Ilonka Sayn-Wittgenstein v Landeshauptmann von Wien.

• Jurisdiction: European Union
• Court: Court of Justice (European Union)
• Writing for the Court: Rosas
• ECLI: ECLI:EU:C:2010:806
• Docket Number: C-208/09
• Date: 22 December 2010
• Procedure Type: Reference for a preliminary ruling

Case C-208/09

Ilonka Sayn-Wittgenstein

v

Landeshauptmann von Wien

(Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Verwaltungsgerichtshof (Austria))

(European citizenship – Freedom to move and reside in the Member States – Law of a Member State with constitutional status abolishing the nobility in that State – Surname of an adult, a national of that State, obtained by adoption in another Member State, in which that adult resides – Title of nobility and nobiliary particle forming part of the surname – Registration by the authorities of the first Member State in the register of civil status – Correction of the entry by the authorities on their own initiative – Removal of the title of nobility and nobiliary particle)

Summary of the Judgment

Citizens of the European Union – Right of free movement and residence in the territory of the Member States – National laws of constitutional status prohibiting the bearing of a title of nobility

(Art. 21 TFEU)

Article 21 TFEU must be interpreted as not precluding the authorities of a Member State from refusing to recognise all the elements of the surname of a national of that State, as determined in another Member State, in which that national resides, at the time of his or her adoption as an adult by a national of that other Member State, when that surname includes a title of nobility that is not permitted in the first Member State under its constitutional law, provided that the measures adopted by those authorities in that context are justified on public policy grounds, that is to say, they are necessary for the protection of the interests which they are intended to secure and are proportionate to the legitimate aim pursued.

It does not appear disproportionate for a Member State to seek to attain the objective of protecting the principle of equal treatment by prohibiting any acquisition, possession or use, by its nationals, of titles of nobility or noble elements which may create the impression that the bearer of the name is the holder of such a rank. In those circumstances, such a refusal cannot be regarded as a measure unjustifiably undermining the freedom to move and reside enjoyed by citizens of the Union.

(see paras 93-95, operative part)

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Second Chamber)

22 December 2010 (*)

(European citizenship – Freedom to move and reside in the Member States – Law of a Member State with constitutional status abolishing the nobility in that State – Surname of an adult, a national of that State, obtained by adoption in another Member State, in which that adult resides – Title of nobility and nobiliary particle forming part of the surname – Registration by the authorities of the first Member State in the register of civil status – Correction of the entry by the authorities on their own initiative – Removal of the title of nobility and nobiliary particle)

In Case C‑208/09,

REFERENCE for a preliminary ruling under Article 234 EC from the Verwaltungsgerichtshof (Austria), made by decision of 18 May 2009, received at the Court on 10 June 2009, in the proceedings

Ilonka Sayn-Wittgenstein

v

Landeshauptmann von Wien,

THE COURT (Second Chamber),

composed of J.N. Cunha Rodrigues, President of the Chamber, A. Rosas (Rapporteur), U. Lõhmus, A. Ó Caoimh and P. Lindh, Judges,

Advocate General: E. Sharpston,

Registrar: K. Malacek, Administrator,

having regard to the written procedure and further to the hearing on 17 June 2010,

after considering the observations submitted on behalf of:

– Mrs Sayn-Wittgenstein, by J. Rieck, Rechtsanwalt,

– the Austrian Government, by C. Pesendorfer and E. Handl‑Petz, acting as Agents,

– the Czech Government, by D. Hadroušek, acting as Agent,

– the German Government, by M. Lumma, J. Möller and J. Kemper, acting as Agents,

– the Italian Government, by G. Palmieri, acting as Agent, and M. Russo, avvocato dello Stato,

– the Lithuanian Government, by R. Mackevičienė and V. Kazlauskaitė-Švenčionienė, acting as Agents,

– the Slovak Government, by B. Ricziová, acting as Agent,

– the European Commission, by D. Maidani and S. Grünheid, acting as Agents,

after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 14 October 2010,

gives the following

Judgment

1 This reference for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of Article 21 TFEU.

2 The reference has been made in proceedings between Mrs Sayn‑Wittgenstein, an Austrian national resident in Germany, and the Landeshauptmann von Wien (Head of Government of the Province of Vienna) regarding the latter’s decision to correct the entry in the register of civil status of the family name ‘Fürstin von Sayn‑Wittgenstein’ acquired in Germany following an adoption by a German national, and to replace it with the name ‘Sayn‑Wittgenstein’.

