Commission of the European Communities v. French Republic
European Union Court of Justice
Case C-165/95, 1997 E.C.R. I-6959 (1997)
- Written by Elliot Stern, JD
Facts
In 1993, farmers in France (defendant) made organized efforts to obstruct the sale of foreign produce in France. This obstructive behavior included acts intended to prevent foreign goods from reaching their destination, violence against those transporting the goods, the destruction of the goods, and intimidation of retailers selling these goods. On certain occasions, French police witnessed the obstructive acts but failed to intervene. Furthermore, few of those identified as being involved in this criminal behavior were prosecuted. The European Commission (the commission) (plaintiff) reached out to France, asking the government to prevent this interference with trade from other European Union (EU) member states. The obstructive conduct nevertheless continued, and the commission initiated enforcement proceedings against France, arguing that France’s failure to take measures to ensure that the free movement of goods was not interfered with constituted a violation of the guarantee of the free movement of goods under community legislation.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)
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