The EFTA Court an Actor in the

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Prof. Dr. Carl Baudenbacher President of the EFTA
Court
The EFTA Court an Actor in the European
Judicial Dialogue University of Geneva 24
November 2004
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The EFTA Court an Actor in the European
Judicial Dialogue

• The EFTA Court
• I. Establishment and structure
• II. The principle of homogeneity
• B. What is the European judicial dialogue?
• I. The notion of judicial dialogue
• II. Special features of the European judicial
  model
• C. Dialogue EFTA Court ECJ
• I. ECJ interpreting provisions of Community law
• II. ECJ interpreting provisions of EEA law

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The EFTA Court an Actor in the European
Judicial Dialogue

D. Dialogue EFTA Court CFI I. CFI
interpreting provisions of Community law II.
CFI interpreting provisions of EEA law E. Case
Study Kelloggs F. The relationship with the
national courts of EC States G. Case Study
Merck ./. Paranova
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The EFTA Court an Actor in the European
Judicial Dialogue

H. The relationship with the European Court of
Human Rights I. Beyond Europe? I. EFTA Court
as a receiver of ideas II. EFTA Court as a
giver of ideas Conclusions
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A. The EFTA Court

I. Establishment and structure of the EFTA
Court EEA Agreement ? mirror legislation ? EEA
law essentially identical to EC
law Judicialization (as compared to the 1972/73
bilateral FTAs) From 7 to 5 to 3 judges ( 6 ad
hoc judges) Competences (types of
procedure) Types of cases (cultural features of
the EFTA States) Number of cases (in particular
cases of paramount impor- tance)
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A. The EFTA Court

• I. Establishment and structure of the EFTA Court
• Direct actions
• In particular actions by the EFTA Surveillance
  Authority
• against EFTA States for violation of the EEA
  Agreement and
• actions for nullity by governments or
  individuals/economic
• operators against decisions of ESA
• Preliminary references
• Cooperation EFTA Ct. national courts of
  EEA/EFTA
• countries in framework of preliminary reference
• procedure
• No national court obliged to refer (but
  references from
• Supreme Courts of Sweden, Norway, Iceland,
  Liechtenstein)

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A. The EFTA Court

II. The principle of homogeneity Idea of
creating an EEA Court rejected. Homogeneity in
the books One way street (Art. 6 EEA/Art. 3 II
SCA) but elements of dialogue (intervention
rights of governments and institutions
Commission, ESA) Examples Concept of
fundamental freedoms, elements of Art. 53 and 54
EEA, essential features of harmonized
law Homogeneity in action EFTA Ct. Going first
reasoning Why the going first constellation?
Cultural features of the EFTA States Societal
and economic development (EFTA States
economic overachievers) test cases(?)t
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B. What is the European judicial dialogue?

• The notion of judicial dialogue (as compared to
  traditional comparative law)
• Features of comparative law Reception and
  export,
• monologue, one-way street
• Features of judicial dialogue Egalitarian,
  two-way
• conversation, Herrschaftsfreier Diskurs
• Origin of the theory Canada, U.S.
• Political goal Changing the course of American
  law
• ECJ- and ECHR-inspired
• Judicial activism vs. judicial restraint
• Criticism Replacing the domestic majoritarian
  impulse
• By the international majoritarian impulse
  (Alford)t

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B. What is the European judicial dialogue?

II. Special features of the European judicial
model Broad access to justice for individuals
and economic operators Direct effect, primacy
and state liability Dualist system
Luxembourg/Strasbourg Common values, but
different cultures EU on the brink of statehood
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C. Dialogue EFTA Court - ECJ

I. ECJ/AGs interpreting provisions of
Community law TV without frontiers (ECJ De
Agostini/TV Shop I Sverige reference to EFTA Ct.
Mattel/Lego AG Lenz Commission v UK reference
to EFTA Ct. Mattel/Lego Labour law (ECJ Süzen,
ECJ Oy Likenne reference to EFTA Ct. Ulstein,
Eidesund, Ask), Equal rights (AG Poiares Maduro
Briheche reference to EFTA Ct. University of
Oslo), State aid law (AG Jacobs GEMO reference
to EFTA Ct. Husbanken I),
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C. Dialogue EFTA Court - ECJ

I. ECJ/AGs interpreting provisions of
Community law Law of parallel trade (AG Jacobs
Silhouette reference to EFTA Ct. Maglite), Food
safety law (AG Alber and ECJ Monsanto, AG Mischo
and ECJ Commission v Denmark, AG Mischo Abel and
Greenham references to EFTA Ct. Kelloggs)
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C. Dialogue EFTA Court - ECJ

II. ECJ interpreting provisions of EEA law Art.
310 EC ECJ Bresciani and Kupferberg. More and
more relevant. EEA individuals and
economic operators are enforcing their rights
flowing from the EEA Agreement in courts of EC
States ?Reference for preliminary ruling to the
ECJ. Principle of homogeneity in the EEA (ECJ
Bellio Fratelli reference to EFTA Ct.
Kelloggs), State liability in EFTA States (ECJ
Rechberger reference to EFTA Ct.
Sveinbjörnsdóttir), Free movement of capital
(AG Geelhoed Ospelt reference to EFTA Ct.
Íslandsbanki),
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C. Dialogue EFTA Court - ECJ

