Avis juridique important

Judgment of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 5 March 2002. - Hans Reisch and Others (joined cases C-515/99 and C-527/99 to C-540/99) v Bürgermeister der Landeshauptstadt Salzburg and Grundverkehrsbeauftragter des Landes Salzburg and Anton Lassacher and Others (joined cases C-519/99 to C-524/99 and C-526/99) v Grundverkehrsbeauftragter des Landes Salzburg and Grundverkehrslandeskommission des Landes Salzburg. - References for a preliminary ruling: Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat Salzburg - Austria. - Free movement of capital - Article 56 EC - Prior notification and authorisation procedure for the acquisition of building plots - Absence of purely internal situation. - Joined cases C-515/99, C-519/99 to C-524/99 and C-526/99 to C-540/99. European Court reports 2002 Page I-02157

Summary Parties Grounds Decision on costs Operative part

1. Preliminary rulings - Jurisdiction of the Court - Limits - Identification of the subject-matter of the question

(Art. 234 EC)

2. Preliminary rulings - Jurisdiction of the Court - Limits - Manifestly irrelevant question

(Art. 234 EC)

3. Freedom of establishment - Free movement of capital - Treaty provisions - Scope - National legislation regulating the acquisition of land - Covered

(Art. 44(2)(e) EC; Council Directive 88/361, Annex I)

4. Free movement of capital - Restrictions on the acquisition of immovable property - Scheme for prior notification of the acquisition of immovable property - Whether permissible - Scheme for prior authorisation of the acquisition of building plots - Not permissible

(Arts 56 EC to 60 EC)

1. Although the Court has no jurisdiction under Article 234 EC to apply a rule of Community law to a particular case and thus to judge a provision of national law by reference to such a rule it may, in the framework of the judicial cooperation provided for by that article and on the basis of the material presented to it, provide the national court with an interpretation of Community law which may be useful to it in assessing the effects of that provision.

( see para. 22 )

2. The fact that all the facts in a dispute are confined to a single Member State does not mean that there is no need to reply to the questions referred to the Court for a preliminary ruling in the course of that dispute. It is for the national courts alone to determine, having regard to the particular features of each case, both the need for a preliminary ruling in order to enable them to give their judgment and the relevance of the questions which they refer to the Court. A reference for a preliminary ruling from a national court may be rejected by the Court only if it is quite obvious that the interpretation of Community law sought by that court bears no relation to the actual nature of the case or the subject-matter of the main action.

( see paras 24-25 )

3. National legislation which regulates the acquisition of land for the purposes of prohibiting, in the interests of regional planning, the establishment of secondary residences in certain areas must comply with the provisions of the Treaty on the free movement of capital.

First, as is apparent from Article 44(2)(e) EC, the right to acquire, use or dispose of immovable property on the territory of another Member State, which is the corollary of the freedom of establishment generates capital movements when it is exercised.

Secondly, as is clear from the nomenclature of capital movements set out in Annex I to Directive 88/361 for the implementation of Article 67 of the Treaty (repealed by the Treaty of Amsterdam), capital movements include investments in real estate on the territory of a Member State by non-residents. That nomenclature still has the same indicative value for the purposes of defining the notion of capital movements.

( see paras 28-30 )

4. Articles 56 EC to 60 EC do not preclude a prior notification procedure such as that laid down by the scheme for the acquisition of land established by the Salzburger Grundverkehrsgesetz 1997 (Salzburg Land Transfer Law, the SGVG) which requires any person acquiring land to submit a declaration stating that he is an Austrian national, or a national of another Member State and that the land will be used as his principal residence or to meet a commercial need.

Whilst that measure restricts, by its very purpose, the free movement of capital, such a restriction may nevertheless be permitted if, as in the system in question, the national rules pursue, in a non-discriminatory way, an objective in the public interest and if they observe the principle of proportionality, that is if the same result could not be achieved by other less restrictive measures.

As regards the first requirement, restrictions on the establishment of secondary residences in a specific geographical area, which a Member State imposes in order to maintain, for regional planning purposes, a permanent population and an economic activity independent of the tourist sector, may be regarded as contributing to an objective in the public interest. That finding can only be strengthened by the other concerns which may underly those same measures, such as protection of the environment. Moreover, it is apparent from the provisions of the SGVG that they do not discriminate between Austrian acquirers of title and residents of other Member States who exercise the freedoms guaranteed by the Treaty.

