Judgment of the Court of First Instance (First Chamber) 14 March 1991

In Case C-361/89, REFERENCE to the Court under Article 177 of the EEC Treaty by the Cour d'Appel de Paris (Court of Appeal, Paris) for a preliminary ruling in the criminal proceedings pending before that court against

THE COURT (First Chamber), composed of: G. C. Rodriguez Iglesias (President of the Chamber), Sir Gordon Slynn and R. Joliét, Judges, Advocate General: J. Mischo, Registrar: H. A. Rühi, Principal Administrator,

after considering the written observations submitted on behalf of: Mr Di Pinto, by Maître M. Hayat, of the Paris Bar, the French Government, by E. Belliard, Sub-Director in the Directorate for Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and C. Chavance, Principal Attaché in the Central Administration of the Directorate for Legal Affairs in the said Ministry, acting as Agents, the United Kingdom, by R. M. Caudwell, of the Treasury Solicitor's Department, acting as Agent, the Commission of the European Communities, by M. Condou Durande, a Member of its Legal Department, and G. Pons, a French official on secondment to the Legal Department of the Commission, acting as Agents,

having regard to the Report for the Hearing,

after hearing oral argument from Mr Di Pinto, the French Government, the United Kingdom, represented by M. Paines, Barrister, and the Commission at the hearing on 14 November 1990,

after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 12 December 1990,

gives the following

Judgment

The first question

The second question

Costs

1 Language of the case: French.