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I am hoping for a few gaps in yet again a mad diary this week, to catch up on quite a few developments I tweeted on earlier. First up is judgment in C‑147/21 Comité interprofessionnel des huiles essentielles françaises (CIHEF) et al v Ministre de la Transition écologique ea. The case concerns the possibility for Member States to adopt restrictive measures on commercial and advertising practices for biocidal products. It is a good illustration of the mechanism of precaution or pre-emption in EU law, and of the classic application of Article 36 TFEU’s exceptions to free movement of goods.

Applicants contest the French restriction of commercial practices such as discounts and rebates, as well as advertising, for two specific biocides categories: rodenticides and insecticides. The secondary law benchmark is Biocidal Products Regulation 528/2012.

As for the first category, commercial practices such as discounts, price reductions, rebates, the differentiation of general and specific sales conditions, the gift of free units or any equivalent practices, the Court, also seeking report in the AG’s Opinion, held [33] that the Regulation’s definitions of ‘making available on the market’ and ‘use’ of biocidal products are as such sufficiently broad to cover commercial practices linked to the sale of those products, however [34] that the Regulation does not seek to harmonise the rules relating to commercial practices linked to the sale of biocidal products.

That leaves the classic CJEU Case 8/74 Dassonville test (all measures of a Member State which are capable of hindering, directly or indirectly, actually or potentially, trade within the European Union are to be considered as measures having an effect equivalent to quantitative restrictions within the meaning of that provision), tempered by Joined cases C-267/91 and C-268/91 Keck et Mithouard : there is no direct or indirect hindrance, actually or potentially, of trade between Member States, in the event of:

• the application to products from other Member States of national provisions restricting or prohibiting certain selling arrangements [[39] of current judgment the CJEU confirms this is the case here]
• on condition that those provisions apply to all relevant traders operating within the national territory [41 held to to be the case here] and that they affect in the same manner, in law and in fact, the marketing of domestic products and of those from other Member States [[42] held to have to be judged by the national court but 43 ff strongly suggested to be the case here (i.e. there not being distinctive affectation of domestic cq imported products)].

Should the national court decide that (unlike what the CJEU indicates) the French measures are not selling arrangements, carved out from Article 34’s scope altogether, the CJEU [48] ff holds that the French measures most likely  (the final arbiter will be the French judge) enjoy the protection of both Article 36 TFEU’s health and life of humans exception, and the Court’s Cassis de Dijon-inserted ‘overriding reason in the public interest’ aka the rule of reason aka the mandatory requirements exception: strong indications are that the measures are justified by objectives of protection of the health and life of humans and of the environment, that they are suitable for securing the attainment of those objectives and that they do not not go beyond what is necessary in order to attain them. The referring court will have to confirm.

As for the French obligations relating to advertisements addressed to professionals (which includes in particular adding a specific statement), here the Court holds [60] ff that the Regulation does exhaustively harmonise the  wording of statements on the risks of using of biocidal products which may appear in advertisements for those products. This precludes the relevant French rules.

[68] ff however the French prohibition of advertising addressed to the general public, is held not to have been regulated by the Regulation, with the Court coming to the same conclusions as above, viz Article 34’s selling arrangements carve-out and, subsidiarily, Article 36 TFEU’s and the rule of reason exceptions.

A final check therefore is to be done by the referring court however it seems most likely the French restrictions will be upheld.

Geert.

EU Environmental Law, 2017, Chapter 17, p.308 ff.

The Biocides judgment is now here https://t.co/shbrzHqfzA, #neonicotinoids here https://t.co/o6zK33JHHe https://t.co/tjwfrI7Nil

— Geert Van Calster (@GAVClaw) January 20, 2023

The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) has recently published the new edition of the Practical Handbook on the Operation of the Apostille Convention.

The Handbook provides guidance on the practical implementation and operation of the HCCH Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, applied tens of millions of times every year to the benefit of individuals, families, and businesses from across the world.

This second edition provides updated information and resources in response to the latest developments in relation to the Convention, including by incorporating advice from recent meetings and reflecting on the experiences of the growing number of Contracting Parties. Key changes include a greater focus on the electronic Apostille Programme (e-APP), further explanation of the role of diplomatic missions, and the incorporation of outcomes of the Working Group on the Authentication of Documents Generated by Supranational and Intergovernmental Organisations, the Experts’ Group on the e-APP and New Technologies, as well as the most recent meetings of the International Forum on the e-APP and the Special Commission on the practical operation of the Apostille Convention.

The Handbook is available here in English, French and Spanish.

The INSOL Europe Academic Forum (IEAF) is inviting submission for its 19th annual conference, taking place on 11-12 October 2023 in Amsterdam. Expressions of interest are invited for the delivery of research papers within the overall theme of the academic conference The Perpetual Renewal of European Insolvency Law.

