Opinion of Mr Advocate General Lenz delivered on 14 May 1985

1 Translated from the German.

2 Official Journal, English Special Edition 1971 (1), p. 257.

3 Official Journal 1975, L 282, p. 1.

4 Judgment of 25 May 1978, Joined Cases 83 and 94/76, 4, 15 and 40/77 Bayerische HNL and Others v Council and Commission [1978] ECR 1209, p. 1224.

5 The first to be affected were the new-Member States, by Regulation No 222/73 (Official Journal 1973, L 27, p. 4); then the Netherlands, by Regulation No 2958/73 (Official Journal 1973, L 303, p. 1); and finally all Member States, by Regulation No 475/75 (Official Journal 1975, L 52, p. 28).

6 Official Journal 1973, L 114, p. 4.

7 That applies to currencies which floated together but which inter se kept within a maximum spread of 2.25 %. The arrangements for completely freely floating currencies was somewhat more complicated; see Article 2 (1) of Regulation No 974/71 as amended by Regulation No 1112/73.

8 See P. Gilsdorf, Der Währungsausgleich aus rechtlicher Sicht, Cologne 1978, p. 22 et seq., the author considers that monetary compensatory amounts have ceased to be provisional measures for preventing currency-related upheavals, and describes them as virtually a component of the common organization of markets.

9 Judgment of 21 February 1979, Case 138/78 Stalling v Hauptzollamt Hamburg-Jonas [1979] ECR 713, p. 723 ei seq.

10 Official Journal 1978, L 171, p. 19.

11 Official Journal 1975, L 282, p. 19.

12 Official Journal, 1980, L 114, p. 22.

13 O. Gottsmann, Der Gemeinsame Agrarmarkl, Section 111 A 3, p. 4.

14 Judgment of 6 October 1982, Case 302/81 Alfred Eggen & Co. v Hauptzotlamt A'ane/[1982] ECR 3443.

15 Third subparagraph of Article 2 (1) of Regulation No 974/71 as amended by Council Regulation (EEC) No 855/84 of 31 March 1984 on the calculation and the dismantlement of the monetary compensatory amounts applying to certain agricultural products (Official Journal 1984, L 90, p. 1).

16 See Regulation No 641/71 of the Commission of 26 March 1971, Journal Officiel 1971, L 73, p. 10.

17 Official Journal 1978, L 178, p. 65.

18 Official Journal 1983, L 199, p. 11.

19 Official Journal 1984, L 90, p. 1.

20 See judgment of 15 October 1980, Case 4/79 Société Cooperative Providence Agricole de la Champagne v OWC [1980] ECR 2823, p. 2845 et seq.

21 Judgment of 6 December 1984, Case 59/83 SA Biovilac BV v Commission [1984] ECR 4057, paragraph 16 of the Decision.

22 See judgment of 20 October 1977, Case 29/77 Roquette v France [1977] ECR 1835, p. 1842.

23 Judgment of 24 October 1973, Case 43/72 Merkur-Außenhandels-GmbH v Commission [1973] ECR 1055, p. 1073.

24 See judgment of 25 May 1978, Joined Cases 83 and 94/76, 4, 15 and 40/77 Bayerische HNL Vermehmngsbetriebe GmbH & Co. KG and Others v Council and Commission of the European Communities [1978] ECR 1209, p. 1224: it was common ground that the Community institutions had acted illegally.

25 Comparable calculations at other points within the fiveyear period produce comparable results.

26 Official Journal 1979, L 84, p. 1.

27 Regulation No 1626/83, Official Journal 1983, L 160, p. 6.

28 Regulation No 1223/83, Official Journal 1983, L 132, p. 33.

29 Official Journal 1983, C 298, p. 1.

30 Regulation No 1599/83, Official Journal 1983, L 163, p. 55.

31 Regulation No 3032/83, Official Journal 1983, L 300, p. 1.