Opinion of Advocate General Darmon delivered on 19 January 1993

1 Original language: French.

2 Council Decision concerning the conclusion of the Bilateral Agreements resulting from the 1973 to 1979 trade negotiations (OJ 1980 L 71, p. 129). See in particular Annex 3 to the Memorandum of Understanding (p. 149).

3 Council Regulation determining the groups of products and the special provisions for calculating levies on milk and milk products and amending Regulation (EEC) No 950/68 on the Common Customs Tariff (OJ 1979 L 329, p. 1).

4 Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) No 2915/79 as regards the conditions for the entry of certain cheeses under certain tariff headings and Regulation (EEC) No 950/68 on the Common Customs Tariff (OJ 1982 L 159, p. 1).

5 Regulation laying down detailed rules for applying specific import levies on certain milk products (OJ 1982 L 196, p. 1).

6 Regulation fixing the monetary compensatory amounts and certain coefficients and rates required for their application (OJ 1984 L 92, p. 2).

7 Regulation on certain measures of conjunctural policy to be taken in agriculture following the temporary widening of the margins of fluctuation for the currencies of certain Member States (OJ, English Special Edition 1971 (I), p. 257).

8 Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) No 2915/79 as regards the implementation of new rules for importing certain cheeses from Australia and New Zealand (OJ 1984 L 312, p. 5).

9 See Council Decision 84/561/EEC of 22 November 1984 concerning the conclusion of an Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Economic Community and the Government of New Zealand amending the Joint Discipline Arrangement between New Zealand and the Community concerning cheese (OJ 1984 L 308, p. 59), and the second recital in the preamble to Regulation No 3340/84.

10 Pursuant to Note (12), as amended by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3522/84 of 14 December 1984 amending Regulation (EEC) No 900/84 with regard to the non-application of monetary compensatory amounts on certain cheeses imported from Australia and New Zealand (OJ 1984 L 328, p. 18).

11 See references in footnote 9.

12 Regulation laying down detailed rules for the administrative application of monetary compensatory amounts (OJ 1981 L 138, p. 8).

13 Order of the national court, pages 3 and 4 of the French translation.

14 Order of the national court, p. 2 of the French translation.

15 Judgment in Case 74/74 CNTA v Commission [1975] ECR 533, paragraph 41.

16 See, for instance, the judgment in Case 4/79 Providence Agricole de la Champagne v ONIC [1980] ECR 2823, paragraph 22.

17 See Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1677/85 of 11 June 1985 on monetary compensatory amounts in agriculture (OJ 1985 L 164, p. 6). See also Barthelemy and Heine, Les montants compensatoires monétaires et leur démantèlement, Cahiers de droit européen, 1987, pp. 397-434.

18 Article 1 of Regulation No 1371/81.

19 See the second recital in the preamble to Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3014/79 of 27 December 1979 amending Regulation (EEC) No 2140/79 as regards certain monetary compensatory amounts for milk and milk products (OJ 1979 L 337, p. 73).

20 Judgment in Joined Cases 67/75 to 85/75 Lesieur Cotelle and Others v Commission [1976] ECR 391; Opinion at p. 412.

21 At p. 418.

22 [1989] ECR 405.

23 Paragraph 22.

24 First part of the sentence.

25 See point (r) of Annex II to Regulation (EEC) No 2915/79 inserted by Council Regulation (EEC) No 3042/82 of 15 November 1982 amending Regulation (EEC) No 2915/79 with regard to the application of a reduced levy in respect of certain cheeses (OJ 1982 L 322, p. 1).

26 See in particular Note (13) of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2140/79 of 28 September 1979 (OJ 1979 L 247, p. 1) as amended by Regulation No 3014/79, and the Commission's answer to the second question put by the Court.

27 Points (e) and (f) of Annex II apply to cheddar cheese.

28 Cheddar cheese from Australia and New Zealand is mentioned in points (e) and (f) of the annex.

29 Regulation of 4 March 1988 amending Regulations (EEC) No 1767/82 and (EEC) No 3938/87 as regard the non-application of monentary compensatory amounts for certain cheeses imported under special conditions (OJ 1988 L 60, p. 19).

30 Article 16(1) Regulation (EEC) No 1371/81.

31 Judgment in Case 250/80 [1981] ECR 2465.

32 Paragraph 18, emphasis added.

33 Order of the national court, p. 7 of the French translation.