As regards the second requirement, a requirement of declaration prior to the purchase of building plots, coupled with the possibility of penalties for breach of the agreed declaration, for regional planning purposes, does comply with Community law. The procedure laid down by the SGVG is essentially declaratory in principle. The minimum requirement of prior notification has the advantage, unlike supervision procedures which are applied only a posteriori, of providing the acquirer of title with an element of legal certainty. Furthermore, it may be thought that prior examination is better suited to preventing certain damage, which is reparable only with difficulty, caused by hastily completed building projects. Thus, the formality of prior notification may be regarded as a step which is additional to the criminal sanctions and the action for annulment of the sale which the administrative authorities may bring before the national court. In those circumstances, that aspect of the procedure instituted by the SGVG may be regarded as compatible with Community law.

By contrast, Articles 56 EC to 60 EC preclude a prior authorisation procedure such as that laid down by that scheme which requires prior authorisation for the acquisition of land where, on the basis of the declaration made, the competent authority does not issue confirmation.

Restrictions on the free movement of capital resulting from the requirement of prior authorisation may be eliminated by means of an appropriate notification system without thereby detracting from the effective pursuit of the aims of those rules.

( see paras 32-37, 40, operative part )

In Joined Cases C-515/99, C-519/99 to C-524/99 and C-526/99 to C-540/99,

REFERENCES to the Court under Article 234 EC by the Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat Salzburg (Austria) for a preliminary ruling in the proceedings pending before that court between

Hans Reisch (C-515/99),

Walter Riedl (C-527/99),

Alexander Hacker (C-528/99),

Gerhard Eckert (C-529/99),

Franz Gstöttenbauer (C-530/99),

Helmut Hechwarter (C-531/99),

Alois Bixner (C-532/99),

Geza Aumüller (C-533/99),

Berthold Garstenauer (C-534/99 and C-536/99),

Robert Eder (C-535/99),

Hartmut Ramsauer (C-537/99 and C-538/99),

Harald Kronberger (C-539/99),

Erich Morianz (C-540/99)

and

Bürgermeister der Landeshauptstadt Salzburg,

Grundverkehrsbeauftragter des Landes Salzburg,

and between

Anton Lassacher,

Heinz Schäfer (C-519/99),

Dertnig GmbH & Co. KG,

Heinrich Reutter (C-520/99),

Francesco Branka (C-521/99),

Neubau GmbH,

Baumeister Bogensberger GmbH & Co. KG (C-522/99 and C-526/99),

Peter Fidelsberger (C-523/99),

GWP Gewerbeparkentwicklung GmbH,

Johann Lindner and Emma Lindner (C-524/99)

and

Grundverkehrsbeauftragter des Landes Salzburg,

Grundverkehrslandeskommission des Landes Salzburg,

on the interpretation of Articles 56 EC to 60 EC,

THE COURT (Sixth Chamber),

composed of: N. Colneric, President of the Second Chamber, acting for the President of the Sixth Chamber, C. Gulmann, J.-P. Puissochet (Rapporteur), R. Schintgen and V. Skouris, Judges,

Advocate General: L.A. Geelhoed,

Registrar: H.A. Rühl, Principal Administrator,

after considering the written observations submitted on behalf of:

- H. Schäfer, represented by A. Pirkner, Rechtsanwalt,

- GWP Gewerbeparkentwicklung GmbH, by J. W. Aichlreiter, Rechtsanwalt,

- the Austrian Government, by C. Pesendorfer, acting as Agent,

having regard to the Report for the Hearing,

after hearing the oral observations of the Netherlands Government, represented by H. Sevenster, acting as Agent, and of the Commission of the European Communities, represented by U. Wölker and M. Patakia, acting as Agents, at the hearing on 12 September 2001,

after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 20 November 2001,

gives the following

Judgment

1 By 22 orders dated 22 December 1999, received at the Court on 30 December 1999, the Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat Salzburg (Independent Administrative Chamber, Salzburg) referred to the Court for a preliminary ruling under Article 234 EC two questions on the interpretation of Articles 56 EC to 60 EC.

2 In Cases C-515/99 and C-527/99 to C-540/99, a first question was raised in the course of actions brought against decisions of the Bürgermeister der Landeshauptstadt Salzburg (Mayor of Salzburg) imposing fines for late notification, as provided for in the Salzburger Grundverkehrsgesetz 1997 (Salzburg Land Transfer Law, Salzburg LGBl. No 11/97, hereinafter the SGVG), to the Grundverkehrsbeauftragter des Landes Salzburg (land transfer agent of the Land of Salzburg, responsible for receiving the notification from acquirers of title in immovable property, hereinafter the Grundverkehrsbeauftragter).

