EUROPEAN LAW ANALYSYS OF THE CASSIS DE DIJON CASE The laws under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union are binding to the member States. As such was the treaties was very vital in determining trade relations especially in the post war age. The summary of this Cassis De Dijon case1is that a German liquor importer was denied permission to import the liquor known as cassis de Dijon on the basis that, according to German law, all fruit liquor was required to have a minimum of 25% alcohol.2The plaintiff went to the European Court of Justice and pleaded that the prohibition breached Article 34 of TFEU.3The court held that under the principle of mutual recognition, any product that is lawfully marketable in one member state is also, by right, marketable in another.4 The German government pleaded public health. They submitted that lower levels of alcohol would cause the citizens to develop a tolerance of alcohol. This reasoning the court dismissed as beverages originating within the country having a lower that 25% alcohol level were being sold legally. The court introduced a concept known as “overriding reasons of public interest” which provided that as long as there is no discrimination, then a nation may prohibit the import of products under Art. 36.5 In terms of current significance, the Federal Council of Switzerland in 2010 revised the laws on imports to align with the ‘Casis De Dijon” principle. The purpose of which is to increase trade with other EU countries.6 Bibliography 1Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 2019 (accessed May 24,2019); available fromhttps://www.nzz.ch/erleichterte_eu- importe-1.5759574 2'Case 120/78 Cassis De Dijon [1979] | Case Summary’ (Web stroke Law, 1April 2019)<https://webstroke.co.uk/law/cases/case-12078-cassis-de-dijon-1979> accessed 24May,2019 3Art. 34 provides “quantitative restrictions on imports and all measures having equivalent effect shall be prohibited between Member States”. 4Hayes, supra note 1 at 123 5Art 36 provides that prohibit a state can the import of good under certain circumstances. 6Ibid., 1 2
EUROPEAN LAW Webstroke.co.uk ,'Case 120/78 Cassis De Dijon [1979] | Case Summary’ (Web stroke Law, 1 April 2019)<https://webstroke.co.uk/law/cases/case-12078-cassis-de-dijon-1979> accessed 24 May,2019 Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 2019 (accessed May 24,2019); available from https://www.nzz.ch/erleichterte_eu-importe-1.5759574 Rewe-Zentral v Bundesmonopolverwaltung für Branntwein[1979] Case 120/78 Treaty of European community, October,2012, “Official journal of the European Union consolidated versionno. 4(2012): 326. 3