Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 21 June 2022

Ligue des droits humains ASBL v Conseil des ministres

Request for a preliminary ruling from the Cour constitutionnelle

Reference for a preliminary ruling – Processing of personal data – Passenger Name Records (PNR) – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Article 2(2)(d) – Scope – Directive (EU) 2016/681 – Use of PNR data of air passengers of flights operated between the European Union and third countries – Power to include data of air passengers of flights operated within the European Union – Automated processing of that data – Retention period – Fight against terrorist offences and serious crime – Validity – Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union – Articles 7, 8 and 21 as well as Article 52(1) – National legislation extending the application of the PNR system to other transport operations within the European Union – Freedom of movement within the European Union – Charter of Fundamental Rights – Article 45

Case C-817/19


Top of the page Documents in the Case
Document Date Name of the parties Subject-matter Curia EUR-Lex Autres Liens
National decision following the preliminary ruling
ECLI:BE:GHCC:2023:ARR.131		 12/10/2023 Ligue des droits humains
External Link
National decision following the preliminary ruling
ECLI:BE:GHCC:2023:ARR.131		 12/10/2023 Ligue des droits humains
External Link
Judgment (OJ)
19/08/2022 Ligue des droits humains
Data protection
  • Data protection
  • area of freedom, security and justice
  • - Judicial cooperation in civil matters
  • - police cooperation
  • - asylum policy
  • - Immigration policy
  • Transport
  • Fundamental rights
  • - Charter of Fundamental Rights
  • Fundamental rights
  • Principles, objectives and tasks of the Treaties
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
Judgment
ECLI:EU:C:2022:491		 21/06/2022 Ligue des droits humains
Data protection
  • Data protection
  • area of freedom, security and justice
  • - Judicial cooperation in civil matters
  • - police cooperation
  • - asylum policy
  • - Immigration policy
  • Transport
  • Fundamental rights
  • - Charter of Fundamental Rights
  • Fundamental rights
  • Principles, objectives and tasks of the Treaties
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
Abstract
ECLI:EU:C:2022:491		 21/06/2022 Ligue des droits humains
Data protection
  • Data protection
  • area of freedom, security and justice
  • - Judicial cooperation in civil matters
  • - police cooperation
  • - asylum policy
  • - Immigration policy
  • Transport
  • Fundamental rights
  • - Charter of Fundamental Rights
  • Fundamental rights
  • Principles, objectives and tasks of the Treaties
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
Application (OJ)
17/01/2020 Ligue des droits humains
Data protection
  • Data protection
  • area of freedom, security and justice
  • - Judicial cooperation in civil matters
  • - police cooperation
  • - asylum policy
  • - Immigration policy
  • Transport
  • Fundamental rights
  • - Charter of Fundamental Rights
  • Fundamental rights
  • Principles, objectives and tasks of the Treaties
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
Request for a preliminary ruling
31/10/2019 Ligue des droits humains
Data protection
  • Data protection
  • area of freedom, security and justice
  • - Judicial cooperation in civil matters
  • - police cooperation
  • - asylum policy
  • - Immigration policy
  • Transport
  • Fundamental rights
  • - Charter of Fundamental Rights
  • Fundamental rights
  • Principles, objectives and tasks of the Treaties
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
Opinion
ECLI:EU:C:2022:65		 27/01/2022 Ligue des droits humains
Data protection
  • Data protection
  • area of freedom, security and justice
  • - Judicial cooperation in civil matters
  • - police cooperation
  • - asylum policy
  • - Immigration policy
  • Transport
  • Fundamental rights
  • - Charter of Fundamental Rights
  • Fundamental rights
  • Principles, objectives and tasks of the Treaties
EUR-Lex text EUR-Lex bilingual text
Top of the page Legal analysis of the decision or of the case

Reports of Cases

not yet published (Court Reports - general)

