Opinion of Advocate General Darmon delivered on 8 June 1994

1 Original language: French.

2 OJ 1978 L 304, p. 1.

3 Case C-89/91 Shearson Lehman Himon [1993] ECR I-139.

4 Page 6 of the order for reference.

5 Paragraph 24 and operative part.

6 That section originally related only to the sale of goods on instalment credit terms and to loans expressly made to finance the sale of goods and repayable by instalments. Its scope was extended by the amendment in 1978.

7 OJ 1979 C 59. p. 1.

8 Page 13.

9 Ibid.

10 OJ 1986 C 298. p. 1.

11 Paragraph 44.

12 See Gaudemet-Tallon, H: Les conventions de Bruxelles et de Lugano, LGDJ, 1993, point 79. See also Droz: Competence judiciaire et effet des jugements dans le marché cornmun, Dalloz, 1972, point 228 et seq; Gothot and Holleaux: La Convention de Bruxelles du 27 septembre 1968, Jupiter, 1985, point 35 et seq.

13 Case C-351/89 [1991] ECR I-3317.

14 Paragraph 18.

15 With reference to the last point, note that the national court considers that no branch, agency or other establishment within the meaning of the second paragraph of Article 13 ... has acted as an intermediary in the conclusion or performance of the contract (p. 6 of the order for reference).

16 My emphasis.

17 See, inter aha, Lasok and Stone: Conflict of Laws in the European Community, Professional Books Limited, 1987, p. 228.

18 Cited in note 11 above.

19 Point 35, p. 20.

20 Civil Jurisdiction and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments, Professional Books Limited, 1987.

21 Pages 842 and 843, my emphasis.

22 Point 30.

23 Revue critique de droit international privé, 1993, p. 325, at p. 330.

24 Paragraph 73 et seq.