The Dual-Use Regulation lets a Member State stop goods in transit only where they may serve weapons of mass destruction or a military end-use in a country under an arms embargo. Belgian NGOs say the Genocide Convention and the Geneva Conventions oblige Belgium to do more. The Brussels Court of Appeal asks whether the Regulation is valid and whether Article 351 TFEU lets Belgium act anyway.
The recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive makes producers of medicines and cosmetics pay at least 80% of the cost of removing micropollutants from wastewater. The industry's direct actions were dismissed as inadmissible; the Irish High Court has now sent the validity question to Luxembourg, and in Poland's parallel action Advocate General Kokott has proposed that the core of the scheme be annulled.
A Czech customs dispute over suspected imports of Chinese-origin goods turns on two OLAF missions to Taiwan, in 2013 and 2014. The Czech Supreme Administrative Court asks whether OLAF had a legal basis to investigate there, whether its reports are valid, and how much they can prove when their content cannot be verified.
By judgment of 29 May 2018 (ECLI:EU:C:2018:335) the Court ruled, in the words of the operative part: “Examination of the question has not disclosed any issues capable of affecting the validity of Article 4(4) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 of 24…
By judgment of 5 October 2017 (ECLI:EU:C:2017:738) the Court ruled, in the words of the operative part: “Article 22(4) of Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and…
By judgment of 23 January 2018 (ECLI:EU:C:2018:26) the Court held that the European Firearms Pass provisions of the Firearms Directive do not apply to the territory of Gibraltar, as the Directive's travel-facilitation rules concern the free movement of…
By judgment of 27 February 2018 (ECLI:EU:C:2018:118) the Court ruled, in the words of the operative part: “Since neither the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Kingdom of Morocco nor the Protocol between the European…
By judgment of 13 September 2017 (ECLI:EU:C:2017:676) the Court held that Member States may not adopt emergency measures against authorised GMOs such as MON 810 maize unless it is evident that the products are likely to constitute a serious risk to health…
By judgment of 9 June 2016 in the joined Pesce cases (ECLI:EU:C:2016:428) the Court upheld the Commission's Xylella fastidiosa decision: the obligation to remove host plants, including asymptomatic ones, within 100 metres of infected plants is a…
On 12 June 2018 the Court ruled (ECLI:EU:C:2018:423) that a mark consisting of a colour applied to the sole of a shoe is not a sign consisting "exclusively of the shape" within Article 3(1)(e)(iii) of the Trade Marks Directive — the red sole is principally…
By judgment of 20 October 2016 (ECLI:EU:C:2016:790) the Court held that the terms of protection in the Term Directive do not apply to copyright that had been extinguished before 1 July 1995, and that EU law does not preclude national legislation under…
Joined with Tele2 Sverige and decided by Grand Chamber judgment of 21 December 2016 (ECLI:EU:C:2016:970): yes, Digital Rights Ireland's standards bind national regimes — Article 15(1) of the e-Privacy Directive, read with the Charter, precludes general and…
Inside a roll of toilet paper is a cardboard core. Does this internal element form part of the toilet paper’s packaging? It is a question which has stymied the French courts. The answer depends on the word ‘packaging’ which is … Continue reading →
By judgment of 30 June 2016 (ECLI:EU:C:2016:498) the Court found nothing affecting the validity of the poultrymeat labelling requirement: obliging retailers to show the total price and price per unit of weight on prepacked fresh poultry is a proportionate…
By judgment of 19 October 2016 (ECLI:EU:C:2016:776) the Court held that Germany's system of fixed prices for prescription-only medicines, as applied to mail-order pharmacies established in other Member States, is a measure having equivalent effect contrary…
On 21 December 2016 the Grand Chamber ruled in the joined Tele2/Watson cases (ECLI:EU:C:2016:970) that Article 15(1) of the e-Privacy Directive, read with the Charter, precludes national legislation imposing general and indiscriminate retention of traffic…
By Grand Chamber judgment of 28 March 2017 (ECLI:EU:C:2017:236) the Court confirmed its jurisdiction to review the validity of CFSP restrictive measures by preliminary ruling — a constitutional first — and found nothing affecting the validity of the…
On 4 May 2016 the Court upheld the Second Tobacco Products Directive in full (ECLI:EU:C:2016:325): the menthol ban, the labelling and standardisation rules, the leeway for further national packaging measures and the specific e-cigarette regime of Article…
On 6 October 2015 the Grand Chamber declared the Safe Harbour adequacy decision invalid (ECLI:EU:C:2015:650): a regime permitting generalised access by US authorities to transferred data compromised the essence of Article 7 of the Charter, and the absence…
On 6 October 2015 the Grand Chamber declared the Safe Harbour adequacy decision invalid (ECLI:EU:C:2015:650): a regime permitting generalised access by US authorities to transferred data compromised the essence of Article 7 of the Charter, and the absence…
On 17 October 2013 the Court upheld the validity of Regulation 2252/2004 (ECLI:EU:C:2013:670): taking and storing fingerprints in passports interferes with Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter, but the interference is justified by the aim of preventing…
On 8 April 2014 the Grand Chamber declared the Data Retention Directive 2006/24 invalid in its entirety (ECLI:EU:C:2014:238): blanket retention of everyone's traffic and location data, without differentiation, limits or objective access criteria, exceeded…