Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 24 June 2010 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Tribunale di Treviso (Italy)) — Criminal proceedings against Luigi Pontini, Emanuele Rech, Dino Bonora, Giovanni Forato, Laura Forato, Adele Adami, Sinergie sas di Rech & C., Impresa individuale Forato Giovanni, Forato srl, Giglio srl, Impresa individuale Rech Emanuele, Ivo Colomberotto, Agenzia Veneta per i pagamenti in agricoltura — AVEPA, Agenzia per le Erogazioni in Agricoltura (AGEA), Agrirocca di Rech Emanuele, Asolat di Rech Emanuele & C.

(Case C-375/08) (1)

(Agriculture - Common organisation of the markets - Beef and veal - Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 - Community financial aid concerning special premiums for male bovine animals and payments for extensification - Conditions for granting - Calculation of the stocking density on the holding - Meaning of ‘available forage area’ - Regulation (EEC) No 3887/92 and Regulation (EC) No 2419/2001 - Integrated administration and control system for certain Community aid schemes - National legislation making the grant of Community financial aid conditional upon production of a valid legal document attesting to the right to use the areas under forage)

2010/C 221/06

Language of the case: Italian

Referring court

Tribunale di Treviso

Parties in the main proceedings

Luigi Pontini, Emanuele Rech, Dino Bonora, Giovanni Forato, Laura Forato, Adele Adami, Sinergie sas di Rech & C., Impresa individuale Forato Giovanni, Forato srl, Giglio srl, Impresa individuale Rech Emanuele, Ivo Colomberotto, Agenzia Veneta per i pagamenti in agricoltura — AVEPA, Agenzia per le Erogazioni in Agricoltura (AGEA), Agrirocca di Rech Emanuele, Asolat di Rech Emanuele & C.

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — Tribunale di Treviso — Interpretation of Council Regulation No 1254/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in beef and veal (OJ 1999 L 160, p. 21) — Meaning of ‘forage area’ — National legislation making, in the absence of an ownership right, the grant of Community financial aid conditional upon production of a valid legal document attesting to the right to use the areas under forage.

Operative part of the judgment

The Community legislation — and, in particular, Council Regulation (EC) No 1254/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in beef and veal — does not make the eligibility of an application for special premiums for male bovine animals or payments for extensification conditional upon the production of a valid legal document attesting to the aid applicant’s right to use the forage areas to which the application relates. However, subject to compliance with the objectives pursued by the Community legislation, as well as the general principles of Community law and, in particular, the principle of proportionality, the Community legislation does not preclude Member States from imposing, under their national legislation, a requirement to produce such a document.

(1)  OJ C 327, 20.12.2008.