Judgment of the Court 16 May 1991

In Case C-272/90, REFERENCE to the Court under Article 177 of the EEC Treaty by the Tribunal de Grande Instance (Regional Court), Valence (France), for a preliminary ruling in the proceedings pending before that court between

THE COURT, composed of: O. Due, President, J. C. Moitinho de Almeida and M. Diez de Velasco (Presidents of Chambers), C. N. Kakouris, F. A. Schockweiler, F. Grévisse and P. J. G. Kapteyn, Judges, Advocate General: G. Tesauro Registrar: D. Louterman, Principal Administrator

after considering the written observations submitted on behalf of the French Government, by Edwige Belliard, Assistant Director in the Directorate for Legal Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and Claude Chavance, Principal Attaché for Central Administration in the same Ministry, acting as Agents, the Commission of the European Communities, by Dimitrios Gouloussis, Legal Adviser, acting as Agent,

having regard to the Report for the Hearing,

after hearing oral argument presented by ASSEDIC, represented by Mr Balsan, of the Valence Bar, and Philippe Lafarge, Bâtonnier, by the French Government, represented by Mr Chavance and Mr Pouzoulet, Assistant Director in the Directorate for Legal Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, acting as Agent, and by the Commission of the European Communities, at the sitting on 18 April 1991,

after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General delivered at the sitting on the same day,

gives the following

judgment

Costs

1 Language of the case: French.