Commission of the European Communities v Kingdom of Sweden.
Jurisdiction | European Union |
ECLI | ECLI:EU:C:2002:281 |
Court | Court of Justice (European Union) |
Date | 07 May 2002 |
Docket Number | C-478/99 |
Procedure Type | Recours en constatation de manquement - non fondé |
Celex Number | 61999CJ0478 |
Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 7 May 2002. - Commission of the European Communities v Kingdom of Sweden. - Failure by a Member State to fulfil its obligations - Directive 93/13/EEC - Unfair terms in consumer contracts - Obligation to reproduce in national legislation the list of terms which may be regarded as unfair contained in the annex to Directive 93/13. - Case C-478/99.
European Court reports 2002 Page I-04147
Summary
Parties
Grounds
Decision on costs
Operative part
Acts of the institutions - Directives - Implementation by the Member States - Need for full transposition - List contained in the annex to the Directive reproduced in its entirety in the preparatory work for the implementing law - Whether permissible
(Council Directive 93/13, Art. 3(3))
Summary
$$Each of the Member States to which a directive is addressed is obliged to adopt, within its national legal system, all the measures necessary to ensure that the directive is fully effective, in accordance with the objective it pursues. It is essential that the legal situation resulting from national implementing measures be sufficiently precise and clear and that individuals be made fully aware of their rights so that, where appropriate, they may rely on them before the national courts.
The latter condition is of particular importance where the directive in question is intended to confer rights on nationals of other Member States, as is the case for Directive 93/13 on unfair terms in consumer contracts. As regards the annex referred to in Article 3(3) of the Directive, the annex in question is, according to the terms of Article 3(3), to contain an indicative and non-exhaustive list of terms which may be regarded as unfair. It is not disputed that a term appearing in the list need not necessarily be considered unfair and, conversely, a term that does not appear in the list may none the less be regarded as unfair. In so far as it does not limit the discretion of the national authorities to determine the unfairness of a term, the list contained in the annex to the Directive does not seek to give consumers rights going beyond those that result from Articles 3 to 7 of the Directive. It in no way alters the result sought by the Directive which, as such, is binding on Member States.
It follows that the full effect of the Directive can be ensured in a sufficiently precise and clear legal framework without the list contained in the annex to the Directive forming an integral part of the provisions implementing the Directive. Inasmuch as the list contained in the annex to the Directive is of indicative and illustrative value, it constitutes a source of information both for the national authorities responsible for applying the implementing measures and for individuals affected by those measures. Member States must therefore, in order to achieve the result sought by the Directive, choose a form and method of implementation that offer a sufficient guarantee that the public can obtain knowledge of it.
( see paras 15, 18, 20-22 )
PartiesIn Case C-478/99,
Commission of the European Communities, represented by L. Parpala and P. Stancanelli, acting as Agents, with an address for service in Luxembourg,
applicant,
v
Kingdom of Sweden, represented by L. Nordling and A. Kruse, acting as Agents, with an address for service in Luxembourg,
defendant,
supported by
Kingdom of Denmark, represented by J. Molde, acting as Agent, with an address for service in Luxembourg,
and by
Republic of Finland, represented by T. Pynnä and E. Bygglin, acting as Agents, with an address for service in Luxembourg,
interveners,
APPLICATION for a declaration that, by failing to adopt the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to implement in its national legal system the annex referred to in Article 3(3) of Council Directive 93/13/EEC of 5 April 1993 on unfair terms in consumer contracts (OJ 1993 L 95, p. 29), the Kingdom of Sweden has failed to fulfil its obligations under that directive,
THE...
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