Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber), 12 July 2012

Fra.bo SpA v Deutsche Vereinigung des Gas- und Wasserfaches eV (DVGW) — Technisch-Wissenschaftlicher Verein

Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf

Free movement of goods — Measures having equivalent effect to a quantitative restriction — National certification procedure — Presumption of compliance with national law — Applicability of Article 28 EC to a private-law certification body

Case C‑171/11


Top of the page Documents in the Case
Document Date Name of the parties Subject-matter Curia EUR-Lex Autres Liens
Judgment (OJ)
07/09/2012 Fra.bo
Judgment
ECLI:EU:C:2012:453
12/07/2012 Fra.bo
Judgment (Summary)
ECLI:EU:C:2012:453
12/07/2012 Fra.bo
Application (OJ)
15/07/2011 Fra.bo
Opinion
ECLI:EU:C:2012:176
28/03/2012 Fra.bo
Top of the page Legal analysis of the decision or of the case

Reports of Cases

published in the electronic Reports of Cases (Court Reports - general)

Subject-matter

Reference for a preliminary ruling – Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf – Interpretation of Articles 34, 101 and 106(2) TFEU – Application of those provisions to the activity of a private association (Technisch-Wissenschaftlicher Verein), approved by a Member State as an accreditation body for certain products – Horizontal direct effect of Article 34 TFEU

Systematic classification scheme

1.
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.02 Free movement of goods
    4.02.02 Prohibition of quantitative restrictions and measures having equivalent effect
      4.02.02.02 Measures having equivalent effect
        4.02.02.02.03 Import or export licences and declarations, standards certificates, etc.


Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

Operative part

Opinion


Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

  • 11/04/2011

Date of the Opinion

  • 28/03/2012

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

12/07/2012


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Application: OJ C 226 from 30.07.2011, p.9

Judgment: OJ C 287 from 22.09.2012, p.12

Name of the parties

Fra.bo

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. Nic Shuibhne, Niamh: The Treaty is coming to get you..., European Law Review 2012 p.367-368 (EN)
  2. De Waele, H.C.F.J.A.: Jurisprudentie bestuursrecht 2012 nº 196 (NL)
  3. Picod, Fabrice: Activités d'un organisme de droit privé et liberté de circulation, La Semaine Juridique - édition générale 2012 nº 35 p.1517 (FR)
  4. Arhel, Pierre: Activité des juridictions de l'Union européenne en droit de la concurrence (juillet 2012), Petites affiches. La Loi / Le Quotidien juridique 2012 nº 201 p.8 (FR)
  5. Rigaux, Anne: Mesures d'effet équivalent, Europe 2012 Octobre Comm. nº 10 p.29 (FR)
  6. Koufaki, Ioanna: I tritenergeia ton themeliodon elefetherion tou Dikaiou tis Enosis. Idiotikoi organismoi typopoiisis kai pistopoiisis proïonton, Nomiko Vima 2012 p. 1604-1606 (EL)
  7. Schweitzer, Heike: Standardisierung als Mittel zur Förderung und Beschränkung des Handels und des Wettbewerbs, Europäische Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht 2012 p.765-770 (DE)
  8. Van Harten, H.J. ; Nauta, T.: Nog geen horizontale rechtstreekse werking van het vrije verkeer van goederen?, Nederlands tijdschrift voor Europees recht 2012 p.329-335 (NL)
  9. A.T.: Eleftheri kykloforia ton eborevmaton. Metra isodynamou apotelesmatos pros posotiko periosmo. Ethniki diadikasia pistopoiiseos. Tekmirio pistotitas pros to ethniko dikaio. Dynatotita efarmogis tou arthrou 28 EK se idiotiko organismo pistopoiiseos., Armenopoulos 2012 p.1982-1983 (EL)
  10. Derlén, Mattias ; Lindholm, Johan: Fra.bo, En viktig bit i pusslet om de grundläggande friheternas horisontella verkan, Europarättslig tidskrift 2012 Nr 4 p.707-721 (SV)
  11. Roth, Wulf-Henning: Die "horizontale" Anwendbarkeit der Warenverkehrsfreiheit (Art. 34 AEUV), Europäisches Wirtschafts- & Steuerrecht - EWS 2013 p.16-27 (DE)
  12. Schmahl, Stefanie ; Jung, Florian: Horizontale Drittwirkung der Warenverkehrsfreiheit?, Neue Zeitschrift für Verwaltungsrecht 2013 p.607-612 (DE)
  13. Kloepfer, Michael ; Greve, Holger: Zur Drittwirkung der Warenverkehrsfreiheit - Die horizontale Wirkung der Warenverkehrsfreiheit am Beispiel der technischen Regelsetzung, Deutsches Verwaltungsblatt 2013 p.1148-1158 (DE)
  14. Van Leeuwen, Barend: From Status to Impact, and the Role of National Legislation: The Application of Article 34 TFEU to a Private Certification Organisation in Fra.bo, European Journal of Risk Regulation 2013 Vol. 4 nº 3 p.405-408 (EN)
  15. Van Harten, Herman ; Nauta, Thomas: Towards Honrizontal Direct Effect for the Free Movement of Goods? Comment on Fra.bo, European Law Review 2013 p.677-694 (EN)
  16. Crespo van de Kooij, Alex: The Private Effect of the Free Movement of Goods: Examining Private-Law Bodies' Activities under the Scope of Article 34 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union, Legal Issues of Economic Integration 2013 p.363-374 (EN)
  17. Oliver, Peter: L'article 34 TFUE peut-il avoir un effet direct horizontal?, Cahiers de droit européen 2014 p.77-96 (FR)
  18. Malaga, Miłosz: Swoboda przepływu towarów - stosowanie art. 34 TFUE do działań podmiotów prywatnych – glosa do wyroku TS z 12.7.2012 r. w sprawie C-171/11 Fra.bo SpA przeciwko Deutsche Vereinigung des Gas- und Wasserfaches eV (DVGW) – Technisch-Wissenschaftlicher Verein, Europejski Przegląd Sądowy 2014 Vol. 2014 p.47-52 (PL)
  19. Kuzma, Dominik ; Lampe, Andrej: Neizbrisane meje skupnega trga EU pri spletni prodaji, Pravna praksa 2015 nº 18 p.II-VI (SL)



Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf - Germany

Subject-matter

  • Free movement of goods
  • - Quantitative restrictions
  • - Measures having equivalent effect
  • Competition
  • - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices

Provisions of national law referred to

Verordnung über Allgemeine Bedingungen für die Versorgung mit Wasser (AVBWasserV), Paragraph 12, Abs. 4 Urheberrechtsgesetz (UrhG), Paragraph 5, Abs. 3

Provisions of international law referred to

Information not available

Procedure and result

  • Reference for a preliminary ruling

Formation of the Court

quatrième chambre (Cour)

Judge-Rapporteur

Schiemann

Advocate General

Trstenjak

Language(s) of the Case

  • German

Language(s) of the Opinion

  • French