Legal context

Austrian law

Law on abolition of the nobility and implementing provisions

3 The Law on the abolition of the nobility, the secular orders of knighthood and of ladies, and certain titles and ranks (Gesetz über die Aufhebung des Adels, der weltlichen Ritter- und Damenorden und gewisser Titel und Würden) of 3 April 1919 (StGBl. 211/1919), in the version applicable to the main proceedings (StGBl. 1/1920; ‘the Law on the abolition of the nobility’), has constitutional status under Article 149(1) of the Federal Constitutional Law (Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz).

4 Paragraph 1 of the Law on the abolition of the nobility provides:

‘The nobility, its honorary privileges associated with display of that status, and titles and ranks granted merely for the purposes of distinguishing their holder and unconnected with an official post, a profession or an academic or artistic ability, and the associated honorary privileges of Austrian citizens, shall be abolished.’

5 Paragraph 4 of the Law on the abolition of the nobility provides:

‘The decision with regard to which titles and ranks must be considered abolished pursuant to paragraph 1 falls within the jurisdiction of the Minister of State for the Interior and Education.’

6 The implementing provisions adopted by the Ministry for the Interior and Education and the Ministry of Justice, in agreement with the other ministries involved, concerning the abolition of the nobility and of certain titles and ranks (Vollzugsanweisung des Staatsamtes für Inneres und Unterricht und des Staatsamtes für Justiz, im Einvernehmen mit den beteiligten Staatsämtern über die Aufhebung des Adels und gewisser Titel und Würden) of 18 April 1919 (StGBl. 237/1919) provide in Paragraph 1:

‘The abolition of the nobility, its honorary privileges associated with display of that status, and titles and ranks granted merely for the purposes of distinguishing their holder and unconnected with an official post, a profession or an academic or artistic ability, and the associated honorary privileges, concerns all Austrian citizens, whether or not those privileges were acquired in Austria or in a foreign country.’

7 Paragraph 2 of the implementing provisions states:

‘Under paragraph 1 of the [Law on the abolition of the nobility] the following shall be abolished:

1. The right to use the nobiliary particle “von”;

…

4. The right to use designations of noble status, such as knight (‘Ritter’), baron (‘Freiherr’), count (‘Graf’) and prince (‘Fürst’), the honorary title of duke (‘Herzog’) and other relevant Austrian or foreign designations of status; …

…’

8 Paragraph 5 of the implementing provisions prescribes various sanctions in the case of non-compliance with that prohibition.

Rules of private international law

9 Paragraph 9(1), first sentence, of the Federal Law on private international law (Bundesgesetz über das internationale Privatrecht) of 15 June 1978 (BGBl. 304/1978), in the version applicable to the main proceedings (BGBl. I 58/2004), provides that the law governing the personal status of a natural person is that of the State of which that person is a national.

10 According to Paragraph 13(1) of that Law, the name a person bears is determined according to the rules governing his personal status, irrespective of the basis on which that name was acquired.

11 Paragraph 26 of that Law provides that the conditions for adoption are determined by the law governing the personal status of each adopting person and the adopted person, whereas the effects of the adoption are determined, in the case of adoption by only one person, by the law governing the personal status of the adopting person. According to the observations submitted by the Republic of Austria and the authors cited by it, the effects so determined are only those which fall within the scope of family law and do not include the determination of the name of the adopted person, which remains governed by Paragraph 13(1) of the Federal Law on private international law.

Rules of civil law

12 Paragraph 183(1) of the Austrian Civil Code (Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch), in the version applicable to the main proceedings (BGBl. 25/1995), provides:

‘Where the adopted child is adopted by only one person and the ties arising under family law with the other parent, in the sense of Paragraph 182(2), second sentence, cease to exist, the adopted child shall be given the family name of the adoptive parent …’

Law on civil status

13 Paragraph 15(1) of the Law on civil status (Personenstandsgesetz, BGBl. 60/1983) requires that an entry be corrected if it was incorrect when it was made.

German law

Rules concerning the abolition of the nobility

14 Article 109 of the Constitution of the German Empire (Verfassung des Deutschen Reichs), adopted on 11 August 1919 at Weimar, inter alia abolished all privileges based on birth or status and declared that titles of nobility were henceforth to be regarded only as an element of a surname and could no longer be conferred.

15 By virtue of Article 123(1) of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), that provision is still in force and has the status of ordinary federal...