Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 4 September 2014 — European Commission v Council of the European Union
(Case C-114/12) 1
(Action for annulment — External action of the European Union — International agreements — Protection of neighbouring rights of broadcasting organisations — Negotiations for a Convention of the Council of Europe — Decision of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States authorising the joint participation of the Union and its Member States in the negotiations — Article 3(2) TFEU — Exclusive external competence of the Union)
Language of the case: English
Parties
Applicant: European Commission (represented by: F. Castillo de la Torre, P. Hetsch, L. Gussetti and J. Samnadda, Agents)
Intervener in support of the applicant: European Parliament (represented by: R. Passos and D. Warin, Agents)
Defendant: Council of the European Union (represented by: H. Legal, J.-P. Hix, F. Florindo Gijón and M. Balta, Agents)
Interveners in support of the defendant: Czech Republic (represented by: M. Smolek, E. Ruffer, D. Hadroušek and J. Králová, Agents), Federal Republic of Germany (represented by: T. Henze, B. Beutler and N. Graf Vitzthum, Agents), Kingdom of the Netherlands (represented by: C. Wissels and J. Langer, Agents), Republic of Poland (represented by: M. Szpunar, B. Majczyna, M. Drwięcki and E. Gromnicka initially, then by B. Majczyna, M. Drwięcki and E. Gromnicka, Agents), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (represented by: C. Murrell, acting as Agent, assisted by R. Palmer, Barrister)
Operative part
The Court:
Annuls the Decision of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States meeting within the Council on the participation of the European Union and its Member States in negotiations for a Convention of the Council of Europe on the protection of the rights of broadcasting organisations, of 19 December 2011;
Orders the Council of the European Union to pay the costs;
Orders the Czech Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Republic of Poland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the European Parliament to bear their own costs.
____________1 OJ C 138, 12.5.2012.