FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT : COMMISSION TARGETS FOUR MEMBER STATES.

• Position: Brief article

The European Commission, on 29 January, announced that it would refer France to the EU Court of Justice because of the incompatibility of French legal restrictions on the ownership of capital in biomedical laboratories. French legislation restricts the number of shares that a non-biomedical firm may hold and prohibits any natural or legal person from holding shares in more than two firms set up in order to jointly operate one or more biomedical laboratories. The Commission ruled that these restrictions limit the freedom of establishment (Article 43 of the EC Treaty) in France for laboratories that are established in other member states and limit the scope for partnerships with legal persons in other member states

A reasoned opinion (second stage in infringement proceedings) has been sent to Luxembourg on account of its regulations, which require persons wishing to provide services temporarily to obtain an authorisation of establishment.

The Commission has decided to bring legal proceedings against the Netherlands...