Submissions are welcome dealing, for instance, with (i) Public and social policy and the impact on corporate rescue, and vice versa, (ii) Pre-packs rehabilitated, (iii) Modern issues surrounding directors’ duties to file for insolvency and (iv) EU Preventive Restructuring Directive and European Insolvency Regulation.

Expressions of interest in delivering a paper should be sent by email on or before 1 March 2023 to the IEAF’s Deputy Chair, Dr. Jennifer Gant, at jenniferl.l.gant@gmail.com by using the form available here.

The call for papers is available here. For further information on the conference, see here.

Bank M. (Conséquences de l’annulation du contrat)
Rapprochement des législations
Avocat général Collins : à la suite de l’annulation d’un contrat de prêt hypothécaire en raison de la présence de clauses abusives, les consommateurs peuvent faire valoir à l’encontre des banques des prétentions allant au-delà du remboursement de la prestation monétaire ; les banques non

China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products e.a. / Commission
Relations extérieures
Contestation antidumping : l’avocate générale Medina suggère à la Cour de reconnaître la qualité pour agir de la China Chamber of Commerce en tant qu’association représentative

Asociaţia "Forumul Judecătorilor din România"
Principes du droit communautaire
Selon l’avocat général Emiliou, une procédure de promotion des juges fondée sur une évaluation de leur travail et de leur conduite par une commission composée du président et de juges de la cour de rang supérieur compétente est compatible avec le droit de l’Union

Chief Appeals Officer e.a.
Principes du droit communautaire
Avocate générale Ćapeta : la mère d’un travailleur mobile de l’Union peut demander une prestation sociale sans que cette demande remette en question son droit de séjour

Lufthansa Technik AERO Alzey
Espace de liberté, sécurité et justice
La Cour précise la notion de « circonstances exceptionnelles » permettant à l’autorité judiciaire compétente de suspendre l’exécution d’une décision certifiée en tant que titre exécutoire européen

Rzecznik Praw Dziecka e.a. (Suspension de la décision de retour)
Le droit de l’Union s’oppose à ce que des autorités nationales puissent obtenir sans justification la suspension d’une décision définitive de retour d’un enfant

HYA e.a. (Motivation des autorisations des écoutes téléphoniques)
Rapprochement des législations
Une décision autorisant une mise sur écoute téléphonique peut ne pas contenir de motifs individualisés

Tráficos Manuel Ferrer
Concurrence
Actions en dommages et intérêts pour infractions au droit de la concurrence : le droit de l’Union en la matière ne s’oppose pas à une règle nationale selon laquelle, en cas d’accueil partiel de la demande, les dépens demeurent à la charge de chaque partie, qui supporte alors la moitié des frais communs

Commission / Italie
Droit institutionnel
La Cour confirme l’illégalité de deux avis de concours EPSO limitant le choix de la seconde langue aux langues anglaise, française ou allemande

The number of States which, pressed by the need to relieve and speed up the work of the courts, have de-judicialised the dissolution of the marriage bond and assigned the responsibility thereto to various extrajudicial authorities (Civil Registrars, notaries, mayors, etc.), has considerably increased in recent times.

This has been the case in Spain, where, following the entry into force of Law 15/2015 of 2 July 2015 on Voluntary Jurisdiction, Spanish notarial authorities are competent to grant divorces (Articles 81, 82 and 87 of the Civil Code). Examples exist as well in Latin America (Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, Bolivia and Nicaragua), Europe (Italy, France, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Greece, Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Moldova and Romania), Asia and Euro-Asia (Japan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Armenia).

In fact, a thorough examination of comparative law shows that the regulation of non-judicial divorce is very diverse, even in countries belonging to the same geographical area. Not in all cases does an authority intervene, nor, when it does, does it perform identical functions or is vested with the same competences. With this in mind, a monograph by Nuria Marchal Escalona, titled El Divorcio No Judicial en Derecho Internacional Privado (Thomson Reuters Aranzadi, 2022), analyses the private international law-related problems Spanish notaries face when authorizing a public deed of divorce in cross-border cases. It further deals with the difficulties foreign extrajudicial divorces meet to produce effect in Spain. The study of a per se intricate subject matter becomes even more complex due to the number of legal sources in Spanish private international law in the field.

