Les Chirurgiens-Dentistes de France and Others v Ministre des Solidarités et de la Santé and Others.

• Jurisdiction: European Union
• ECLI: ECLI:EU:C:2021:135
• Docket Number: C-940/19
• Date: 25 February 2021
• Celex Number: 62019CJ0940
• Court: Court of Justice (European Union)

Provisional text

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (First Chamber)

25 February 2021 (*)

(Reference for a preliminary ruling – Recognition of professional qualifications – Directive 2005/36/EC – Article 4f(6) – National regulation – Allowing for the possibility of partial access to one of the professions covered by the mechanism for the automatic recognition of professional qualifications)

In Case C‑940/19,

REQUEST for a preliminary ruling under Article 267 TFEU from the Conseil d’État (Council of State, France), made by decision of 19 December 2019, received at the Court on 30 December 2019, in the proceedings

Les chirurgiens-dentistes de France, formerly the Confédération nationale des syndicats dentaires,

Confédération des syndicats médicaux français,

Fédération des syndicats pharmaceutiques de France,

Syndicat des biologistes,

Syndicat des laboratoires de biologie clinique,

Syndicat des médecins libéraux,

Union dentaire,

Conseil national de l’ordre des chirurgiens-dentistes,

Conseil national de l’ordre des masseurs-kinésithérapeutes,

Conseil national de l’ordre des infirmiers,

v

Ministre des Solidarités et de la Santé,

Ministre de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation,

Premier ministre,

THE COURT (First Chamber),

composed of J.-C. Bonichot, President of the Chamber, L. Bay Larsen (Rapporteur), C. Toader, M. Safjan and N. Jääskinen, Judges,

Advocate General: G. Hogan,

Registrar: Calot Escobar,

having regard to the written procedure,

after considering the observations submitted on behalf of:

– les chirurgiens-dentistes de France, the confédération des syndicats médicaux français, the fédération des syndicats pharmaceutiques de France, the syndicat des biologistes, the syndicat des laboratoires de biologie clinique, the syndicat des médecins libéraux and the union dentaire, by V. Pellegrain, avocate,

– the conseil national de l’ordre des chirurgiens-dentistes, by F. Thiriez, avocat,

– the conseil national de l’ordre des infirmiers, by O. Smallwood, avocat,

– the French Government, by A.-L. Desjonquères, N. Vincent and A. Daniel, acting as Agents,

– the Czech Government, by M. Smolek, J. Vláčil and I. Gavrilová, acting as Agents,

– the Austrian Government, by A. Posch and J. Schmoll, acting as Agents,

– the European Commission, by L. Armati, H. Støvlbæk and C. Vrignon, acting as Agents,

after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 1 October 2020,

gives the following

Judgment

1 This request for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of Articles 4f(6) of Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications (OJ 2005 L 255, p. 22), as amended by Directive 2013/55/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 (OJ 2013 L 354, p. 132) (‘Directive 2005/36 as amended’).

2 The request has been brought in proceedings between les chirurgiens-dentistes de France, formerly the confédération nationale des syndicats dentaires, the confédération des syndicats médicaux français, the fédération des syndicats pharmaceutiques de France, the syndicat des biologistes, the syndicat des laboratoires de biologie clinique, the syndicat des médecins libéraux and the union dentaire as well as the conseil national de l’ordre des chirurgiens-dentistes, the conseil national de l’ordre des masseurs-kinésithérapeutes and the conseil national de l’ordre des infirmiers (together, ‘les chirurgiens-dentistes de France and Others’), on the one hand, and the Ministre des Solidarités et de la Santé (Minister for Solidarity and Health), the Ministre de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l’Innovation (Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation) and the Premier ministre (Prime Minister), on the other hand, relating to an action seeking annulment of regulatory measures concerning certain aspects of the partial access to healthcare professions.

Legal context

EU law

Directive 2013/55

3 According to recital 1 of Directive 2013/55, Directive 2005/36, in its original version, provides for automatic recognition for a limited number of professions based on harmonisation of minimum training requirements.

4 Recital 7 of Directive 2013/55 is worded as follows:

‘Directive 2005/36/EC applies only to professionals who want to pursue the same profession in another Member State. There are cases where, in the host Member State, the activities concerned are part of a profession with a larger scope of activities than in the home Member State. If the differences between the fields of activity are so large that a full programme of education and training would be required from the professional to compensate for shortcomings, and if the professional so requests, a host Member State should under these particular circumstances grant partial access. However, where there are overriding reasons of general interest, as defined by the Court of Justice of the European Union in its case-law relating to Articles 49 and 56 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and which may continue to evolve, a Member State should be able to refuse partial access. This may in particular be the case for health professions if they have public health or patient safety implications. Granting partial access should be without prejudice to the right of social partners to organise themselves.’

Directive 2005/36 as amended

5 Recitals 1 and 19 of Directive 2005/36 as amended state as follows:

‘(1) Pursuant to Article 3(1)(c) of the Treaty, the abolition, as between Member States, of obstacles to the free movement of persons and services is one of the objectives of the Community. For nationals of the Member States, this includes, in particular, the right to pursue a profession, in a self-employed or employed capacity, in a Member State other than the one in which they have obtained their professional qualifications. In addition, Article 47(1) of the Treaty lays down that directives shall be issued for the mutual recognition of diplomas, certificates and other evidence of formal qualifications.

[…]

(19) Freedom of movement and the mutual recognition of the...