29.8.2016

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 314/8

(Case C-275/16)

(2016/C 314/13)

Language of the case: Italian

Referring court

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicants: Comune di Balzola, Comune di Borgo San Martino, Comune di Camino, Comune di Cereseto, Comune di Cerrina, Comune di Frassineto Po, Comune di Gabiano, Comune di Limone Piemonte, Comune di Mombello Monferrato, Comune di Morano Sul Po, Comune di Odalengo Piccolo, Comune di Pietraporzio, Comune di Piovà Massaia, Comune di Pontestura, Comune di Ponzano, Comune di Sala Monferrato, Comune di Serralunga di Crea, Comune di Solonghello, Comune di Villamiroglio, Comune di Montemagno, Comune di Scurzolengo, Comune di Alfiano Natta, Comune di Moncalvo, Comune di Cerro Tanaro, Comune di Tonco, Comune di Castagnole Monferrato, Comune di Casorzo, Comune di Calliano, Comune di Robella, Comune di Grana, Comune di Rocchetta Tanaro, Comune di Odalengo Grande, Comune di Coniolo, Comune di Ozzano Monferrato, Comune di Demonte, Comune di Entracque, Comune di Sambuco, Comune di Roccasparvera, Comune di Argentera, Comune di Gaiola, Comune di Valdieri, Anci Piemonte

Defendant: Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni

Question referred

On a correct interpretation of Directive 97/67/EC, are Article 3(7) of Legislative Decree No 261/99 and Article 1(276) of Law No 194/2014 compatible with that directive, in the following respects:

(a)Directive 97/67/EC, as amended and supplemented, concerning common rules for the development of the internal market of Community postal services and the improvement of quality of service imposes an obligation on Member States to provide a universal postal service and, in that connection, it provides that postal items must be collected and delivered to the home address of the addressee ‘not less than five working days a week’;

(b)the same Community directive makes provision for possible derogations, by the national regulatory authorities, only ‘in circumstances or geographical conditions deemed exceptional’;

(c)Italian domestic legislation (Article 3(7) of Legislative Decree No 261/99 and Article 1(276) of Law No 190/2014 — referred to as the ‘2015 Stability Law’), on the other hand, requires the national regulatory authority to allow the aforementioned derogation, within specified time limits, whenever the operator of the service so requests, relying on the ‘existence of particular situations of an infrastructural or geographical nature in territorial areas with a population density of less than 200 inhabitants per square kilometre’, even where such situations are not of an exceptional nature and affect a considerable proportion of the national population (up to one-quarter of the population and therefore — in the case of areas with low population densities — up to a far wider proportion of national territory)?

Directive 97/67/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 1997 on common rules for the development of the internal market of Community postal services and the improvement of quality of service (OJ 1998 L 15, p. 14).