Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 9 November 2010 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgericht Wiesbaden - Germany) - Volker und Markus Schecke GbR (C-92/09), Hartmut Eifert (C-93/09) v Land Hessen

(Joined Cases C-92/09 and C-93/09) ¹

(Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data - Publication of information on beneficiaries of agricultural aid - Validity of the provisions of European Union law providing for that publication and laying down detailed rules for such publication - Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union - Articles 7 and 8 - Directive 95/46/EC - Interpretation of Articles 18 and 20)

Language of the case: German

Referring court

Verwaltungsgericht Wiesbaden

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicants: Volker und Markus Schecke GbR (C-92/09), Hartmut Eifert (C-93/09)

Defendant: Land Hessen

Joined party: Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung

Re:

Preliminary ruling - Verwaltungsgericht Wiesbaden - Validity of Articles 42(8b) and 44a of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy (OJ 2005 L 209, p. 1), Commission Regulation (EC) No 259/2008 of 18 March 2008 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 as regards the publication of information on the beneficiaries of funds deriving from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (OJ 2008 L 76, p. 28), and Directive 2006/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2006 on the retention of data generated or processed in connection with the provision of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks and amending Directive 2002/58/EC (OJ 2006 L 105, p. 54) - Interpretation of Article 7, the second indent of Article 18(2), and Article 20 of Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (OJ 1995 L 281, p. 31) - Processing of personal data of beneficiaries of the European agricultural funds consisting in publishing the data on a website with a search tool - Validity in the light of the right to protection of personal data of the provisions of Community law prescribing that publication and laying down the detailed rules for publication - Conditions under which such publication may be carried out

Operative part of the judgment

1.    Articles 42(8b) and 44a of Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June 2005 on the financing of the common agricultural policy, as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 1437/2007 of 26 November 2007, and Commission Regulation (EC) No 259/2008 of 18 March 2008 laying down detailed rules for the application of Regulation No 1290/2005 as regards the publication of information on the beneficiaries of funds deriving from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) are invalid in so far as, with regard to natural persons who are beneficiaries of EAGF and EAFRD aid, those provisions impose an obligation to publish personal data relating to each beneficiary without drawing a distinction based on relevant criteria such as the periods during which those persons have received such aid, the frequency of such aid or the nature and amount thereof.

2.    The invalidity of the provisions of European Union law mentioned in paragraph 1 of this operative part does not allow any action to be brought to challenge the effects of the publication of the lists of beneficiaries of EAGF and EAFRD aid carried out by the national authorities on the basis of those provisions during the period prior to the date on which the present judgment is delivered.

3.    The second indent of Article 18(2) of Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data must be interpreted as not placing the personal data protection official under an obligation to keep the register provided for by that provision before an operation for the processing of personal data, such as that resulting from Articles 42(8b) and 44a of Regulation No 1290/2005, as amended by Regulation No 1437/2007, and from Regulation No 259/2008, is carried out.

4.    Article 20 of Directive 95/46 must be interpreted as not imposing an obligation on the Member States to make the publication of information resulting from Articles 42(8b) and 44a of Regulation No 1290/2005, as amended by Regulation No 1437/2007, and from Regulation No 259/2008 subject to the prior checks for which that Article 20 provides.

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¹ - OJ C 129, 6.6.2009OJ C 119, 16.5.2009