Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

EU Law > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What is Article 26(2)

A

‘The internal market shall comprise an area without internal frontiers in which the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital is ensured in accordance with the provisions of the Treaties’.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are ‘goods’?

A

Commission v Italy
‘products which can be valued in money and which are capable, as such, of forming the subject of commercial transactions’.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is a customs union?

A

> A ‘free trade area’ where goods pass between countries without the imposition of restrictions such as customs duties [internal]
A system for the charging of a ‘common customs tariff’ on goods coming into the free trade area from other countries [external]

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is Article 28(1)?

A

The Union shall comprise a customs union which shall cover all trade in goods and which shall involve the prohibition between Member States of customs duties on imports and exports and of all charges having equivalent effect, and the adoption of a common customs tariff in their relations with third countries.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are the provisions of the treaty?

A

Article 30 - Prohibits customs duties and charges having equivalent effect
Article 110 - prohibits discriminatory taxation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are charges having equivalent effect?

A

Commission v Italy (Statistical Levy)
> ‘Any pecuniary charge … which is imposed unilaterally on domestic or foreign goods by reason of the fact that they cross a frontier and which is not a customs duty in the strict sense …’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is IRRELEVANT to identify a CEE ?

A

Size of charge
Designation
Mode of application
That the charge is not imposed for the benefit of the State.
That the charge is not discriminatory
That the charge is not protective in effect
That the product on which the charge is imposed is not in competition with any domestic product

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What happened in Commission v Italy (Statistical Levy)

A

Levy imposed by italy on imports for the purpose of collecting accurate statistical material relating to trade patterns

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What happened in Sociaal Fonds?

A

Charge on diamonds imported into Belgium was a CEE even though not protectionist

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What about charges that do not constitute a customs duty of a CEE?

A 
3 Ways
1. Related to a system of internal dues
2. Payment for a service rendered
3. Attaches to inspections imposed by EU law
Commission v Germany
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Explain Internal Dues

A

Charges will not fall within Article 30 but Article 110

Mutually exclusive - Afrons Lutticke

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Explain Payment for a Service Rendered

A

Payment for a specific service actually rendered to the importer and in proportion to that service from being lawful

Commission v Italy
Statistical Levy case

Importer must benefit
Bresciani
- was a CEE
- inspection was for general public not service to the importer

Commission v Belgium
Must be done at the request of the importer

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Explain Bresciani

A

Levy to cover the cost of compulsory veterinary inspections on animal products in Italy
Imposed in general interest of the public so NOT service to the importer
So it was a CEE
The cost of the inspections should have been met by the general public as it was the public as a whole who benefitted from the inspections, not the importer.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Explain Commission v Belgium (customs warehouses)

A

Must be done at the request of the importer
charges on goods deposited in customs warehouses situated in the interior of Belgium.
The Court held that a charge for the temporary storage of goods in the warehouses at the request of the importer was not a CEE as this was a charge for a service.
the levying of the storage charge on goods presented by the importer at the warehouses solely for the purpose of undergoing compulsory customs clearance operations there, even when the goods were exempt from storage and the importer had not requested that they be placed in storage, was a CEE as it was not a charge for a service

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Explain inspections

A

Must be inspection required by EU law
Bresciani

Commission v Germany (Animal Inspectors)
- was required under a Directive

4 Requirements

  1. must not exceed actual costs
  2. must be obligatory and uniform for relevant products
  3. must be prescribed by EU law
  4. Must promote the free movement of goods
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Explain Commission v Germany (Animal Inspectors)

A

a fee to cover the costs of veterinary inspections on imported live animals
Required under a Directive

17
Q

Explain Commissions v Netherlands

A

About inspections

> where the obligation to inspect had been imposed on all Member States by an international treaty which was designed to encourage the free movement of goods

18
Q

What is Article 110?

A

Prevents discriminatory internal taxation
1) No MS shall impose directly or indirectly on the products of other MS any internal taxation of any kind in excess of that imposed directly or indirectly on similar domestic products

2) No MS shall impose on the products of other MS any internal taxation of such a nature as to afford indirect protection to other products

19
Q

Which taxes are regulated by Article 110?

A

‘a general system of internal dues applied systematically to categories of products in accordance with objective criteria irrespective of the origin of the products’
Commission v France - Reprographic Machinery

20
Q

What happened in Dansk Denkavit ? What case can you contrast this with ?

A

Gave a definition of the type of taxes which are covered by Article 110A
Part of an internal system of dues as the levy was also imposed on domestic products using the same criteria
– charge levied to fund the cost of checking samples of imported foodstuffs containing additives was not a CEE

Contrast with Bresciani

  • inspections on animal products
  • this was a CEE
  • charges were not applied according to the same criteria and at the same stage of production
21
Q

What happened in Reprographic Machinery ?

