Opinion of Mr Advocate General Lenz delivered on 24 September 1985

1 Translated from the German.

2 The original text of those provisions is reproduced in the annex to this Opinion.

3 Presumably a reference to the provision that the Council may by a special procedure decide whether, to what extent and by what procedure appropriate provisions may be laid down for air transport.

4 See J. Erdmenger, Commentary on Anide 84 of the EEC Treaty, Note 48 et soi., in Groeben, Boeckh, Thiesing, Ehlermann, Kommentar zum EWG-Vertrag, Baden-Baden, 1983; L. Weber, Die Zivilluftfahrt im Europäischen Gemeinschaftsrecht, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1981, p. 42 et seg.

5 United Nations Treaty Series, Vol. 15, p. 296.

6 Sec for example the air trinsport agreement between France and the Federal Republic of Germany of 4 October 1955 (United Nations Treaty Series, Vol. 353, p. 203; Bundesgesetzblatt 1956 II, p. 1078).

7 United Nations Treaty Series, Vol. 696, p. 31.

8 Judgment of 16 December 1981 in Case 244/80 Pasquale Foļtia v Mariella Novelk [1981] ECR 3045, it p. 3062 et tea.

9 Regulation No 17 of the Council — First Regulation implementing Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty (Official Journal, English Special Edition 1959-1962, p. 87).

10 Regulation No 141 of the Council exempting transport from the application of Council Regulation No 17 (Official Journal, English Special Edition 1959-1962, p. 291).

11 Regulation (EEC) No 1017/68 of the Council of 19 July 1968 applying rules of competition to transport by rail, road and inland waterway (Official Journal, English Special Edition 1968 (I), p. 302).

12 Judgment of 4 April 1974 in Case 167/73 Commission v French Republic [1974] ECR 359.

13 Judgment of 12 October 1978 in Case 156/77 Commission v Kingdom of Belgium [1978] ECR 1881.

14 Judgment of 10 January 1985 in Case 229/83 Association det Centres distributeurs Edouard Leclerc and Others v Au Blé Vert SARL and Others [1985] ECR 1.

15 Judgment of 6 April 1962 in Cast 13/61 Kledingverkoopbedrijf de Geus en Uitdenbogerd v Robert Bosch and Another [1962] ECR 45.

16 See in this regard the Commission's proposed version of the question, p. 1431.

17 Judgment of 15 July 1964 in Case 6/64 Flaminio Costa v ENEL [1964] ECR 585.

18 Ibid, at p. 593.

19 Judgment of 11 March 1980 in Case 104/79 Pasquali Foglia v Mariella Novello [1980] ECR 745; judgment of 16 December 1981 in Case 244/80 Pasquale Foglia v Mariella Novello [1981] ECR 3045.

20 See U. Everling, Das Zusammenwirken des Gerichtshofes der Europäischen Gemeinschaften und der nationalen Gerichte im Vorabentscheidungsverfahren nach Artikel 177 EWGV (forthcoming).

21 Cited above, note 11; paragraph 26 of the decision.

22 For example, the Proposal for a Council Regulation laying down the procedure for the rules on competition applying to undertakings in the air transpon sector (Official Journal 1982, C 317, p. 3).

23 See the judgment of 14 July 1971 in Case 10/71 Ministére fublic of Luxembourg v M. Hein, nie Muller, and Others 1971] ECR 723, at p. 730; a suggestion to the contrary in the judgment of 27 March 1974 in Case 127/73 Belgische Radio en Televisie and Société beige des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs v SV SABAM and NV Fonior [1974] ECR 313, at p. 318, appears to have been overruled by the judgment of 30 April 1974 in Case 155/73 Giuseppe Sacchi [1974] ECR 409 and the judgment of 10 March 1983 in Case 172/82 Syndicat national des fabricants raffineurt d'buile de graissage and Others v Groupement d'intérêt économique Inter-Huiles' and Others [1983] ECR 555, at p. 567.

24 Case 155/73, Sacchi, cited above, at paragraph 15 of the decision.

25 See Opinion of Advocate General Roemer in Case 82/71 Pubblico Ministero della Repubblica Italiana v SAIL [1972] ECR 119, at p. 146.

26 For the developments in the academic discussion, see I. Pernice, Note 53 to Article 90 of the EEC Treaty, in Grabitz, Kommentar zum EWG-Vertrag, Munich, 1983.

27 Judgment of 30 January 1985 in Case 123/83 Bureau national interprofessionnel du cognac v Guy Clair [1985] ECR 391.

28 Judgment of 10 January 1985 in Case 229/83 Association des Centret distributeurs Édouard Leclerc and Others v Au Blé Vert SARL and Others [1985] ECR 1, at paragraph 14 of the decision; judgment of 29 January 1985 in Case 231/83 Henri Cutlet v Centre Leclerc Toulouse and Others [1985] ECR 305, at paragraph 16 of the decision; judgment of 13 February 1969 in Case 14/68 Walt Wilhelm and Others v Bundeskartellamt [1969] ECR 1, at p. 14; judgment of 16 November 1977 in Case 13/77 GBINNOBM v Vereniging van de Kleinhandelaars in Tabalt [1977] ECR 2115, at pp. 2144-2145.

29 Judgment of 30 January 1974 in Cast 127/73 Belgische Radio en Televisie and Another v SV SABAM and Another [1974] ECR 51, at p. 62 et seq.

30 Paragraph 30 of the decision.

31 Judgment of 8 April 1976 in Case 43/75 Gabrielle Defrenne v Société anonyme belge de navigation aérienne Sabena [1976] ECR 455, at p. 480.

32 Judgment of 25 November 1971 in Case 22/71 Béguelin Import Co. and Others v S.A.G.L Import Export and Others [1971] ECR 949, at p. 959 et seq.

33 Opinion of 2 May 1972 in Cases 48, 49 and 51 to 57/69 Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd and Others v Commission [1972] ECR 619, p. 665 et seq.

34 Judgment of 20 June 1978 in Case 28/77 Ttpea BV v Commission [1978] ECR 1391, at p. 1416.

35 Judgment of 27 February 1962 in Case 10/61 Commission of the European Economie Community v Government of the Italian Republic [1962] ECR 1, at p. 10.

36 See Article 5 of the Act of Accession of 22 January 1972 for Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom and Article 5 of the Act of Accession of 28 May 1979 for Greece.

37 For example, the agreements cited as examples in footnotes 5 and 6 above, that concluded on 4 October 1955 between France and the Federal Republic of Germany and the International Agreement on the Procedure for the Establishment of Tariffs for Scheduled Air Services of 10 July 1967, lay down a period of notice for denunciation of 12 months.