Opinion of Mr Advocate General Lenz delivered on 5 December 1986

1 Translated from the German.

2 Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2956/84 of 18 October 1984 on the disposal of butter at a reduced price and amending Regulation (EEC) No 1687/76 (Official Journal 1984, L 279, p. 4).

3 Council Regulation No 1269/79 of 25 June 1979 on the marketing of reduced-price butter for direct consumption (Official Journal 1979, L 161, p. 8).

4 Article 1 (2) of Regulation No 729/70 (Official Journal, English Special Edition 1970 (I), p. 218).

5 Official Journal, English Special Edition 1968 (I), p. 176.

6 The Agricultural Situation in the Community, 1984 report, paragraph 67.

7 Case 97/85, Joined Cases 133 to 136/85 and Case 249/85.

8 Official Journal 1984, L 90, p. 10.

9 Eurostat, Animal production, quarterly report No 3/85, p. 81.

10 See Regulation No 243/85 of 30 January 1985, Official Journal 1985, L 26, p. 36.

11 Regulation No 136/66 of the Council of 22 September 1966 on the establishment of a common organization of the market in oils and fats, Official Journal, English Special Edition 1965-66, p. 221.

12 The Agricultural Situation in the Community, 1984 report, paragraph 314.

13 Joined Cases 279, 280, 285 and 286/84.

14 Judgment of 6 December 1984 in Case 59/83 SA Biovilac NVv European Economic Community [1984] ECR 4057.

15 Case 27/85.

16 Case 265/85.

17 Special report of the Court of Auditors on sales of reduced-price butter within the Community of 13 April 1982, Official Journal 1982, C 143, p. 1.

18 Regulation No 985/68 of the Council of 15 July 1968 laying down general rules for intervention on the market in butter and cream, Official Journal, English Special Edition 1968 (I), p. 256; Article 7a was added by Regulation No 750/69 of the Council of 22 April 1969, Official Journal, English Special Edition 1969 (I), p. 204.

19 See the judgment of the Court of 2 March 1977 in Case 44/76 Milch-, Fett- und Eier-Kontor v Council and Commission [1977] ECR 393, and the judgment of the Court of 6 September 1984 in Case 59/83, cited above.

20 Judgment of 2 June 1976 in Joined Cases 56 to 60/74 Kurt Kampffjneyer Mühlenvereinigung KG and Others v Commission and Council [1976] ECR 711.

21 See, inter alia, the judgments in Cases 44/76 and 59/83, cited above.

22 Official Journal 1983, L 132, p. 33.

23 Official Journal 1984, L 280, p. 1.

24 Official Journal 1984, L 287, p. 16.

25 See Council Regulation No 858/84 of 31 March 1984 fixing for the 1984/85 milk year the target price for milk and the intervention prices for butter, skimmed-milk powder and Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano cheeses, Official Journal 1984, L 90, p. 17.

26 Regulations Nos 2956 and 2957/84, cited above, and the report of the Court of Auditors of 13 April 1982.

27 See the judgment of 13 December 1983 in Case 218/82 Commission v Council [1983] ECR 4063 and the judgment of 29 February 1984 in Case 37/83 REWE-Zentrale AG v Director of the Landwirtschaftkammer Rheinland [1984] ECR 1229.

28 Cited above.

29 Judgment of 15 October 1969 in Case 16/69 Commssion v Government of the Italian Republic [1969] ECR 377.

30 Council Regulation No 1723/81 of 24 June 1981 establishing general rules relating to measures designed to maintain the level of use of butter by certain categories of consumer and industry, Official Journal 1981, L 172, p. 14.

31 In the version introduced by Council Regulation No 863/84 of 31 March 1984 amending Regulation No 1723/81 as regards the possibility of granting aids for the use of butter in the manufacture of certain foodstuffs, Official Journal 1984, L 90, p. 23.

32 Judement of 30 October 1975 in Case 23/75 Rey Soda v Caisa Conguaglio Zucchero [1975] ECR 1279.

33 Journal Officiel 1958, p. 218.

34 See Official Journal L 279 of 18 October 1984, p. 5, last recital in the preamble.

35 Judgment of 13 March 1968 in Case 5/67 W. Beus GmbH & Co. v Hauptzollamt München-Lanäsbergerstrasse [1968] ECR 83; judgment of 6 December 1984 in Case 59/83, cited above.

36 Judgment of 23 February 1983 in Case 66/83 Fromançais SA v Forma [1983] ECR 395.

37 See the judgment of 15 July 1970 in Case 41/69 ACF Chemiefarma NV v Commission [1970] ECR 661.

38 Cited above.

39 See the judgment of 5 July 1977 in Case 116/76 Granaria BV v Hoofdproduktschap voor Akkerbouwprodukten [1977] ECR 1247.

40 With regard to price interdependence between butter and margarine, see the judgment of 23 February 1983 in Case 66/82, cited above.

41 See the judgment of 25 October 1978 in Joined Cases 103 and 145/77 Royal Schollen-Honig Ltd and Another v Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce [1978] ECR 2037 and the judgment of 5 July 1977 in Case 116/76, cited above.

42 See the judgment of 16 March 1977 in Case 68/76 Commission v French Republic [1977] ECR 515.

43 Judgment of 29 February 1984 in Case 37/83, cited above.

44 Judgment of 20 February 1979 in Case 120/78, REWE-Zentrale AG v Bundesmonopolverwaltung für Branntwein, [1979] ECR 649.

45 Regulation No 2956/84, Official Journal L 279 of 18 October 1984, ninth recital in the preamble.

46 The Agricultural Situation in the Community, 1985 report, paragraph 187.

47 Settled case-law of the Court — see for example the judgment of 2 December 1971 in Case 5/71 Aktien-Zuckerfabrik Schöppenstedt v Council of the European Communities [1971] ECR 975 and the judgment of 6 December 1984 in Case 59/83, cited above.

48 See the judgment of 25 May 1978 in Joined Cases 83 and 94/76, 4, 15 and 40/77 Bayerische HNL Vermehrungsbetriebe GmbH & Co. KG and Others v Council and Commission [1978] ECR 1209.

49 Judgment of 12 June 1958 in Case 15/57 Compagnie des hauls fourneaux de chasse v High Authority of the ECSC [1957 and 1958] ECR 211.

50 See, inter alia, the judgment of 2 December 1971 in Case 5/71, cited above, the judgment of 13 November 1973 in Joined Cases 63 to 69/72, Wilhelm Werhahn Hansamühle and Others v Council and Commission [1973] ECR 1229, and the judgment of 25 May 1978 in Joined Cases 83 and 94/76, 4, 15 and 40/77, cited above.

51 Sec the judgment of 27 September 1979 in Case 230/78 SpA Eridania-Zuccherifici Nazionali and Another v Minister for Agriculture and Forestry and Another [19791 ECR 2749, and the judgment of 6 December 1984 in Case 59/83, cited above.

52 Judgment of 14 May 1975 in Case 74/74 Comptoir national technique agricole SA v Comminion [1975] ECR 533.