3 In Cases C-519/99 to C-524/99 and C-526/99, a second question arose in the course of appeals against decisions of the Grundverkehrslandeskommission des Landes Salzburg (Land Transfer Commission of the Land of Salzburg, hereinafter the Grundverkehrslandeskommission) adopted pursuant to the SGVG, opposing the acquisition of building plots or authorising such acquisition only subject to provision of security.

The legal background

Community law

4 Article 56(1) EC provides:

Within the framework of the provisions set out in this chapter, all restrictions on the movement of capital between Member States and between Member States and third countries shall be prohibited.

National legislation

5 Under Austrian law, ownership of immovable property is acquired by means of an entry in the land register confirmed by the Grundbuchsgericht (Land Registry Court), which is required to determine whether authorisation is necessary for the transfer and, if so, whether that authorisation has been granted.

7 On the basis of the declaration referred to in the preceding paragraph, the Grundverkehrsbeauftragter issues confirmation. He may only refuse to do so if there are grounds for suspecting that the property will not be used for the purpose stated in the declaration or if the acquisition is inconsistent with the aims of the SGVG. In that case the Grundverkehrsbeauftragter refers the acquirer of title to the Grundverkehrslandeskommission, which may authorise the transfer after ascertaining that the same substantive criteria relating to prohibition of use as a secondary residence have been met.

8 In the absence of confirmation from the Grundverkehrsbeauftragter or authorisation from the Grundverkehrslandeskommission no land may be acquired in the Land of Salzburg.

9 Paragraph 19 of the SGVG requires the acquirer of title to use the land in accordance with the declaration referred to in Paragraph 12 of the SGVG. Paragraph 19 also enables the Grundverkehrslandeskommission to attach conditions and requirements to its authorisation in order to ensure that the acquirer of title uses the land for the stated purpose, in particular by requiring security in an amount not exceeding the purchase price or the value of the land.

10 Paragraph 36 of the SGVG lays down the time-limits within which the acquirer of title must lodge the declaration of acquisition.

11 Under Paragraph 42 of the SGVG the Grundverkehrsbeauftragter may bring before the national court an action for annulment of the property transaction where this is intended to circumvent the application of the SGVG.

12 Paragraph 43 of the SGVG provides for fines of up to ATS 500 000 and sentences of imprisonment of up to six weeks, inter alia where the acquirer of title has failed to submit the necessary declaration or to apply for the necessary authorisation, or if he uses the land for an unauthorised purpose.

The main proceedings and the questions referred for a preliminary ruling

13 In Cases C-515/99 and C-527/99 to C-540/99 the Mayor of Salzburg imposed a fine on each of the applicants for failure to notify to the Grundverkehrsbeauftragter within the period laid down by Paragraph 36 of the SGVG a legal transaction relating to the acquisition of building plots. They appealed against those decisions to the Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat Salzburg.

14 In Cases C-519/99 to C-522/99 and C-526/99, the Grundverkehrslandeskommission did not grant at first instance the authorisation necessary for the sale of building plots, and the acquirers of title appealed against the corresponding decisions to the Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat Salzburg.

15 In Cases C-523/99 and C-524/99, the Grundverkehrslandeskommission granted authorisation to acquire building plots but required that security be provided pursuant to Paragraph 19(3) of the SGVG. The acquirers of title appealed against the corresponding decisions to the Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat Salzburg.

16 In the light of the judgment in Case C-302/97 Konle [1999] ECR I-3099, which concerned the legislation of the Land of Tyrol on land transactions, the referring court was concerned with the issue whether the requirement of prior notification/authorisation in respect of the acquisition of building plots and the criminal sanctions attaching to failure to fulfil that requirement were compatible with the fundamental freedoms of the Treaty.

17 Accordingly, the Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat Salzburg referred to the Court for a preliminary ruling the following questions:

In Cases C-515/99 and C-527/99 to C-540/99:

Are the provisions of Article 56 EC et seq. to be interpreted as precluding the application of Paragraphs 12, 36 and 43 of the SGVG 1997 in the version published in LGBl. No 11/99, whereby any person who wishes to acquire a building plot in the federal Land of Salzburg must comply with a notification or authorisation procedure in respect of the acquisition of that plot, with the consequence that one of the fundamental freedoms of the acquirer of title as guaranteed by the laws of the European Union has been infringed in this case?

In Cases C-519/99 to C-524/99 and C-526/99:

Are the provisions of Article 56 EC et seq. to be interpreted as precluding the application of Paragraphs 12 to 14 of the SGVG 1997 in the version published in LGBl. No 11/99, whereby any person who wishes to acquire a building plot in the federal Land of Salzburg must comply with a notification or authorisation procedure in respect of the acquisition of that plot, with the consequence that one of the fundamental freedoms of the acquirer of title as guaranteed by the laws of the European Union has been infringed in this case?

