European Court of Justice (News)

A.M. (Étiquetage des produits cosmétiques)
Approximation of laws
Information as to the ‘function’ of a cosmetic product which must appear on the product’s container and its packaging must inform consumers clearly as to that product’s purpose and method of use

CLCV and Others (Dispositif d’invalidation sur moteur diesel)
Environment and consumers
A manufacturer cannot install a defeat device which systematically improves, during approval procedures, the performance of the vehicle emission control system and thus obtain approval of the vehicle

WEG Tevesstraße
Taxation
The supply of heat by a group of residential property owners to its members is subject to VAT

Openbaar Ministerie (Indépendance de l’autorité judiciaire d’émission)
Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
The existence of evidence of systemic or generalised deficiencies concerning judicial independence in Poland or of an increase in those deficiencies does not in itself justify the judicial authorities of the other Member States refusing to execute any European arrest warrant issued by a Polish judicial authority

Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Berlin (Extradition vers l'Ukraine)
DISC
A Union citizen may be extradited to a third State only after consultation with the Member State of which that citizen is a national

Centraal Israëlitisch Consistorie van België and Others
Agriculture and fisheries
In order to promote animal welfare in the context of ritual slaughter, Member States may, without infringing the fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter, require a reversible stunning procedure which cannot result in the animal’s death

Austrian Airlines
Transport
According to Advocate General Pikamäe, the mere diversion of a flight to an alternative airport which is near the airport for which the booking was made does not give rise to a right to lump-sum compensation

Commission v Belgium and Magnetrol International
State aid
Tax rulings: According to Advocate General Kokott, the Commission was right to consider that the Belgian practice of making downward adjustments to profits of undertakings forming part of multinational groups constituted an aid scheme

Commission v Spain (Détérioration de l’espace naturel de Doñana)

According to Advocate General Kokott, the excessive abstraction of groundwater in the Andalusian Doñana natural area infringes EU law

Hungary v Parliament
Law governing the institutions
According to Advocate General Bobek, the Court should dismiss Hungary’s action against the Parliament’s resolution on the triggering of a procedure for determining the existence of a clear risk of a serious breach by this Member State of the EU’s fundamental values

Star Taxi App
Approximation of laws
A service that puts taxi passengers directly in touch with taxi drivers by means of an electronic application constitutes an information society service where it does not form an integral part of an overall service the principal component of which is the provision of transport

Région de Bruxelles-Capitale v Commission
Agriculture and fisheries
The Brussels Capital Region’s action for annulment of the Commission’s Implementing Regulation renewing the approval of the active substance ‘glyphosate’ is inadmissible

Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging
Freedom of establishment
The directive concerning the posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services is applicable to the transnational provision of services in the road transport sector

Openbaar Ministerie (Faux en écritures)
Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
Public prosecutors in the Netherlands do not constitute an ‘executing judicial authority’ in connection with the execution of a European arrest warrant, given that they may be subject to instructions in specific cases from the Netherlands Minister for Justice

Wikingerhof
Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
A hotel using the platform Booking.com may, in principle, bring proceedings against Booking.com before a court of the Member State in which that hotel is established in order to bring to an end a possible abuse of a dominant position

Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken
Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
A Member State which adopts a decision refusing a ‘Schengen’ visa because of an objection raised by another Member State must indicate, in that decision, the identity of the Member State concerned and the specific ground for refusal based on that objection, accompanied, where appropriate, by the reasons for that objection

Veselības ministrija
Social security for migrant workers
The refusal by a patient’s Member State of affiliation to grant prior authorisation for the reimbursement of cross-border healthcare costs when effective hospital treatment is available in that Member State but the method of treatment used is against the insured person’s religious beliefs brings about a difference in treatment indirectly based on religion

Commission v Italy and Others
State aid
According to Advocate General Tanchev, the Court should dismiss the appeal of the Commission against the judgment of the General Court on support measures adopted by an Italian consortium of banks for the benefit of one of its members

Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Détermination des taux des péages pour l'utilisation d'autoroutes)
Taxation
Traffic police-related costs cannot be taken into account in the calculation of tolls for the use of the trans-European road network by heavy goods vehicles

Commission v Poland
According to Advocate General Kokott, the Polish tax on the retail sector and the Hungarian advertisement tax do not infringe EU State aid rules