Judgment of the Court of 17 February 2011 - FIFA v Commission
(Television broadcasting - Article 3a of Directive 89/552/EEC - Measures taken by the Kingdom of Belgium concerning events of major importance for Belgian society - Football World Cup - Decision declaring the measures compatible with Community law - Statement of reasons - Articles 43 EC and 49 EC - Right to property)
Language of the case: English
Parties
Applicant: Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) (Zurich, Switzerland) (represented initially by: R. Denton, E. Batchelor, F. Young, Solicitors, and A. Barav, lawyer, and subsequently by E. Batchelor, A. Barav, D. Reymond, lawyer, and F. Carlin, Barrister)
Defendant: European Commission (represented by: E. Montaguti and N. Yerrell, Agents, assisted by J. Flynn, QC, and L. Maya, Barrister)
Interveners in support of the defendant: Kingdom of Belgium (represented by: L. Van den Broeck and C. Pochet, Agents, assisted by J. Stuyck, A. Berenboom and A. Joachimowicz, lawyers); Federal Republic of Germany (represented by: M. Lumma and J. Möller, Agents); and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (represented by: S. Behzadi-Spencer, E. Jenkinson and L. Seeboruth, Agents, assisted initially by T. de la Mare, and subsequently by B. Kennelly, Barristers)
Re:
Application for partial annulment of Commission Decision 2007/479/EC of 25 June 2007 on the compatibility with Community law of measures taken by Belgium pursuant to Article 3a(1) of Council Directive 89/552/EEC of 3 October 1989 on the coordination of certain provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in Member States concerning the pursuit of television broadcasting activities (OJ 2007 L 180, p. 24).
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Dismisses the action;
Orders the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Commission;
Orders the Kingdom of Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to bear their own costs.
____________1 - OJ C 315, 22.12.2007.