7.2.2022

Official Journal of the European Union

C 64/12

(Case C-632/21)

(2022/C 64/19)

Language of the case: Spanish

Referring court

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicants: JF and NS

Defendants: Diamond Resorts Europe Limited (Sucursal en España), Diamond Resorts Spanish Sales S.L. and Sunterra Tenerife Sales S.L.

Questions referred for a preliminary ruling

1.Are the 1980 Rome Convention (1) on the law applicable to contractual obligations and Regulation No 593/2008 (2) on the law applicable to contractual obligations to be construed as applying to contracts in which both parties are United Kingdom nationals?

If the answer to the first question is in the affirmative

2.Is Regulation No 593/2008 to be construed as applying to contracts concluded before its entry into force, pursuant to Article 24 of that regulation? If the answer is no, must a club-points-based timeshare contract be treated as falling within the scope of Articles 4(3) or (5) of the 1980 Rome Convention, including where the consumer has chosen the law of a State other than his or her State of habitual residence as the applicable law? Further, if the answer is that such contracts can come under either provision, which set of rules takes priority?

3.Irrespective of the answers to the second question, is a club-points-based timeshare contract to be treated as a contract for the acquisition of rights in rem in immovable property or association-type rights in personam?

—If it is considered that rights in rem are acquired, for the purposes of determining the law applicable, which of Article 4(c) and 6(1) of Regulation No 593/2008 is applicable by way priority, including in the event that the consumer chooses the law of a State other than that of his or her State of habitual residence as the applicable law?

—If it is considered that rights in personam are acquired, are those rights to be treated as a tenancy of immovable property, for the purposes of Article 4(c), or as a provision of services, for the purposes of Article 4(b)? Further, and in any event, is Article 6(1) applicable by way of priority in so far as the contract is with a consumer and/or user, including where the consumer chooses the law of a State other than that of his or her State of habitual residence as the applicable law?

4.In all of the above cases, is national legislation which states that ‘all contracts concerning rights relating to the use of one or more immovable properties situated in Spain during a specified or specifiable period of the year are subject to the provisions of this Law, regardless of the place or the date on which such contracts were concluded’ to be interpreted as being compatible with the provisions governing the applicable law laid down in the 1980 Rome Convention and in Regulation No 593/2008?

(1) Convention on the law applicable to contractual obligations opened for signature in Rome on 19 June 1980 (OJ 1980 L 266, p. 1).

(2) Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (Rome I) (OJ 2008 L 177, p. 6).