The monograph addresses, in the first place, jurisdiction – international and territorial – to grant a public deed of divorce. At a second stage, it examines the law applicable both to the dissolution of the marriage and to the issues necessarily associated thereto, such  as the use of the family home, financial regime of the marriage, or maintenance. Lastly, it deals with the problems foreign non-judicial divorces run into to be effective in Spain. In particular regarding the latter point, the analysis is highly topical for three reasons: firstly, due to the  judgment in Case C-646/20, where the CJEU ruled that a divorce certificate issued by a civil registry official constitutes (subject to conditions) a “judicial decision”; by way of consequence, under Regulation 2201/2003 such divorces are to be recognized like a judicial decision. Secondly, Article 65 of Regulation 2019/1111 introduces a relevant novelty in the field, since, in contrast to the twofold combination of judicial decision (Art. 21) and public document (Article 46) of the Brussels I bis Regulation, it also allows for the effectiveness of registered private agreements. Finally, Article 96, paragraph 3, of the Spanish Civil Register Act extends the legal regime it itself accords to foreign judgments to decisions delivered by foreign non-judicial authorities in matters which, under to Spanish law, belong to the remit of judges and courts.

The monograph aims at offering a complete vision of the Spanish private international law rules regarding non-judicial divorce in a clear, praxis-oriented way, with an exhaustive analysis of comparative and case law. Above all, it provides the legal professionals essential guidance to overcome the fragmentation of sources in order to ascertain the rules pertinent to each individual case.

Les juridictions nationales et européennes font face à un flux de recours contre les mesures restrictives individuelles adoptées par le Conseil de l’Union européenne (UE) à l’encontre de la Russie depuis le début de la guerre en Ukraine. Éclairage sur les différentes facettes de ce contentieux qui explose.

Sur la boutique Dalloz Code pénal 2023, annoté Voir la boutique Dalloz

en lire plus

Le suicide d’une personne placée en garde à vue donne lieu à une appréciation par les juges de l’existence d’une faute lourde imputable à l’État et du respect du droit à la vie. Pour cela, ils doivent tenir compte notamment de l’état de fragilité de la personne, des mesures de précaution adoptées par les services de police, du mode opératoire utilisé et du laps de temps au cours duquel le geste fatal se produit.

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Le bon de commande passé par la France dans le cadre du contrat-cadre conclu entre la Commission européenne et les sociétés Pfizer et BioNTech relève de la matière civile et commerciale au sens du droit de l’Union. Par conséquent, le juge administratif français est incompétent pour en connaître.

en lire plus

On Tuesday, March 7, 2023, the Hamburg Max Planck Institute will host its 31st monthly virtual workshop Current Research in Private International Law at 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (CET). Dário Moura Vicente (University of Lisbon) will speak, in English, about the topic

Investment Arbitration – Lost in the Bermuda Triangle of EU Law, Public International Law and Private International Law?

The presentation will be followed by open discussion. All are welcome. More information and sign-up here.

If you want to be invited to these events in the future, please write to veranstaltungen@mpipriv.de.

MPI is sending an invitation to its virtual workshop on the topic of “Investment Arbitration – Lost in the Bermuda Triangle of EU Law, Public International Law and Private International Law?”, which will be presented by Professor Dário Moura Vicente, University of Lisbon.

As a part of the series “Current Research in Private International Law”, the workshop will take place online via Zoom, on Tuesday, 7 March 2023 at 11:00 a.m. (CET). Registration for the workshop is possible at this LINK.

More information is available here.

Written by Nicolás Zambrana-Tévar LLM(LSE) PhD(Navarra), Associate Professor KIMEP University (Kazakhstan), n.zambrana@kimep.kz

There has recently been a new and disappointing development in the saga of the Sánchez-Hill, a Spanish-Cuban-US family who filed a lawsuit before Spanish courts against a Spanish Hotel company (Meliá Hotels) for unjust enrichment. Meliá is exploiting several hotels located on land owned by Gaviota S.A., a Cuban company owned by the Republic of Cuba. That land was expropriated by Cuba without compensation, following the revolution of 1959.

In 2019, the First Instance Court of Mallorca (Spain) held that the lawsuit was a means to circumvent the sovereign immunity of Cuba, given the fact that, in order to decide on the right to compensation of the claimants for the unjust enrichment of the defendant, the court would allegedly have to decide on the lawfulness of a sovereign act – i.e. expropriation –, because only if the expropriation had been unlawful could the defendant be exploiting land which did not belong to Gaviota but to the claimants. The court held that the claimants were also arguing that they had a right in rem – such as property or possession – over assets of a sovereign state and that such assets were also protected by the rules of sovereign immunity. This alone would have been enough to dismiss the lawsuit but, unnecessarily, the court added that it did not have jurisdiction to decide about property rights concerning real estate assets located outside Spain.

The Court of Appeal of Mallorca disagreed with the lower court. It held that sovereign immunity was not an issue because Cuba had not been named a defendant in the claim. Besides, Spanish courts had jurisdiction because Spain was the place of the domicile of the defendant and the claim was one of unjust enrichment – i.e. a claim in tort –, not one whose subject matter was the existence or scope of a right in rem over a real estate asset. In brief, the claimants were not asking Cuba to give back their land and were not asking monetary compensation neither from Cuba nor from Gaviota.

