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PARALLEL TEXTS
Secondo l’avvocato generale Jääskinen, i passeggeri dei treni hanno diritto al rimborso parziale del biglietto in caso di forte ritardo, anche se dovuto a forza maggiore
Inglese tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-13-27_en.htm
Italiano tratto da:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_CJE-13-27_it.htm
Data documento: 14-03-2013
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According to Advocate General Jääskinen, rail passengers must have part of the cost of their ticket refunded in case of significant delay even if that delay is caused by force majeure
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Secondo l’avvocato generale Jääskinen, i passeggeri dei treni hanno diritto al rimborso parziale del biglietto in caso di forte ritardo, anche se dovuto a forza maggiore
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A railway company may not exclude its refund obligation in such cases
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Un’impresa ferroviaria non può in tale caso essere esonerata dall’obbligo di rimborso
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The Regulation on rail passengers’ rights and obligations provides that a passenger who is facing a delay of one hour or more may request a partial refund of the ticket price from the railway company.
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Il regolamento sui diritti e gli obblighi dei passeggeri ferroviari stabilisce che coloro che subiscono un ritardo pari o superiore a un’ora possono chiedere all’impresa ferroviaria il rimborso parziale del biglietto.
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This compensation is a minimum of 25% of the ticket price for delays of one hour to 119 minutes and a minimum of 50% for delays of two hours or more.
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Tale risarcimento è pari a un minimo del 25% del prezzo del biglietto in caso di ritardi compresi tra un’ora e 119 minuti, e a un minimo del 50% in caso di ritardi pari o superiori a due ore.
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The Regulation does not contain any exemption from this right to compensation in cases where the delay is caused by force majeure, such as adverse weather conditions, damage to the railway infrastructure or industrial action.
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Il regolamento non prevede eccezioni a tale diritto al risarcimento nei casi in cui il ritardo sia dovuto a forza maggiore, ad esempio difficili condizioni atmosferiche, danni all’infrastruttura ferroviaria o azioni sindacali.
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The Austrian Verwaltungsgerichtshof (Administrative Court) has asked the Court of Justice whether a railway company may nevertheless exclude its obligation to pay compensation when a delay, missed connection or cancellation is caused by force majeure.
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Il Verwaltungsgerichtshof austriaco (tribunale amministrativo) ha chiesto alla Corte di giustizia se un’impresa ferroviaria possa essere ciò nonostante esonerata dall’obbligo di versare un indennizzo qualora il ritardo, la perdita della coincidenza o la soppressione del servizio siano dovuti a forza maggiore.
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The Verwaltungsgerichtshof has to decide on an action brought by the Austrian railway company ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG by which it challenges the decision of the Austrian Rail Network Control Commission obliging ÖBB to delete a provision in its general terms and conditions which excludes compensation in cases of force majeure.
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Quel giudice è chiamato a pronunciarsi su un ricorso con cui l’impresa ferroviaria austriaca ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG, ha impugnato la decisione della commissione austriaca per il controllo della rete ferroviaria, che le impone di eliminare dalle sue condizioni generali una disposizione che esclude l’indennizzo nei casi di forza maggiore.
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In his opinion delivered today, Advocate General Niilo Jääskinen considers that a railway company may not exclude its obligation under the Regulation to pay compensation of the ticket price in cases where the delay is caused by force majeure.
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Nelle sue odierne conclusioni, l’avvocato generale Niilo Jääskinen ritiene che un’impresa ferroviaria non possa essere esonerata dall’obbligo imposto dal regolamento di versare un indennizzo per il prezzo del biglietto nei casi in cui il ritardo sia dovuto a forza maggiore.
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He observes that there is nothing in the text of the Regulation to limit this obligation in cases of force majeure.
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Egli osserva che nel regolamento non sono ravvisabili limitazioni a tale obbligo nei casi di forza maggiore.
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While liability limitations contained in international rules on transport by train, to which the Regulation refers, do not apply to the refund of ticket price in case of delay, the fact that the Regulation aims to enhance consumer protection prevents any restriction of such a refund from being inferred from the general EU concept of force majeure.
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Mentre le limitazioni alla responsabilità contenute nelle regole uniformi sul contratto di trasporto internazionale per ferrovia, alle quali il regolamento fa rinvio, non si applicano al rimborso del biglietto in caso di ritardo, il fatto che il regolamento persegua l’obiettivo di rafforzare la protezione dei consumatori impedisce di dedurre, dalla nozione generale di forza maggiore ai sensi del diritto dell’Unione, qualsiasi limitazione a tale rimborso.
