Reports of Cases

2008 I-00581

Subject-matter

Reference for a preliminary ruling – Conseil d'État (Belgium) – Interpretation of Article 1(1) of Council Directive 89/665/EEC of 21 December 1989 on the coordination of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to the application of review procedures to the award of public supply and public works contracts (OJ 1989 L 395, p. 33), read with Article 15(2) of Council Directive 93/36/EEC of 14 June 1993 coordinating procedures for the award of public supply contracts (OJ 1993 L 199, p. 1) and Articles 6 and 41(3) of Directive 2004/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on the coordination of procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts (OJ 2004 L 134, p. 114) – Supply of military material – Balance between the principles that both parties be heard and that defence rights be complied with and the right to respect for business secrets and the protection of sensitive or confidential information.

Systematic classification scheme

Citations of case-law or legislation

References in grounds of judgment

• EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 234 : paragraphs 23, 52, 55
• Directive 71/305 : paragraph 4
• Directive 77/62 : paragraph 4
• Directive 89/665 -A01P1 : paragraphs 1, 3, 21, 31, 33, 42, 55
• Directive 89/665 -A02P8 : paragraph 5
• Directive 92/50 : paragraph 1
• Directive 93/36 : paragraphs 4, 26, 30, 32, 33, 42
• Directive 93/36 -A07P1 : paragraphs 6, 9, 38, 42
• Directive 93/36 -A09P3 : paragraphs 7, 9, 38, 42
• Directive 93/36 -A15P2 : paragraphs 8, 9, 21, 37, 42, 55
• Directive 93/36 -A33 : paragraph 4
• Directive 93/37 : paragraph 4
• Directive 93/37 -A36 : paragraph 4
• Directive 97/52 : paragraph 6
• Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (2000) -A07 : paragraph 48
• Directive 2004/18 : paragraphs 26, 30
• Directive 2004/18 -A06 : paragraphs 9, 21
• Directive 2004/18 -A35P4L5 : paragraph 9
• Directive 2004/18 -A41P3 : paragraph 9
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -244/80 : paragraph 24
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -53/85 : paragraphs 49, 54
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -62/90 : paragraph 48
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -36/92 : paragraph 49
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -404/92 : paragraph 48
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -379/98 : paragraph 24
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -390/99 : paragraph 24
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -326/00 : paragraph 23
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -26/03 : paragraph 34
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -145/03 : paragraph 23
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -201/04 : paragraph 27
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -419/04 : paragraphs 23, 24
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -438/04 : paragraphs 52, 53
• Court of Justice - Opinion C -450/06 : paragraph 28

Operative part

• Interprets : Directive 89/665 -A01P1

Opinion

• 11951K/TXT : point 52
  
• ECSC Treaty (Paris) - Protocol on the Statute of the Court of Justice, Article 23 : points 53, 57 - 58
  
• ECSC Treaty (Paris), Article 47 : points 54, 57
  
• EC Treaty (Amsterdam), Article 287 : point 43
  
• Directive 89/665 : points 32, 34, 41, 62
  
• Directive 89/665 -A01P1 : points 3, 20, 33, 69
  
• Directive 89/665 -A02P8 : point 4
  
• General Court - Rules of Procedure (1991) -A116P2 : point 55
  
• General Court - Rules of Procedure (1991) -A67P3 : point 60
  
• Directive 93/36 : points 6, 32, 41, 62, 69
  
• Directive 93/36 -A07P1 : point 5
  
• Directive 93/36 -A09P3 : point 5
  
• Directive 93/36 -A15P2 : points 5, 20, 32
  
• Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (2000) : point 39
  
• Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (2000) -A41 : point 43
  
• Directive 2004/18 : points 9, 62
  
• Directive 2004/18 -A06 : points 6, 20, 32
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -42/59 : point 35
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -283/81 -N10 : point 28
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -283/81 -N11 : point 28
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -53/85 -N28 : point 45
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -36/92 -N36 : point 43
  
• General Court - Order T -134/94 -N12 : point 57
  
• General Court - Order T -134/94 -N32 : point 58
  
• General Court - Order T -134/94 -N37 : point 58
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -134/94 : point 52
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -480/99 -N24 : point 35
  
