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Panasonic Corp. et MT Picture Display Co. Ltd / Commission
Concurrence
Le Tribunal réduit les amendes infligées par la Commission à Panasonic et à Toshiba au titre de leur participation à une entente sur le marché européen des tubes pour téléviseurs

Tribunal de grande instance de Mulhouse, chambre correctionnelle, 1er septembre 2015

Deuxième chambre civile de la Cour de cassation (demande de récusation d'un magistrat de cour d'appel)

Panasonic Corp. et MT Picture Display Co. Ltd / Commission
Concurrence
Le Tribunal réduit les amendes infligées par la Commission à Panasonic et à Toshiba au titre de leur participation à une entente sur le marché européen des tubes pour téléviseurs

Ferreira da Silva e Brito e.a.
SOPO
L'Etat portugais devra indemniser les travailleurs d'Air Atlantis, ancienne filiale de TAP

Deniz Halil Deren has authored a book (in German) on expropriation in private international law (“Internationales Enteignungsrecht – Kollisionsrechtliche Grundlagen und Investitionsschutzfragen”). Published by Mohr Siebeck the book looks at issues of choice of law and investor protection.

The official abstract reads as follows:

Since the 20th century, states have extensively been exercising their right to expropriate private property. These expropriations have involved goods (such as works of art, means of production or natural resources) as well as shares, claims and intellectual property rights. Yet under what conditions does German law recognise expropriations performed by other states and what role does investment protection law play in this context?

Further information is available on the publisher’s website.

The Hague Academy of International Law has made available the programme of the 2016 summer courses of public and private international law.

The private international law course will run from 1 to 19 August 2016 and will be opened by an an inaugural lecture on Languages and Private International Law by Erik Jayme.

The general course (Private International Law: Aspirations and Realities) will be delivered by Symeon C. Symeonides.

Special courses will be given by Lotfi Chedly (The Effectiveness of International Commercial Arbitration), Lauro da Gama e Souza Jr. (The UNIDROIT Principles and the Law Governing International Trade Contracts), Michael Hellner (Private International Law Issues concerning Surrogacy Arrangements), Sergio Marchisio (The Legal Regime of International Space Activities: Between Public and Private Law), Cyril Nourissat (Restrictive Practices in Private International Law), Marta Pertegás Sender (Foreign Civil and Commercial Judgements: From Reciprocity to a Multilateral Scheme?) and Karsten Thorn (The Protection of Small and Medium Enterprises in Private International Law).

The directors of studies will be Maxi Scherer and Sabine Corneloup.

Interested applicants will be able to register online as of November 1st, 2015, by filling out the relevant registration forms on the Academy’s website.

« Le fait qu’une décision rendue dans un État membre est contraire au droit de l’Union ne justifie pas que cette décision ne soit pas reconnue dans un autre État membre au motif qu’elle viole l’ordre public de cet État dès lors que l’erreur de droit invoquée ne constitue pas une violation manifeste d’une règle de droit considérée comme essentielle dans l’ordre juridique de l’Union et donc dans celui de l’État membre requis ou d’un droit reconnu comme fondamental dans ces ordres juridiques ».

En carrousel matière:  Non Matières OASIS:  Règlement de l'Union européenne Jugement étranger (Procédure civile)

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Effet de commerce

A posting out off the box here, so bear with me. Neither Brussels I nor the Recast include many requirements with respect to (now) Article 8(1)’s rule on joinders. A case against a defendant, not domiciled in the court’s jurisdiction, may be joined with that against a defendant who is so domiciled, if the cases are ‘so closely connected that it is expedient to hear and determine them together in order to avoid the risk of irreconcilable judgments’. There is of course CJEU case-law on what ‘so closely connected’ means however that is outside the remit of current posting.

As I reported recently, the CJEU has introduced a limited window of abuse of  process viz Article 8(1), in CDC. The Court’s overall approach to Article 8(1) is not to take into account the subjective intentions of plaintiff, who often identify a suitable anchor defendant even if is not the intended target of their action. The Court does make exception for one particular occasion, namely if it is found that, at the time the proceedings were instituted, the applicant and that defendant had colluded to artificially fulfil, or prolong the fulfilment of, (now) Article 8’s applicability.

What if at the time the proceedings were instituted, applicant artificially ignores the fulfilment of, (now) Article 8’s applicability?

The Aldi rule of the courts of England and Wales, and its recent application in Otkritie, made me ponder whether there is merit in suggesting that the CJEU should interpret Article 8(1) to include an obligation, rather than a mere possibility, to join closely connected cases. I haven’t gotten much further than pondering, for there are undoubtedly important complications.

First, a quick look at the Aldi rule, in which the Court of Appeal considered application of the Johnson v Gore Wood principles on abuse of process of the (then) House of Lords, to an attempt to strike out a claim for abuse of process on the basis that the claim could and should have been brought in previous litigation. Aldi concerned complex commercial litigation, as does Otkritie. The result of Aldi is that plaintiffs need to consult with the court in case management, to ensure that related claims are brough in one go. Evidently, the courts need to walk a fine rope for the starting point must be that plaintiffs have wide discretion in deciding where and when to bring a claim: that would seem inherent in Article 6 ECHR’s right to a fair trial.