II. ECJ interpreting provisions of EEA
law Food safety law (ECJ Bellio Fratelli
reference to EFTA Ct. Kelloggs)
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D. Dialogue EFTA Court - CFI

• I. CFI interpreting provisions of EC law
• Food safety law (CFI Pfizer Animal
  Health/Alpharma
• reference to EFTA Ct. Kelloggs
• State aid law (CFI Salzgitter reference to EFTA
  Ct. ESA
• v Norway)
• CFI interpreting provisions of EEA law
• Principle of homogeneity and general principles
  of EEA
• law (CFI Opel Austria reference to EFTA Ct.
  Restamark
• and Scottish Salmon Growers)

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E. Case Study Kelloggs
ECJ Sandoz (1983) If nutritional need, marketing
must be allowed EFTA Court Kellogg's (2001)
Argument that lack of nutritional need suffices
for refusal of marketing approval rejected in
case of fortification of foodstuff, but
precautionary principle acknowledged in certain
circumstances CFI Pfizer Animal Health and
Alpharma (2002) PP acknowledged in a case
involving fortification of animal feedingstuff
with antibiotics reference to EFTA Ct.
Kelloggs ECJ Monsanto (Advocate General) (2003)
PP acknowledged in a case involving the release
of genetically modified maize reference to EFTA
Ct. Kelloggs ECJ Commission ./. Denmark (2003)
PP acknowledged in a case involving the
fortification of foodstuff references to EFTA
Ct. Kelloggs ECJ Bellio Fratelli (2004) PP
acknowledged in a case of cross-contamination of
fishmeal with animal bones reference to EFTA Ct.
Kelloggs
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F. The relationship with the national courts of
EC States

• I. Labour law
• English courts refer to EFTA Ct. Eidesund and
• Langeland ( some sort of acte clair?) Austrian
  Supreme
• Court
• II. TV without frontiers
• English High Court refers to EFTA Ct. TV 1000,
  refuses
• leave to appeal to the Appeal Court
• Parallel trade
• England and Wales Court of Appeal refers question
  to the
• ECJ whether it takes the same view as the EFTA
  Court did in
• Merck v Paranova with regard to the lawfulness of
  a parallel
• importer and repackager adding his own design
  under the
• trademark directive

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G. Case Study Merck ./. Paranova
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G. Case Study Merck ./. Paranova
ECJ Bristol Myers Squibb (1996) Repackaging of
pharmaceuticals allowed (i.a.) if necessary on
order to gain market access (necessity test) EFTA
Court Paranova (2003) Whether a repackager may
add its own design cannot be assessed
mechanically by using the necessity test a
comprehensive balancing of interests approach is
needed. EFTA Court cites Danish Supreme Court and
English High Court Norwegian Supreme Court
follows the EFTA Courts opinion (2004) England
and Wales Court of Appeals refers essentially the
same question to the ECJ (2004)
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H. The relationship with the European Court of
Human Rights

• I. Weakness of the EEA Agreement on the human
  rights side (but Preamble)
• II. The example of the ECJ
• EEA law is to be interpreted in the light of
  fundamental rights. The provisions of the
  European Convention of Human Rights and the
  judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
  are important sources for determining the scope
  of these rights (EFTA Ct. Ásgeirsson).
• IV. Right of freedom of expression (EFTA Ct. TV
  1000 reference to ECHR Handyside access to
  justice (EFTA Ct. Bellona), right to a fair trial
  within reasonable time (EFTA Ct. Ásgeirsson
  reference to ECHR Pafitis)

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I. Beyond Europe?

I. EFTA Ct. as a receiver of ideas Small court
with limited resources No research
department Role of cabinets, role of ECJ AGs
(ECJ Albany EFTA Ct. Landsorganisasjonen) II.
EFTA Ct. as a giver of ideas? 1. Contribtions
to the theory of international law Effect (EFTA
Ct. Restamark, Einarsson, CFI Opel
Austria) State liability (EFTA Ct.
Sveinbjörnsdóttir, Karlsson, ECJ Rechberger)
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I. Beyond Europe?

II. EFTA Ct. as a giver of ideas? 2. WTO EFTA
Ct. Kelloggs EFTA Ct. Maglite 3. U.S. EFTA
Ct. Maglite EFTA Ct. Landsorganisasjonen
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Conclusions

EFTA Court is a small court Homogeneity as a
Bringschuld Role of AGs (actively and
passively) Move of the seat from Geneva to
Luxembourg Dialogue ECJ EFTA Court as a
shining model of intercourt cooperation (ECJ
President Skouris) EFTA Ct. Maglite and ECJ
Silhouette in particular Different results, but
no judicial conflict cases may be distinguished
on the facts and on the law