Meliá then filed a motion arguing that the claim was an attempt to eschew the EU Blocking Statute meant to prevent the effectiveness of US court rulings against EU companies, under the Helms-Burton Act of 1996. The defendants further requested that the matter be taken to the European Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling on the scope and correct interpretation of the Blocking Statute. The CJEU may have taken years to issue such a ruling but the Spanish First Instance Court denied the motion.

Later on, Meliá filed another motion requesting that Gaviota and the Republic of Cuba be joined to the lawsuit (exceptio plurium litisconsortium) and the First Instance Court granted the motion on the basis, once again, that any ruling on unjust enrichment would previously and necessarily require a decision about the property rights of Gaviota and Cuba, which should therefore be heard in the Spanish proceedings. Probably making a very serious strategic mistake, the claimants did not appeal this decision of the First Instance Court and agreed to join Gaviota and Cuba to their claim with the result that, last January 2023, the First Instance Court once again dismissed the lawsuit on grounds of sovereign immunity, given the fact that, now, a sovereign entity is in fact a defendant in the proceedings.

In the meantime, the Cuban Government had been correctly notified and had claimed that it enjoyed sovereign immunity before foreign courts. Beyond that, Cuba never made an appearance in the proceedings but Gaviota did, requesting that the proceedings be stayed on the basis that it also enjoyed sovereign immunity. Besides, the Spanish Government had also issued a report requested by Spanish law, indicating that the Cuban acts of expropriation must indeed be considered acts iure imperii.

The potential implications of a claimants’ improbable victory for the Spanish tourism industry in Cuba are worrisome but, above all, this muddled and already long-lasting lawsuit has given rise to much interest among Spanish scholars, especially conflict of laws specialists. The 2019 decision of the First Instance Court was criticised for applying the doctrine of sovereign immunity in the absence of a sovereign defendant – e.g. something much more similar to the Act of State doctrine, which has no place in Spanish law – and for confusing an action in rem with an action in personam. That initial ruling of the First Instance Court may have also inappropriately mentioned and relied on immunity from execution against property of a sovereign state, which is mostly relevant in enforcement proceedings.

Now, however, the Spanish First Instance Court apparently feels vindicated because its recent an relatively short ruling reiterates verbatim practically everything it said in its 2019 decision. The judge also warns the claimants that they had the chance to appeal the ruling granting the motion to join Gaviota and Cuba but did not do so, which means that such decision is now res judicata. The logic of the argument is somewhat baffling. The judge initially dismissed the claim on grounds of sovereign immunity, despite the fact that no sovereign was a party. Then, the judge requested that the sovereign be joined as a party and, when the claimant yielded and did so, the judge once again dismissed the claim on grounds of sovereign immunity.

The key to this stage of the proceedings may have been the joinder of Gaviota and Cuba to the claim. Arguably, it was not necessary to do so. In Spanish law, the exceptio plurium litisconsortium can be raised in certain cases provided by statute as well as in certain cases provided by case law. Whenever there is a plurality of parties to the same legal relationship, which is the subject-matter of the proceedings, a joinder is obligatory as a condition for a decision on the merits, based on the inseparable nature of that legal relationship. Its justification lies in the right to be heard of all those who might be affected by the ruling on the merits. A joinder is not necessary when the ruling only affects certain individuals or entities in an indirect manner. In the case at hand, the parties to the unjust enrichment are Meliá, i.e. the party who has allegedly enriched itself at the expense of the other party, i.e. the claimants. Cuba is therefore not a party to the alleged unjust enrichment. Moreover, any findings of Spanish courts concerning the unlawfulness of the expropriation would have no bearing on the property rights of Cuba over that land.

In fact, Spanish courts are no strangers to litigation related to the Cuban nationalisation program and, on several occasions, the Supreme Court has taken into consideration the unlawfulness of that nationalisation process with respect to, for instance, ownership rights over trademarks registered in Spain, emphasising that it is not for Spanish courts to decide on such lawfulness but that they can accept or reject some of the extraterritorial effects of the sovereign acts of the foreign state in the territory of the forum. In those cases, the Supreme Court said that the Cuban nationalization was against the public policy of Spain because of the absence of due process and compensation. However, the Supreme Court added that the applicable law to property rights over trademarks registered in Spain was Spanish law, not Cuban law.

The Sánchez-Hill family has just a few more days left to appeal this new decision of the First Instance Court, in proceedings which may potentially have opened a new venue for victims of the Cuban revolution, given the EU Blocking Statute and given the fact that, since the end of the suspension of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, claims before US Federal Courts based on that piece of legislation have not been very being successful.

Belaeronavigatsia / Conseil
Relations extérieures
Le Tribunal confirme les mesures restrictives adoptées à l’encontre de l’entreprise étatique gérant l’espace aérien en Biélorussie