In Otkritie [the case nota bene does not involve the Brussels Regulation], Knowles J strikes the right balance in holding that the Aldi requirement of discussing with the court had been breached (and would have cost implications for Otkritie in current proceedings) but that otherwise this breach did not amount to abuse of process.

Now, transporting this to the EU level: to what degree could /should Article 8 include a duty to join closely related proceedings? Should such duty be imposed only on plaintiff or also on the court, proprio motu? A crazy thought perhaps for the time being, but certainly worthwhile pondering for future conflicts entertainment.

Geert.

Taricco e.a.
Aide d'État
En empêchant, en matière de fraude grave à la TVA, l’infliction effective et dissuasive de sanctions, en raison d’un délai global de prescription trop bref, la réglementation italienne est susceptible de porter atteinte aux intérêts financiers de l’Union

The European Commission has issued a call for proposals concerning action grants to support transnational projects on judicial training covering civil law, criminal law, fundamental rights and fight against terrorism and radicalisation.

Proposals presented under the civil law priority shall focus notably on legal instruments in family matters and successions, in particular Regulation No 650/2012 successions upon death; legal instruments in civil and commercial matters, in particular Regulation No 805/2004 creating a European Enforcement Order for uncontested claims, Regulation No 1896/2006 creating a European Order for Payment Procedure, Regulation No 861/2007 establishing a European Small Claims Procedure, Regulation No 1215/2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (Brussels Ia); Regulation No 655/2014 creating a European Account Preservation Order.

The Commission also calls for proposals aimed at training enforcement authority agents as regards instruments in the area of civil judicial cooperation, in particular: Regulation No 2201/2003 on matrimonial matters and the matters of parental responsibility (Brussels IIa); Regulation No 805/2004 creating a European Enforcement Order for uncontested claims and Regulation No 655/2014 establishing a European Account Preservation Order.

The deadline for applications is 16 November 2015.

Further information available here.

Une demande relative à une obligation alimentaire concernant un enfant est uniquement accessoire à l’action relative à la responsabilité parentale.

En carrousel matière:  Oui Matières OASIS:  Règlement de l'Union européenne Compétence internationale (Procédure civile) Divorce (Procédure) Pension alimentaire (Paiement direct)

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The Oberlandesgericht of Munich has recently lodged a request for a preliminary ruling concerning the interpretation of Regulation No 1259/2010 of 20 December 2010 implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of the law applicable to divorce and legal separation, ie the Rome III Regulation (Case C-281/15, Soha Sahyouni v Raja Mamisch).

The request provides the ECJ with the opportunity of delivering, in due course, its first judgment relating specifically to the Rome III Regulation.

To begin with, the referring court asks the ECJ to provide a clarification as to the scope of the uniform conflict-of-laws regime set forth by the Regulation. In particular, the German court wonders whether the Regulation also applies to ‘private divorces’, namely divorces pronounced before a religious court in Syria on the basis of Sharia.

If the answer is in the affirmative, the referring court asks whether, in the case of an examination as to whether such a divorce is eligible for recognition in the forum, Article 10 of the Regulation must also be applied. According to the latter provision, where the law specified by the Regulation to govern the divorce or the legal separation “does not grant one of the spouses equal access to divorce or legal separation on grounds of their sex”, the lex fori applies instead.

Should the latter question, too, be answered in the affirmative, the referring court wishes to know which of the following interpretive options should be followed in respect of Article 10: (1) is account to be taken in the abstract of a comparison showing that, while the law of the forum grants access to divorce to the other spouse too, that divorce is, on account of the other spouse’s sex, subject to different procedural and substantive conditions than access for the first spouse? (2) or, does the applicability of Article 10 depend on whether the application of the foreign law, which is discriminatory in the abstract, also discriminates in the particular case in question?

Finally, were the ECJ to assert that the second of these options is the correct one, the Oberlandesgericht of Munich seeks to know whether the fact that the spouse discriminated against has consented to the divorce — including by duly accepting compensation — constitutes itself a ground for not applying Article 10.

The Oberlandesgericht of Munich has recently lodged a request for a preliminary ruling concerning the interpretation of Regulation No 1259/2010 of 20 December 2010 implementing enhanced cooperation in the area of the law applicable to divorce and legal separation, ie the Rome III Regulation (Case C-281/15, Soha Sahyouni v Raja Mamisch).

The request provides the ECJ with the opportunity of delivering, in due course, its first judgment relating specifically to the Rome III Regulation.

To begin with, the referring court asks the ECJ to provide a clarification as to the scope of the uniform conflict-of-laws regime set forth by the Regulation. In particular, the German court wonders whether the Regulation also applies to ‘private divorces’, namely divorces pronounced before a religious court in Syria on the basis of Sharia.