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Had the EU legislature wanted to limit this obligation on grounds of force majeure, this would have been clearly indicated in the wording of the Regulation.
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Se il legislatore dell’Unione europea avesse voluto limitare tale obbligo nei casi di forza maggiore, tale intenzione sarebbe stata chiaramente indicata nel testo del regolamento.
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The Advocate General furthermore rejects the application by analogy of force majeure rules contained in Regulations on passengers' rights within other transport sectors, namely air, boat and bus travel.
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L’avvocato generale respinge poi l’applicazione analogica delle norme sulla forza maggiore contenute nei regolamenti sui diritti dei passeggeri in altri settori (trasporto aereo, via nave o in autobus).
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He notes that, in the context of travel by train, the most usual causes of force majeure, namely adverse weather conditions, damage to infrastructure, and industrial action, have a foreseeable statistical frequency and can be taken into account when calculating ticket pricing.
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Egli sottolinea che, nell’ambito dei viaggi in treno, le cause più ricorrenti di forza maggiore - le difficili condizioni atmosferiche, i danni all’infrastruttura e le azioni sindacali - hanno una frequenza statistica prevedibile e possono essere prese in considerazione nel calcolare il prezzo del biglietto.
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Also, the situation of companies operating in the different transport sectors is not comparable since the different modes of transport are not interchangeable as regards the conditions of their use.
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Inoltre, la situazione delle imprese che operano nei diversi settori di trasporto non è paragonabile, dato che le diverse modalità di trasporto non sono intercambiabili quanto alle loro condizioni di utilizzazione.
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As regards a further question of the Verwaltungsgerichtshof about the powers of the national body responsible for the enforcement of the Regulation, Advocate General Jääskinen proposes to answer that the Regulation does not allow this body to prescribe, with binding effect on a railway company whose compensation terms do not conform to the criteria laid down in that Regulation, the specific content of the compensation scheme to be used by that railway company when national law permits that body only to declare such compensation terms null and void.
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Riguardo a un’altra questione sollevata dal Verwaltungsgerichtshof in merito ai poteri dell’organismo nazionale competente per l’applicazione del regolamento, l’avvocato generale Jääskinen propone di rispondere dichiarando che il regolamento non consente a tale organo di rendere obbligatorio per un’impresa ferroviaria, le cui condizioni di risarcimento non siano conformi ai criteri stabiliti da tale regolamento, il contenuto specifico delle condizioni di indennizzo da adottare da parte di detta impresa, qualora la normativa nazionale gli conferisca solo la possibilità di dichiarare inefficaci siffatte condizioni di indennizzo.
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However, the Advocate General adds that the legal obligation of a railway company to comply with the Regulation does not depend on the powers of national body or the sanctions available to it.
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Tuttavia, l’avvocato generale aggiunge che l’obbligo giuridico di un’impresa ferroviaria di rispettare il regolamento non dipende dai poteri dell’organismo nazionale o dalle sanzioni che esso può irrogare.
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This means that ÖBB are legally bound by the Regulation, and that passengers would be entitled to rely on it in any civil proceedings brought against this railway company with respect to ticket price compensation.
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Ciò significa che la ÖBB è giuridicamente vincolata dal regolamento, e che i passeggeri possono porlo a fondamento di qualsiasi procedimento civile avviato nei confronti di tale impresa ferroviaria in merito all’indennizzo per il prezzo del biglietto.
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NOTE:
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IMPORTANTE:
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The Advocate General’s Opinion is not binding on the Court of Justice.
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Le conclusioni dell'avvocato generale non vincolano la Corte di giustizia.
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It is the role of the Advocates General to propose to the Court, in complete independence, a legal solution to the cases for which they are responsible.
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Il compito dell'avvocato generale consiste nel proporre alla Corte, in piena indipendenza, una soluzione giuridica nella causa per la quale è stato designato.
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The Judges of the Court are now beginning their deliberations in this case.
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I giudici della Corte cominciano adesso a deliberare in questa causa.
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Judgment will be given at a later date.
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La sentenza sarà pronunciata in una data successiva.
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NOTE:
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IMPORTANTE:
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A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of the Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law or the validity of a European Union act.
