Chapter 3 Flashcards
What are non fiscal barriers?
Article 34
Article 35
(Article 36)
Bans, Quotas
What is Article 34?
‘Quantitative restrictions on imports and all measures having equivalent effect shall be prohibited between Member States’
To whom is Article 34 applied to
Member States
And Quasi public bodies
- R v Royal Pharmaceutical Society of GB
Not purely private bodes and individuals
What happened in R v Royal Pharmaceutical Society of GB
> Article 34 was applied to measures adopted by the body responsible for regulating the pharmaceutical profession in the UK.
Measures adopted by professional bodies, such as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, on which a Member State has conferred regulatory powers may fall under the scope of Article 34.
When can a MS be in breach of their duties under Article 34?
> if they get a private company to do things
Commission v Ireland - Buy Irish
MS cannot circumvent their obligations under Article 34 TFEU
Campaign to promote Irish goods launched by the Irish government
Irish gvt created irish Goods Council - the Irish government could not rely on the fact that the campaign was conducted by a private company in order to escape any liability
Failure to take the appropriate measures
Commission v France - Spanish Strawberries
MS will be in breach of its obligations under Article 34 where it has failed to take necessary measures to prevent the free movement of goods being obstructed by private individuals.
For over a decade, the French authorities had failed to take adequate measures to prevent French farmers engaging in violent campaigns directed at agricultural products from other Member States such as strawberries from Spain and tomatoes from Belgium.
Eg they were attacking wholesalers and retailers
What are quantative restrictions?
Geddo
> ‘measures which amount to a total or partial restraint … of imports, exports or goods in transit’.
Examples of quantitative restrictions
R v Henn and Darby
- ban on porn
- ban on imports
International Fruit Company NV
- Licensing system that only allows importers to import a specific quantity of a product
What are measures having equivalent effect?
MEQRs cover a wide range of measures that can be regarded as disguised barriers to trade.
Where do MEQRs come from?
Directive 70/50
- distinctly applicable
- indistinctly applicable
Dassonville formula
What is the Dassonville formula?
‘ ‘All trading rules enacted by Member States which are capable of hindering, directly or indirectly, actually or potentially, intra-Community trade are to be considered as measures having an effect equivalent to quantitative restrictions’’
- initially uncertain as to whether indistinct MEQRs applied
What is the caselaw for DISTINCTLY applicable MEQRs?
Firma Denkavit
Dassonville
Buy Irish
Irish souvenirs
What happens in Firma Denkavit?
Distinctly Applied MEQR
a) Imposing additional requirements on imported goods
- milk-based feeding-stuffs could only be imported into West Germany if they satisfied two conditions.
- a certificate confirming that they had undergone a heating process to destroy any salmonellae
- Subject to an inspection by a W Germany institute
What happens in Dassonville?
Belgian law
- needed a certificate of origin issued by the government of the State in which the goods were produced in order to prove the designation’s authenticity.
- Imported Scotch whiskey
- No certificates so forged
CoJ - requirement to obtain certificates of origin for imported goods was an MEQR as the certificates could only be obtained with great difficulty if the goods were not imported directly from the country of origin.
What happened in Buy Irish?
MS cannot circumvent their obligations under Article 34 TFEU
> Campaign to promote Irish goods launched by the Irish government
> Irish gvt created irish Goods Council - the Irish government could not rely on the fact that the campaign was conducted by a private company in order to escape any liability
Distinctly Applicable MEQR
What happened in Irish Souvenirs?
Irish rules required imported jewellery that incorporated motifs suggesting that they were souvenirs from Ireland, such as a shamrock motif, to bear an indication of the country in which it was made and the word ‘foreign’.
Distinctly Applicable MEQR
How has the EU overcome Irish Souvenirs?
Scheme for ensuring that agricultural products and foodstuffs which originated from a particular place or region and are produced there retain the exclusive right to be identified with that place or region. This was first established by Regulation 2081/92 but is now governed by Regulation 1151/2012.
PGI status and PDO status
Cases for Indistinctly Applicable MEQRs?
Cassis de Dijon
Walter Ray
Com v Italy (Cocoa Products)
Cinetheque
Com v Denmark (Beer Cans)
Schmidberger
PreussenElekta
What happened in Cassis de Dijon?
German Law which specified a minimum alcohol level of 25% for fruit liquors
Cassis de Dijon was a blackcurrant fruit liqueur made in France + had alcohol content between 15/20%
France made the arguments of Public Health + Protection of Consumers which were rejected
Principles:
Mutual Recognition
- dual burden
Mandatory Requirements
1) proportionate
2) not arbitrary
Failed
What is Article 36 TFEU
The derogations 6 Grounds > public morality > public policy > public security > protection of health and life of humans, animals or plans > protection of national treasures > protection of industrial and commercial property
Must be
1) proportionate
2) not a disguised restriction
Public Morality cases
Henn and Darby
- porn
Conegate
- love dolls
Public Policy Cases
R v Thompson
- silver coins
1) equivalent ban on silver coins being melted
2) fundamental societal interest
Cullett
Rejected