Official Journal of the European Union

C 317/13

(Case C-378/10)

()

2010/C 317/25

Language of the case: Hungarian

Referring court

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: VALE Építési Kft.

Questions referred

1.Must the host Member State pay due regard to Articles 43 and 48 EC when a company established in another Member State (the Member State of origin) transfers its seat to that host Member State and, at the same time and for this purpose, deletes the entry regarding it in the commercial register in the Member State of origin, and the company’s owners adopt a new instrument of constitution under the laws of the host Member State, and the company applies for registration in the commercial register of the host Member State under the laws of the host Member State?

2.If the answer to the first question is yes, must Articles 43 and 48 EC be interpreted in such a case as meaning that they preclude legislation or practices of such a (host) Member State which prohibit a company established lawfully in any other Member State (the Member State of origin) from transferring its seat to the host Member State and continuing to operate under the laws of that State?

3.With regard to the response to the second question, is the basis on which the host Member State prohibits the company from registration of any relevance, specifically:

—if, in its instrument of constitution adopted in the host Member State, the company designates as its predecessor the company established and deleted from the commercial register in the Member State of origin, and applies for the predecessor to be registered as its own predecessor in the commercial register of the host Member State?

—in the event of international conversion within the Community, when deciding on the company’s application for registration, must the host Member State take into consideration the instrument recording the fact of the transfer of company seat in the commercial register of the Member State of origin , and, if so, to what extent?

4.Is the host Member State entitled to decide on the application for company registration lodged in the host Member State by the company carrying out international conversion within the Community in accordance with the rules of company law of the host Member State as they relate to the conversion of domestic companies, and to require the company to fulfil all the conditions (e.g. drawing up lists of assets and liabilities and property inventories) laid down by the company law of the host Member State in respect of domestic conversion, or is the host Member State obliged under Articles 43 and 48 EC to distinguish international conversion within the Community from domestic conversion and, if so, to what extent?