Kapnoviomichania Karelia (Judgment) [2016] EUECJ C-81/15 (02 June 2016)

Kapnoviomichania Karelia (Judgment) [2016] EUECJ C-81/15 (02 June 2016)

Directive 92/12/EEC, read in light of the principles of legal certainty and proportionality, precludes national legislation that imposes joint and several liability on authorised warehousekeepers for administrative fines related to smuggling, without a clear legal basis and without allowing the warehousekeeper to...

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Citation
[2016] EUECJ C-81/15
Parties
Applicant: Kapnoviomichania Karelia AE; Respondent: Ypourgos Oikonomikon (Ministry of Finance, Greece)
Jurisdiction
European Union
Procedural Posture
Preliminary Ruling / Referral From National Court to Court of Justice of the European Union
Outcome
Preliminary ruling: Directive 92/12/EEC precludes national legislation imposing strict joint and several liability for administrative fines on authorised warehousekeepers without exoneration possibility.
Legal Topics
Excise Duty, Smuggling, Joint and Several Liability, Legal Certainty, Proportionality, Administrative Penalties
European Union Law Tax Law Excise Duty Smuggling Joint and Several Liability Legal Certainty Proportionality Administrative Penalties

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Parties

Kapnoviomichania Karelia AE

Applicant

Ypourgos Oikonomikon (Ministry of Finance, Greece)

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Preliminary Ruling / Referral From National Court to Court of Justice of the European Union

  1. 1 Whether Directive 92/12/EEC precludes national legislation that imposes joint and several liability on authorised warehousekeepers for administrative fines related to smuggling, even when they are neither owners nor contractually linked to perpetrators.

Ratio Decidendi

Directive 92/12/EEC, read in light of the principles of legal certainty and proportionality, precludes national legislation that imposes joint and several liability on authorised warehousekeepers for administrative fines related to smuggling, without a clear legal basis and without allowing the warehousekeeper to escape liability by proving lack of involvement or knowledge.

Court Disposition

Preliminary ruling: Directive 92/12/EEC precludes national legislation imposing strict joint and several liability for administrative fines on authorised warehousekeepers without exoneration possibility.

Orders

  • Directive 92/12/EEC, as amended, precludes national legislation that imposes joint and several liability for administrative fines on authorised warehousekeepers, unless the warehousekeeper can escape liability by proving no involvement in the offence.