If the answer is in the affirmative, the referring court asks whether, in the case of an examination as to whether such a divorce is eligible for recognition in the forum, Article 10 of the Regulation must also be applied. According to the latter provision, where the law specified by the Regulation to govern the divorce or the legal separation “does not grant one of the spouses equal access to divorce or legal separation on grounds of their sex”, the lex fori applies instead.

Should the latter question, too, be answered in the affirmative, the referring court wishes to know which of the following interpretive options should be followed in respect of Article 10: (1) is account to be taken in the abstract of a comparison showing that, while the law of the forum grants access to divorce to the other spouse too, that divorce is, on account of the other spouse’s sex, subject to different procedural and substantive conditions than access for the first spouse? (2) or, does the applicability of Article 10 depend on whether the application of the foreign law, which is discriminatory in the abstract, also discriminates in the particular case in question?

Finally, were the ECJ to assert that the second of these options is the correct one, the Oberlandesgericht of Munich seeks to know whether the fact that the spouse discriminated against has consented to the divorce — including by duly accepting compensation — constitutes itself a ground for not applying Article 10.

Konrad Duden from the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg has authored a book (in German) on surrogate motherhood in private international law and the law of international civil procedure (“Leihmutterschaft im Internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrecht. Abstammung und ordre public im Spiegel des Verfassungs-, Völker- und Europarechts”). Published by Mohr Siebeck, the book looks at filiation and public policy in the light of constitutional, international and European law. The official abstract reads as follows:

More and more Germans seek out foreign surrogate mothers to bear children which they will then raise as their own. But does a child legally belong to these parents once they return to Germany? Surrogate motherhood raises questions, regardless of the fact that the fundamental and human rights of the child often prescribe clear answers.

Further information is available on the publisher’s website.

Il Max Planck Institute for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law di Lussemburgo offre anche per il 2016 alcune borse di studio rivolte a dottorandi di ricerca interessati a trascorrere un periodo di studio presso l’Istituto.

Le candidature possono essere presentate entro il 15 settembre 2015.

Ai dottorandi assegnatari della borsa di studio verrà data la possibilità di avere uno spazio di lavoro nella sala di lettura della biblioteca e di partecipare attivamente alle attività di ricerca dell’Istituto.

Ulteriori informazioni sono disponibili qui.

This post is meant to remind our readers that the Academy of European Law (ERA) will host an international conference on recent experience and current trends in international commercial litigation, with a special focus on European private international law. The event will take place in Trier (Germany), on 8-9 October 2015. While registration will still be possible after 8 September 2015, this date marks the deadline for the „early bird“ rebate. Even after this deadline, however, discounts will be available for young lawyers and academics.

This conference will bring together top experts in international commercial litigation who will report on their experiences in this field including litigation strategy and tactics. An updated conference programme is available here.

Key topics will be:

• Recent case law of the CJEU on business litigation in light of the changes brought by the recent recast of the Brussels I Regulation
• Forthcoming changes after the entry into force of the new Hague Choice of Court Convention in June 2015
• The recast of the Insolvency Regulation in summer 2015
• The revision of the Small Claims Procedure in 2015
• The Regulation establishing a European Account Preservation Order

The conference language will be English. The event is organized by Dr Angelika Fuchs, ERA, in cooperation with Professor Jan von Hein, University of Freiburg (Germany). The speakers are

• Robert Bray, Head of Unit, Secretariat, Committee on Legal Affairs, DG Internal Policies, European Parliament, Strasbourg/Brussels
• Professor Gilles Cuniberti, University of Luxembourg
• Raquel Ferreira Correia, Counsellor, Lisbon
• Emilia Fronczak, Loyens & Loeff, Luxembourg
• Sarah Garvey, Counsel and Head of KnowHow in the Litigation Department, Allen & Overy LLP, London
• Jens Haubold, Partner, Thümmel, Schütze & Partner, Stuttgart
• Professor Jan von Hein, Director of the Institute for Foreign and International Private Law, Dept. III, University of Freiburg
• Brian Hutchinson, Arbitrator, Mediator, Barrister, GBH Dispute Resolution Consultancy; Senior Lecturer, University College Dublin
• Professor Xandra Kramer, Erasmus University Rotterdam; Deputy Judge of the District Court of Rotterdam
• Alexander Layton QC, Barrister, Arbitrator, 20 Essex Street, London.

For further information and registration, please click here.

La Cour de justice de l’Union européenne vient de juger que les dispositions de la directive relative aux clauses abusives dans les contrats conclus avec les consommateurs sont applicables à l’avocat.

En carrousel matière:  Oui Matières OASIS:  Néant

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La Cour de justice de l’Union européenne condamne les autorités italiennes à payer une somme forfaitaire de 20 millions d’euros et une astreinte journalière de 120 000 € en raison de la mauvaise gestion des déchets persistant dans la région de Campanie.

En carrousel matière:  Oui Matières OASIS:  Recours en manquement (Droit de l'Union européenne)

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