Cassis de Dijon case

Court of Justice (Photo: Court of Justice)

Cassis de Dijon case

An important EU Court case providing for mutual recognition of standards in different EU countries. 

EC Court verdict from 1979 stating that, as a rule, products in one EU country are also legal in other EU countries (case 120/78). 

The verdict forced the member states to agree on common standards which they would otherwise not have agreed. 

Cassis is a French liqueur with an alcohol level of 16%. Germany would not allow it to be sold as “liqueur” under German law, which states that the minimum percentage of alcohol should be 25%.  

The verdict paved the way for decisions by qualified majority under the so-called Internal Market, introduced by the Single European Act in 1987. 

See also Harmonisation and Environmental clause  

 

Links 

 

http://www.europarl.eu.int/factsheets/3_2_1_en.htm