18 Cases C-515/99 and C-527/99 to C-540/99 were joined for the purposes of the written and oral procedure and of the judgment by order of the President of the Court of Justice of 24 February 2000. Cases C-519/99 to C-524/99 and C-526/99 were also joined for the purposes of the written and oral procedure and of the judgment by order of the President of the Court of Justice of 24 February 2000.

19 For the purposes of the present judgment, it is appropriate to order the joinder of all those cases.

The questions referred for a preliminary ruling

Admissibility

20 GWP Gewerbeparkentwicklung GmbH submits, first, that the question referred for a preliminary ruling in Cases C-519/99 to C-524/99 and C-526/99 is inadmissible since it does not concern the interpretation of the Treaty, but the interpretation or assessment of the validity of the provisions of the SGVG, which are matters for the national court alone.

21 Secondly, it considers that the main proceedings to which it is a party, which concern only the conditions for the acquisition by an Austrian company of land in Austria pursuant to the SGVG, have no connection with Community law and relate to a purely internal situation, thereby making the reference for a preliminary ruling inadmissible.

23 In the main proceedings, the referring court asks the Court to interpret Treaty provisions solely for the purposes of determining whether those provisions are capable of affecting the effects of national rules which the referring court is required to apply. It cannot therefore be maintained that the purpose of the question referred for a preliminary ruling in each of the cases is anything other than the interpretation of provisions of the Treaty.

Substance

35 As regards the second requirement, the Court held, in paragraphs 44 to 48 of the Konle judgment, cited above, that a requirement of declaration prior to the purchase of building plots, coupled with the possibility of penalties for breach of the agreed declaration, for regional planning purposes, did comply with Community law. The procedure laid down by the SGVG is essentially declaratory in principle.

36 As the Austrian Government points out, it is only where the Grundverkehrsbeauftragter considers that there are grounds for believing that the property is not being used lawfully that he must refer the acquirer of title to the Grundverkehrslandeskommission for the transaction to be submitted to the authorisation procedure. That minimum requirement of prior notification has the advantage, unlike supervision procedures which are applied only a posteriori, of providing the acquirer of title with an element of legal certainty. Furthermore, it may be thought that prior examination is better suited to preventing certain damage, which is reparable only with difficulty, caused by hastily completed building projects. Thus, the formality of prior notification may be regarded as a step which is additional to the criminal sanctions and the action for annulment of the sale which the administrative authorities may bring before the national court. In those circumstances, this first aspect of the procedure instituted by the SGVG may be regarded as compatible with Community law.

38 In the main proceedings, given the opportunity for supervision which the prior notification scheme affords to the public authority, the existence of criminal sanctions and a specific action for annulment which may be brought before the national court should the project carried out fail to comply with the initial declaration, the prior authorisation procedure, which the Grundverkehrsbeauftragter alone may initiate on the basis of mere presumptions, cannot be regarded as a measure which is strictly indispensable to prevent infringements of the legislation in issue in the main proceedings in respect of secondary residences. This is all the more so given that the competent authorities may make the grant of prior authorisation subject to requirements on which the SGVG does not impose any substantive restriction, and require the acquirer of title to provide security up to the value of the property.

39 The provisions of the SGVG relating to the prior authorisation procedure before the Grundverkehrslandeskommission therefore go beyond both that which is necessary to achieve the chosen regional planning objective and the measures which Member States are entitled to take, as set out in Article 58(1)(b) EC, to prevent infringements of their laws and regulations.

- do not preclude a prior notification procedure such as that laid down by the scheme for the acquisition of land established by the SGVG;

- preclude a prior authorisation procedure such as that laid down by that scheme.

Costs

41 The costs incurred by the Austrian and Netherlands Governments and by the Commission, which have submitted observations to the Court, are not recoverable. Since these proceedings are, for the parties to the main proceedings, a step in the action pending before the national court, the decision on costs is a matter for that court.

On those grounds,

THE COURT (Sixth Chamber),

in answer to the questions referred to it by the Unabhängiger Verwaltungssenat Salzburg, by orders of 22 December 1999, hereby rules:

Articles 56 EC to 60 EC:

- do not preclude a prior notification procedure such as that laid down by the scheme for the acquisition of land established by the Salzburger Grundverkehrsgesetz 1997;

- preclude a prior authorisation procedure such as that laid down by that scheme.