A

Defined CEE
> a charge which is applied systematically to categories of products irrespective of the origin of the products will be governed by Article 110
> levy on machinery such as photocopiers
> only 1% of equipment into the market was produced in France - 99% was imported
>

A (good tax) is a general system of internal dues applied systematically to categories of products irrespective of origin

    • Art 110 taxes:
  • general system of internal dues
  • applied systematically in accordance with same criteria
  • to domestic and imported products alike
22
Q

What are the requirements for Article 110(1)?

A

Goods must be similar

Must be discrimination (direct or indirect)

23
Q

Similar Goods Test

A 
Article 101(1)
Whether, at the same stage of production or marketing, the products had similar characteristics and met the same needs from the point of view of consumers

Rewe-Zentrale

Commission v Denmark
John Walker

24
Q

Cases in Similar Goods Test

A

Commission v Denmark

  • grapewine v fruitwine
  • similar as produced the same / met the same needs from consumers

John Walker
- whisky v fruit liquor
- production different
organoleptic properties different

25
Q

Explain Discrimination

A

Article 101(1)
Direct &
Indirect

1 Direct
Overtly treats the imported goods less favourably than the similar domestic goods
Commission v Italy (regenerated Oil)

  1. Indirect
    Has the effect of discriminating against imported goods by placing them into a less favourable position
    Commission v Denmark
26
Q

What happened in Commission v Italy (regenerated Oil)

A

direct tax discrimination

> charged lower tax on regenerated oil than normal oil
only available to domestic oil producers
direct discrim
breach of article 110(1)

27
Q

What happened in Commission v Denmark

A
  • grapewine v fruitwine
  • grapewine taxed at higher rate
  • grapewine imported
  • similar as produced the same / met the same needs from consumers
  • breach of article 110(1)
28
Q

What happened in Humblot

A

French
taxation of cars
H paid large tax on mercedes with engine size of 36 CV
in france, any engine over 16CV subject to a special rax at a rate of 5000 francs
french manufacturers only produced engine sizes up tp 16CV

29
Q

What happened with Commission v Greece

A
  • tiered tax system
  • taxes rose by 50% between 1,800cc and 1801cc
  • not discrim
  • can choose from range of cars between 1800cc and 1600 cc which were all imported
30
Q

What are the justifications for indirect taxation?

A

Chemical Farmaceutici SpA
- Taxed synthetic alcohol at 12k lire per hectolitre
Not produced in itay, so only fell on importers
The difference in the level of taxation - industrial policy of promoting the distillation of agricultural products as against the manufacture of alcohol from petroleum derivatives.

Commission v Greece
- justified on social policy

31
Q

Explain Article 110(2)

A

Regulates the taxation of products which are not similar

Commission v France 'Spirits'
> tax on spirits obtained from cereals
> not imposed on spirits made from fruit
> cereal imported
> sufficient characteristics in common

Com v UK
- higher tax on wine than beer

Com v Belgium
- higher vat rate

32
Q

What happened in Commission v UK Wine and Beer

A

higher rate of tax on wine than on beer
- relative increase in duty on wine of 102% compared to a relative increase for beer had been 59% - the tax burden on wine judged by volume had become approximately five times that of beer.
- CoJ initially agreed that w and b were in competition
- Follow up judgement
- the decisive competitive relationship was between beer and the lightest and cheapest varieties of wine
- it was clear that the tax burden on the cheaper types of wine was considerably higher than that on beer. This did have the effect of stamping wine with the hallmarks of a luxury product which could scarcely constitute a genuine alternative to beer in the eyes of the consumer.
Solution
the United Kingdom lowered the tax on wine and increased the tax on beer but did not apply the same regime to both. This was approved by the Commission.

33
Q

What happened in Commission v Belgium

A

> wine in Belgium was subject to a VAT rate of 25% whilst beer was subject to a rate of 19%.
The Court of Justice concluded that, as the retail price of a litre of wine in Belgium was four times that of beer, the Commission had failed to prove that the difference of only 6% between the VAT rates applied to the two products was capable of influencing consumer behaviour and therefore of having a protective effect in favour of beer.

34
Q

Cases in Article 110(2)

A

Commission v France - spirits
Commission v UK - Wine & Beer
Commission v Belgium

35
Q

Cases in indirect discrimination

A

Commission v Denmark
Humblot
Commission v Greece
Chemical Farmaceutici

36
Q

Case in direct discrimination

A

Commission v Italy - regenerate oil

37
Q

Cases in similar goods

A

Commission v Denmark

John Walker

EU Law (9 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions