European Court of Justice (News)

Szpital Kliniczny im. dra J. Babińskiego Samodzielny Publiczny Zakład Opieki Zdrowotnej w Krakowie
SOPO
The practice adopted by an employer and consisting in the payment of an allowance only to workers with disabilities who have submitted disability certificates after a date chosen by that employer may constitute direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of disability

Hessischer Rundfunk
Economic policy
A euro area Member State can oblige its administration to accept payments in cash, but can also limit that payment option on public interest grounds

Foundation for the Protection of the Traditional Cheese of Cyprus named Halloumi v EUIPO - M. J. Dairies (BBQLOUMI)
Intellectual and industrial property
The General Court confirms that there is no likelihood of confusion between the collective mark HALLOUMI, reserved for the members of a Cypriot association, and the sign ‘BBQLOUMI’ which serves to designate the products of a Bulgarian company

Venezuela v Council
External relations
Advocate General Hogan: a third State may have legal standing in an action for annulment of restrictive measures adopted by the Council against that State

Staatssecretaris van Justitie en Veiligheid (Retour d’un mineur non accompagné)
Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
Before issuing a return decision in respect of an unaccompanied minor, a Member State must verify that adequate reception facilities are available for the minor in the State of return

Report on the functioning of the General Court of the European Union

Repubblika
DFON
Advocate General Hogan : EU Law does not preclude national constitutional provisions under which the executive power or one of its members, such as the Prime Minister, plays a role in the process of the appointment of members of the judiciary

A.B. and Others (Nomination des juges à la Cour suprême - Recours)
Law governing the institutions
Advocate General Tanchev: Polish law introduced in order to exclude the possibility for legal review of the National Council of the Judiciary’s assessment of judicial candidates to the Supreme Court violates EU law

Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Hamburg
Area of Freedom, Security and Justice
L’exécution d’un mandat d’arrêt européen délivré aux fins d’exécution d’une peine privative de liberté ne peut être refusée, lorsque la personne concernée a fait obstacle à sa citation en personne et n’a pas comparu en personne au procès en raison de sa fuite vers l’État membre d’exécution, au seul motif que l’État membre d’émission n’a pas assuré que le droit à un nouveau procès de cette personne sera respecté

Syndicat interprofessionnel de défense du fromage Morbier
Agriculture and fisheries
EU law prohibits the reproduction of the shape or appearance of a product protected by a PDO in certain circumstances

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