• Court of Justice - Opinion C -19/00 -N33 : point 33
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -20/00 -N68 : point 49
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -112/00 -N77 : point 48
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -154/04 -N126 : point 49
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -201/04 -N31 : point 30
  
• Court of Justice - Judgment C -213/04 -N34 : point 28
  

Dates

Date of the lodging of the application initiating proceedings

• 06/11/2006

Date of the Opinion

• 25/10/2007

Date of the hearing

Information not available

Date of delivery

14/02/2008

References

Publication in the Official Journal

Application: OJ C 326 from 30.12.2006, p.39

Judgment: OJ C 79 from 29.03.2008, p.6

Name of the parties

Varec

Notes on Academic Writings

1. Michel, Valérie: Les chars contribuent à la protection des secrets d'affaires, Europe 2008 Avril Comm. nº 103 p.10-11 (FR)
2. Essletzbichler, Manfred ; Schnitzer, Johannes S.: Zeitschrift für Vergaberecht und Beschaffungspraxis 2008 p.159-160 (DE)
3. Mok, M.R.: Nederlandse jurisprudentie ; Uitspraken in burgerlijke en strafzaken 2008 nº 271 (NL)
4. Broussy, Emmanuelle ; Donnat, Francis ; Lambert, Christian: Chronique de jurisprudence communautaire. Marchés publics - Exception au principe du caractère contradictoire de la procédure, L'actualité juridique ; droit administratif 2008 p.881 (FR)
5. Bombois, Thomas ; Dubois, Christophe: La conciliation de la protection du secret des affaires et du principe du contradictoire dans les recours en matière de marchés publics: l'arrêt Varec de la Cour de justice, Journal des tribunaux 2008 p.426-431 (FR)
6. Brown, Adrian: Protection of Confidential Information in Procurement Cases before National Review Bodies: Varec v Belgian State (C-450/06), Public Procurement Law Review 2008 p.NA119-NA123 (EN)
7. Steiner, Marc: Die heikle Gratwanderung zwischen Akteneinsichtsrecht und schützenswerten Geheimhaltungsinteressen im Nachprüfungsverfahren, European Law Reporter 2008 p.166-171 (DE)
8. D'Amario, Sara: Appalti pubblici: tutela delle informazioni riservate e diritto ad un equo processo, Rassegna dell'avvocatura dello Stato 2008 2 Sez. II p.203-207 (IT)
9. Tsoli, Eirini: Dimosies Symvaseis - Kratikes Enischyseis & Agora 2008 p.44-45 (EL)
10. Oikonomou, Michalis: To epichirimatiko aporrito kai ta dikaiomata amynas ston tomea ton dimosion symvaseon kata ti nomologia tou DEK, Theoria & Praxi Dioikitikou Dikaiou 2009 p.896-899 (EL)
11. Von Papp, Konstanze: Case C-450/06, Varec SA v. Belgian State, judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 14 February 2008, Common Market Law Review 2009, Volume 46, Issue 3, p. 991-1000 (EN)
12. Eisner, Christian ; Schiffkorn, Florian: Geheimhaltung von Beweisen zur Wahrung von Geschäftsgeheimnissen?, Zeitschrift für Vergaberecht und Beschaffungspraxis 2010 p.143-151 (DE)
13. Turudić, Marko: Tajnost dokumentacije gospodarskih subjekata u postupcima javne nabave, Informator 2015 n°6384 p.18-20 (HR)
14. Oppel, Albert: Betriebs- und Geschäftsgeheimnisse im Vergaberechtsschutz, Zeitschrift für Vergaberecht und Beschaffungspraxis 2015 p.490-493 (DE)
15. Smrdel, Borut: Vpogledi v dokumentacijo, Podjetje in delo 2016 nº 6-7 p.1203-1213 (SL)

Procedural Analysis Information

Source of the question referred for a preliminary ruling

Conseil d'État - Belgium

Subject-matter

• Freedom of movement for persons
  
• - Freedom of establishment
  
• Freedom to provide services
  
• Approximation of laws
  

Provisions of national law referred to

Information not available

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

Sharpston

Language(s) of the Case

• French
  

Language(s) of the Opinion

• English