions to Article 1.3 of Directive 93/104/EEC(1)
                                                                              suggesting that, as yet, there is an exception from the
                           (2000/C 163/36)                                    benefits of the Directive of all who work in the road
                                                                              transport sector of activity but that such an exception has
                                                                              been and is entirely unjustified, how far, if at all, are we
Reference has been made to the Court of Justice of the                        enabled to infer from such non-legislative materials either
European Communities by order of the Länsrätten i Norrbot-                    that:
tens Län of 28 March 2000, received at the Court Registry on
6 April 2000, for a preliminary ruling in the case of Ingemar
                                                                              (a) as yet the proper construction of the wording of Article
Nilsson against Länsstyrelsen i Norrbottens Län on the follow-
                                                                                  1.3 is one which excludes all such persons, or
ing question:
                                                                              (b) that such a reading would not represent a just and
With reference to Article 5 of Council Regulation (EEC) No                        purposive construction of the Article?
3508/92 (1), the Court of Justice is requested to give a
preliminary ruling on the question whether that article is to be
understood as meaning that entitlement to aid is excluded                 2. Whatever the conclusion is to Question 1, if, in the course
where notes have not been made in the animal keeper’s register                of our task of interpreting our national laws in the light of
(stall journal) (2).                                                          the wording and purpose of the Directive, we encounter
                                                                              what we take to be a broad purpose (‘every worker in the
                                                                              European Community will have a right to … annual paid
                                                                              leave’) but also, given no less prominence in the very same
(1) Council Regulation (EEC) No 3508/92 of 27 November 1992                   provision, a wording (‘shall apply to all sectors of activity
    establishing an integrated administration and control system for          ... with the exception of .... road .... transport’) which
    certain Community aid schemes (OJ 1992 L 355, p. 1).                      appears to be significantly destructive of that broad
(2) Kept in accordance with Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC)              purpose, at all events on the facts before us, are we entitled
    No 820/97 of 21 April 1997, establishing a system for the                 (and if so, by reference to what principles) to apply our
    identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding           national laws to the facts of the particular case before us
    the labelling of beef products (OJ 1997 L 117, p. 1) and the State        so as to give effect to that broad purpose notwithstanding
    Agricultural Board’s rules (SJVFS 1994:190) on the marking and
                                                                              the clarity of the wording appearing to exclude that
    registration of animals.
                                                                              purpose on such facts?
                                                                          3. To raise similar issues in a less abstract way, are all workers
                                                                              employed in the road transport sector of activity referred
                                                                              to in Article 1.3 necessarily excluded from the scope of
                                                                              Directive 93/104?