Reports of Cases

2009 I-04585

Subject-matter

Reference for a preliminary ruling – Sozialgericht Nürnberg – Legality of Article 24(2) of Directive 2004/38 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States amending Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 and repealing Directives 64/221/EEC, 68/360/EEC, 72/194/EEC, 73/148/EEC, 75/34/EEC, 75/35/EEC, 90/364/EEC, 90/365/EEC and 93/96/EEC (OJ 2004 L 158, p.77) – Interpretation of Article 12 EC and Article 39 EC – Right to social assistance benefits of a national of another Member State who is unemployed and has previously been in minor employment in the Member State concerned – National rules excluding nationals of other Member States from receipt of social assistance where the maximum period of residence referred to in Article 6 of Directive 2004/38/EC has been exceeded and there is no other right of residence

Systematic classification scheme

Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

• EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 12 : paragraphs 1, 21, 33, 48, 50, 53
• EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 12 -L1 : paragraphs 51, 52
• EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 39 : paragraphs 1, 21, 24, 26, 28 - 30, 33, 36
• EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 39 -P2 : paragraphs 36, 37, 40, 44
• Directive 2004/38 -A06 : paragraph 21
• Directive 2004/38 -A07P3LC : paragraph 31
• Directive 2004/38 -A24P1 : paragraph 32
• Directive 2004/38 -A24P2 : paragraphs 1, 21, 33 - 35, 44 - 46
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -53/81 : paragraph 28
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -66/85 : paragraph 26
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -139/85 : paragraph 28
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -344/87 : paragraph 27
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -3/90 : paragraph 29
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -317/93 : paragraph 28
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -424/97 : paragraph 23
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -224/98 : paragraph 38
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -413/01 : paragraph 29
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -138/02 : paragraphs 37, 39
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -258/04 : paragraphs 36 - 38
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -10/05 : paragraph 27
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -228/07 : paragraph 26

Operative part

• Validates : Directive 2004/38 -A24P2
• Interprets : EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 12

Opinion

• EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 12 : points 34, 36, 44, 46, 49, 66
  
• EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 18 : point 46
  
• EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 39 : points 21, 23 - 34, 36, 40, 42 - 44, 49, 57, 67
  
• EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 39 -P3LD : point 30
  
• Regulation 1612/68 -A08P2 : point 42
  
• Directive 2004/38 : points 39, 40, 46, 54, 55
  
• Directive 2004/38 -A07 : point 41
  
• Directive 2004/38 -A07P3LC : points 40, 67
  
• Directive 2004/38 -A14 : point 52
  
• Directive 2004/38 -A14P4LB : point 50
  
• Directive 2004/38 -A24P2 : points 34, 35, 44 - 46, 50, 52, 53, 55, 57, 61, 65, 67
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -75/63 : point 21
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -53/81 : points 23 - 25
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -66/85 : points 21, 24, 28
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -292/89 : point 30
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -357/89 : point 26
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -3/90 : point 21
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -171/91 : point 30
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -344/95 : point 30
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -1/97 : point 27
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -188/00 : point 27
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -413/01 : points 25, 28, 29
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -138/02 : points 30, 31, 49, 52, 54 - 57, 60 - 62, 64
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -456/02 : points 21, 49
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -109/04 : point 24
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -258/04 : point 49
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -294/06 : point 27
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -158/07 : point 46
  

Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

Information not available

Date of the Opinion

• 12/03/2009

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

04/06/2009

References

Publication in the Official Journal

Application: OJ C 107 from 26.04.2008, p.10

Judgment: OJ C 180 from 01.08.2009, p.14

Name of the parties

Vatsouras and Koupatantze

Notes on Academic Writings

1. Cavallini, Joël: Recherche d'emploi et accès aux aides sociales, La Semaine Juridique - Social 2009 nº 1325 p.34-36 (FR)
2. Broussy, Emmanuelle ; Donnat, Francis ; Lambert, Christian: Chronique de jurisprudence communautaire. Citoyenneté européenne - Libre circulation des travailleurs, L'actualité juridique ; droit administratif 2009 p.1538 (FR)
3. Simon, Denys: Droit aux prestations en faveur des demandeurs d'emploi, Europe 2009 Août-Septembre Comm. nº 306 p.22-23 (FR)
4. Lhernould, Jean-Philippe: L'actualité de la jurisprudence communautaire et internationale, Revue de jurisprudence sociale 2009 p.738-740 (FR)
5. Fahey, Elaine: Interpretive legitimacy and the distinction between "social assistance" and "work-seekers' allowance": Comment on Vatsouras, European Law Review 2009 p.933-949 (EN)
6. Van Eijken, H.: S.E.W. ; Sociaal-economische wetgeving 2009 p.512-513 (NL)
7. Cortés Martín, José Manuel: Jurisprudencia del TJCE, Mayo-Agosto 2009, Revista de Derecho Comunitario Europeo 2009 p.1109-1178 (ES)
8. Damjanovic, Dragana: Joined Cases C-22/08 & C-23/08, Athanasios Vatsouras and Josif Koupatantze v. Arbeitsgemeinschaft (ARGE) Nürnberg 900, Judgment of the Court of Justice (Third Chamber) of 4 June 2009, Common Market Law Review 2010, Volume 47, Issue 3, p. 847-861 (EN)
9. Raimondi, Luigi: Cittadini dell'Unione europea in cerca di lavoro e principio di non discriminazione: osservazioni in margine alla sentenza Vatsouras, Il diritto dell'Unione Europea 2010 p.443-462 (IT)
10. Carlier, Jean-Yves: La libre circulation des personnes dans l’Union européenne, Journal de droit européen 2016 nº 1 p.153-159 (FR)
11. Senčur Peček, Darja: Pojem delavca s primerjalnega in EU vidika, Delavci in Delodajalci 2016 nº 2-3 p.189-216 (SL)

Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Sozialgericht Nürnberg - Germany

Subject-matter

• Principles of Union law
  
• Freedom of movement for persons
  
• - Freedom of movement for workers
  
• Non-discrimination and citizenship of the Union
  
• - Citizenship of the Union
  
• - Right of entry and residence
  
• Non-discrimination and citizenship of the Union
  
• - non-discrimination
  
• - Non-discrimination on grounds of nationality
  

Provisions of national law referred to

Sozialgesetzbuch, Zweites Buch (SGB II), Paragraph 7 Abs. 1 Sozialgesetzbuch, Zwölftes Buch (SGB XII), Paragraph 23 Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz (AsylbLG), Paragraph 1

Provisions of international law referred to

Information not available

Procedure and result

• Reference for a preliminary ruling
  

Formation of the Court

Troisième chambre (Cour)

Judge-Rapporteur

Cunha Rodrigues

Advocate General

Ruiz-Jarabo Colomer

Language(s) of the Case

• German
  

Language(s) of the Opinion

• Spanish