CELEX: C1996/336/21
Language: en
Date: 1996-11-09 00:00:00
Title: JUDGMENT OF THE COURT of 11 July 1996 in Case C-44/95 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the House of Lords): Regina v. Secretary of State for the Environment ex parte: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds supported by Port of Sheerness Limited (Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds - Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of the natural habitats of wild fauna and flora - Delimitation of Special Protection Areas - Discretion enjoyed by the Member States - Economic and social considerations - Lappel Bank)

No C 336/ 12            EN                 Official Journal of the European Communities                                       9 . 11 . 96
updated by Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 2001 /83 of 2 June           Murray, P. Jann and M. Wathelet, Judges; Advocate
1983 ( 2 ), and Article 7 of Council Regulation ( EEC )               General : N. Fennelly; L. Hewlett, Administrator, acting as
No 574/72 of 21 March 1972 laying down the procedure for              Registrar, gave a judgment on 11 July 1996 , the operative
implementing Regulation ( EEC ) No 1408/71 , as amended               part of which is as follows :
and updated by Regulation ( EEC ) No 2001 /83 ( 3 ) — the
Court ( Fifth Chamber ), composed of D. A. O. Edward ,                1 . Article 4 (1 ) or (2) of Council Directive 79/409/EEC of
President of the Chamber, J. -P. Puissochet, J. C. Moitinho                  2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild birds is to be
de Almeida ( Rapporteur ), C. Gulmann and P. Jann , Judges,                  interpreted as meaning that a Member State is not
Advocate-General : D. Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer, Registrar: H.                     authorized to take account of the economic
von Holstein, Deputy Registrar, gave a judgment on 11 July                   requirements mentioned in Article 2 thereof when
1996 , the operative part of which is as follows :                           designating a Special Protection Area and defining its
                                                                             boundaries.
Article 4 ( I ) and (2) of Council Regulation (EEC)
No 1408/71 of 14 June 1971 on the application of social               2 . Article 4 (1 ) or (2) of Directive 79/409/EEC is to be
security schemes to employed persons, to self-employed                       interpreted as meaning that a Member State may not,
persons and to members of their families moving within the                   when designating a Special Protection Area and defining
Community, as amended and updated by Council                                 is boundaries, take account ofeconomic requirements as
Regulation (EEC) No 2001 /83 of 2 june 1983 , must be                        constituting a general interest superior to that
interpreted as not applying to benefits which, like those                    represented by the ecological objective of that
provided for by the 1971 and 1988 guidelines on the                          directive.
granting of the adaptation allowance to employees in the
coal-mining industry, are granted by a Member State in the            3 . Article 4 (1 ) or (2) of Directive 79/409/EEC is to be
form of non-compulsory subsidies to workers from the time                    interpreted as meaning that a Member State may not,
at which they are laid off to the time at which they attain                  when designating a Special Protection Area and defining
retirement age.                                                              its boundaries, take account of economic requirements
                                                                             which may constitute imperative reasons of overriding
(') OJ No C 87, 8 . 4.1995 .                                                 public interest of the kind referred to in Article 6 (4) of
( 2 ) OJ No L 230, 1983 , p . 6 .                                            Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the
(■') OJ No L 230, 1983 , p . 86 .                                            conservation of the natural habitats of wild fauna and
                                                                             flora.
                                                                      (') OJ No C 101 , 22 . 4 . 1995 .
                                                                      ( 2 ) OJ No L 103 , 1979 , p . 1 .
                  JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
                          of 11 July 1996
in Case C-44/95 ( reference for a preliminary ruling from the
House of Lords ): Regina v. Secretary of State for the                                  JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
Environment ex parte : Royal Society for the Protection of                                       ( Fifth Chamber)
       Birds supported by Port of Sheerness Limited ( J )
                                                                                                  of 11 July 1996
 (Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds —
Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of the natural                in Case C-303/95 : Commission of the European Commu­
habitats of wild fauna and flora — Delimitation of Special                                 nities v. Italian Republic (')
Protection Areas — Discretion enjoyed by the Member                        (Failure to fulfil obligations — Directive 91/157/EEC)
States — Economic and social considerations — Lappel                                               ( 96/C 336/22 )
                                Bank)
                           ( 96/C 336/21 )                                               (Language of the case: Italian)
                   (Language of the case: English)                    (Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be
                                                                                  published in the European Court Reports)
In Case C-44/95 : reference to the Court pursuant to
Article 177 of the EC Treaty by the House of Lords for a              In Case C-303/95 : Commission of the European
preliminary ruling in the proceedings pending before that             Communities ( Agents: Laura Pignataro and Maria
court in the case of Regina v. Secretary of State for the             Kontou-Durande ) v. Italian Republic ( Agents : Umberto
Environment, ex parte: Royal Society for the Protection of            Leanza , assisted by Oscar Fiumara ) — application for a
 Birds supported by Port of Sheerness Limited, on the                 declaration by the Court that, by not adopting the laws,
 interpretation of Articles 2 and 4 of Council Directive              regulations and administrative provisions necessary to
 79/409/EEC of 2 April 1979 on the conservation of wild               comply with Council Directive 91 / 157/EEC of 18 March
 birds ( 2 ), the Court composed of: G. C. Rodriguez Iglesias,         1991 on batteries and accumulators containing certain
President, D. A. O. Edward, J. -P. Puissochet, G. Hirsch              dangerous substances ( 2 ), or at least by failing to inform the
 ( Presidents of Chambers ), G. F. Mancini, J. C. Moitinho de         Commission of those provisions, the Italian Republic has
Almeida , P. J. G. Kaptevn, C. Gulmann ( Rapporteur ), J. L.          failed to fulfil its obligations under that Directive — the