Subject-matter

Information not available

Systematic classification scheme

1.
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.11 Approximation of laws
    4.11.01 Protection of personal data
-
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.03 The fundamental rights
      1.04.03.07 Respect for private and family life
-
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.03 The fundamental rights
      1.04.03.08 Protection of personal data
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.03 Judicial cooperation in criminal matters
      4.06.03.00 General
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.04 Police cooperation
      4.06.04.00 General
-
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.02 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
      1.04.02.02 Scope of the protection of rights and principles
        1.04.02.02.01 Limitation on the exercise of rights and freedoms (Article 52(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights)
-
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.03 The fundamental rights
      1.04.03.07 Respect for private and family life
-
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.04 Fundamental rights
    1.04.03 The fundamental rights
      1.04.03.08 Protection of personal data
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.03 Judicial cooperation in criminal matters
      4.06.03.00 General
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.04 Police cooperation
      4.06.04.00 General
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.03 Judicial cooperation in criminal matters
      4.06.03.00 General
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.04 Police cooperation
      4.06.04.00 General
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.03 Judicial cooperation in criminal matters
      4.06.03.00 General
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.04 Police cooperation
      4.06.04.00 General
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.01 Border checks, asylum and immigration
      4.06.01.02 Crossing of external borders
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.03 Judicial cooperation in criminal matters
      4.06.03.00 General
-
4 Internal policy of the European Union
  4.06 Area of freedom, security and justice
    4.06.04 Police cooperation
      4.06.04.00 General
-
1 The legal order of the European Union
  1.05 EU law and national law
    1.05.01 Direct effect, primacy and uniform application of EU law


Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

Operative part

Opinion


Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

  • 31/10/2019

Date of the Opinion

  • 27/01/2022

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

21/06/2022


References

Publication in the Official Journal

Information not available

Name of the parties

Ligue des droits humains

Notes on Academic Writings

  1. A., I.: EuGH: Speicherung personenbezogener Fluggastdaten nur bei realer, aktueller oder vorhersehbarer terroristischer Bedrohung : C-817/19, Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsrecht 2022 p. R4 (DE)
  2. Simon, Denys: Droits fondamentaux - Protection des données, Europe 2022, n° 8-9 Août-Septembre, comm. 265 (FR)
  3. Rotenberg, Marc: CJEU PNR decision unplugs the "black box" : case C-817/19, Ligue des droits humains v. Conseil des Ministres, European Data Protection Law Review 2022 Vol. 8 nº 3 p. 431-435 (EN)
  4. Parewyck, Janvier: Arrêt « PNR UE » : Interprétation conforme de la collecte indifférenciée et de l’analyse automatisée des données des passagers aériens, Journal de droit européen 2023, nº 1, p. 13-16 (FR)
  5. Brouwer , Evelien: Ligue des droits humains and the validity of the PNR Directive: Balancing individual rights and State powers in times of new technologies, Common Market Law Review 2023, Volume 60, Issue 3, p. 839-862 (EN)
  6. Beauregard-Lacroix, Raphaël: Ligue des droits humains (C-817/19): a display of consistency by a steadfast and pragmatic court, European Law Review 2023, Volume 48, Issue 2, p. 220-231 (EN)
  7. Mendos Kuskonmaz, Elif: The grand gala of PNR litigations: Case C-817/19, Ligue des droits humains v Conseil des ministers, European Constitutional Law Review 2023, Volume 19, Issue 2, p. 294-319 (EN)
  8. Coutellier, Clyde ; Daoud, Emmanuel ; Sebbah, Gabriel: La protection des droits et libertés fondamentaux à l'épreuve du terrorisme : des aménagements nécessaires, Dalloz IP / IT 2023, nº 1, p. 56-62 (FR)
  9. Benoît-Rohmer, Florence: Chronique Union européenne et droits fondamentaux - Système PNR et droits fondamentaux (art. 7 et 8 de la Charte), Revue trimestrielle de droit européen 2023, n° 3, p. 424-425 (FR)
  10. Grard, Loïc: Chronique Droit européen des transports - Traitement des données des passagers aériens : la directive PNR oui, mais limitée au strict nécessaire, Revue trimestrielle de droit européen 2023, n° 3, p. 541-543 (FR)
  11. Tinière, Romain: III. Droits fondamentaux - Cour de justice, gde ch., 21 juin 2022, Ligue des droits humains, aff. C-817/19, ECLI:EU:C:2022:491, Jurisprudence de la CJUE 2022. Décisions et commentaires (Ed. Bruylant - Bruxelles) 2024, p. 216-223 (FR)



Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Cour constitutionnelle - Belgium

Subject-matter

  • Data protection
  • area of freedom, security and justice
  • - Judicial cooperation in civil matters
  • - police cooperation
  • - asylum policy
  • - Immigration policy
  • Transport
  • Fundamental rights
  • - Charter of Fundamental Rights
  • Fundamental rights
  • Principles, objectives and tasks of the Treaties

Provisions of national law referred to

Loi relative au traitement des données des passagers

Provisions of international law referred to

Information not available

Procedure and result

  • Reference for a preliminary ruling

Formation of the Court

grande chambre (Cour)

Judge-Rapporteur

von Danwitz

Advocate General

Pitruzzella

Language(s) of the Case

  • French

Language(s) of the Opinion

    Information not available