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Il rinvio pregiudiziale consente ai giudici degli Stati membri, nell'ambito di una controversia della quale sono investiti, di interpellare la Corte in merito all’interpretazione del diritto dell’Unione o alla validità di un atto dell’Unione.
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The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
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La Corte non risolve la controversia nazionale.
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It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in accordance with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other national courts or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised.
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Spetta al giudice nazionale risolvere la causa conformemente alla decisione della Corte.Tale decisione vincola egualmente gli altri giudici nazionali ai quali venga sottoposto un problema simile.
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LISTEN WITH READSPEAKER
According to Advocate General Jääskinen, rail passengers must have part of
the cost of their ticket refunded in case of significant delay even if that
delay is caused by force majeure
A railway company may not exclude its refund obligation in such
cases
The Regulation on rail passengers’ rights and obligations provides that
a passenger who is facing a delay of one hour or more may request a partial
refund of the ticket price from the railway company.
This compensation is a minimum of 25% of the ticket price for delays of
one hour to 119 minutes and a minimum of 50% for delays of two hours or more.
The Regulation does not contain any exemption from this right to
compensation in cases where the delay is caused by force majeure, such as
adverse weather conditions, damage to the railway infrastructure or industrial
action.
The Austrian Verwaltungsgerichtshof (Administrative Court) has asked
the Court of Justice whether a railway company may nevertheless exclude its
obligation to pay compensation when a delay, missed connection or cancellation
is caused by force majeure.
The Verwaltungsgerichtshof has to decide on an action brought by the
Austrian railway company ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG by which it challenges the
decision of the Austrian Rail Network Control Commission obliging ÖBB to delete
a provision in its general terms and conditions which excludes compensation in
cases of force majeure.
In his opinion delivered today, Advocate General Niilo Jääskinen
considers that a railway company may not exclude its obligation under the
Regulation to pay compensation of the ticket price in cases where the delay is
caused by force majeure.
He observes that there is nothing in the text of the Regulation to
limit this obligation in cases of force majeure.
While liability limitations contained in international rules on
transport by train, to which the Regulation refers, do not apply to the refund
of ticket price in case of delay, the fact that the Regulation aims to enhance
consumer protection prevents any restriction of such a refund from being
inferred from the general EU concept of force majeure.
Had the EU legislature wanted to limit this obligation on grounds of
force majeure, this would have been clearly indicated in the wording of the
Regulation.
The Advocate General furthermore rejects the application by analogy of
force majeure rules contained in Regulations on passengers' rights within other
transport sectors, namely air, boat and bus travel.
He notes that, in the context of travel by train, the most usual causes
of force majeure, namely adverse weather conditions, damage to infrastructure,
and industrial action, have a foreseeable statistical frequency and can be taken
into account when calculating ticket pricing.
Also, the situation of companies operating in the different transport
sectors is not comparable since the different modes of transport are not
interchangeable as regards the conditions of their use.
As regards a further question of the Verwaltungsgerichtshof about the powers of
the national body responsible for the enforcement of the Regulation, Advocate
General Jääskinen proposes to answer that the Regulation does not allow this
body to prescribe, with binding effect on a railway company whose compensation
terms do not conform to the criteria laid down in that Regulation, the specific
content of the compensation scheme to be used by that railway company when
national law permits that body only to declare such compensation terms null and
void.
However, the Advocate General adds that the legal obligation of a
railway company to comply with the Regulation does not depend on the powers of
national body or the sanctions available to it.
This means that ÖBB are legally bound by the Regulation, and that
passengers would be entitled to rely on it in any civil proceedings brought
against this railway company with respect to ticket price compensation.
NOTE:
The Advocate General’s Opinion is not binding on the Court of Justice.
It is the role of the Advocates General to propose to the Court, in
complete independence, a legal solution to the cases for which they are
responsible.
The Judges of the Court are now beginning their deliberations in this
case.
Judgment will be given at a later date.
NOTE:
A reference for a preliminary ruling allows the courts and tribunals of
the Member States, in disputes which have been brought before them, to refer
questions to the Court of Justice about the interpretation of European Union law
or the validity of a European Union act.
The Court of Justice does not decide the dispute itself.
It is for the national court or tribunal to dispose of the case in
accordance with the Court’s decision, which is similarly binding on other
national courts or tribunals before which a similar issue is raised.
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