Judgment of the Court (Sixth Chamber) 15 December 1993

In Case C-116/92, REFERENCE to the Court under Article 177 of the EEC Treaty by the Manchester Crown Court for a preliminary ruling in the criminal proceedings before that court against

THE COURT (Sixth Chamber), composed of: M. Diez de Vclasco, President of the Fourth Chamber, acting for the President of the Chamber, F. A. Schockweiler, M. Zulecg, P. J. G. Kapteyn and J. L. Murray, Judges, Advocate General: W. Van Gervcn, Registrar: D. LoutcrmanT Iubeau, Principal Administrator,

after considering the written observations submitted on behalf of: Kevin Albert Charlton, James Huyton and Raymond Edward William Wilson, by J. Anderson Backhouse, Solicitor, the French Government, by E. Belliard, Deputy Director in the Directorate for Legal Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acting as Agent, the Netherlands Government, by DrB. R. Bot, Secretary-General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acting as Agent, the United Kingdom Government, by S. Lucinda Hudson, of the Treasury Solicitor's Department, acting as Agent, assisted by Daniel Bethlehem, Barrister, the Commission of the European Communities, by Xavier Lewis and Vittorio Di Bucci, of its Legal Service, acting as Agents,

having regard to the Report for the Hearing,

after hearing the oral observations of K. A. Charlton and Others, the United Kingdom Government and the Commission of the European Communities at the hearing on 1 July 1993,

after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 15 September 1993,

gives the following

Judgment

Questions 1 and 3

Question 2

Costs

1 Language of the case English