Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 11 March 2010 (reference for a preliminary ruling from the Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny (Poland)) — Telekomunikacja Polska SA w Warszawie v Prezes Urzędu Komunikacji Elektronicznej

(Case C-522/08) (1)

(Electronic communications - Telecommunications services - Directive 2002/21/EC - Directive 2002/22/EC - Making the conclusion of a contract for the provision of services contingent on the conclusion of a contract for the supply of other services - Prohibition - Broadband internet)

2010/C 113/16

Language of the case: Polish

Referring court

Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicant: Telekomunikacja Polska SA w Warszawie

Defendant: Prezes Urzędu Komunikacji Elektronicznej

Re:

Reference for a preliminary ruling — Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny — Interpretation of Article 95 EC; of recital 13 in the preamble to, and Articles 5 and 8 of, Directive 2002/19/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on access to, and interconnection of, electronic communications networks and associated facilities (‘Access Directive’) (OJ 2002 L 108, p. 7); of the provisions of Directive 2002/20/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on the authorisation of electronic communications networks and services (‘Authorisation Directive’) (OJ 2002 L 108, p. 21); of recitals 1 and 28 in the preamble to, and Articles 1(3), 3, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 and 19 of, Directive 2002/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (‘Framework Directive’) (OJ 2002 L 108, p. 33), and of recital 26 in the preamble to, and Articles 16 and 17 of, Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on universal service and users’ rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (‘Universal Service Directive’) (OJ 2002 L 108 p. 51) — National legislation prohibiting any provider of telecommunication services from making the conclusion of a contract for the provision of services contingent on the purchase of another service — Conclusion of a contract for the provision of broadband internet access made subject to the conclusion of a contract for the provision of telephone services

Operative part of the judgment

Directive 2002/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on a common regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services (Framework Directive) and Directive 2002/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 March 2002 on universal service and users’ rights relating to electronic communications networks and services (Universal Service Directive) must be interpreted as not precluding national legislation, such as Article 57(1)(1) of the Polish Law on Telecommunications (ustawa — Prawo telekomunikacyjne) of 16 July 2004, in the version applicable to the facts in the main proceedings, which prohibits making the conclusion of a contract for the provision of services contingent on the conclusion, by the end user, of a contract for the provision of other services.

However, Directive 2005/29/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2005 concerning unfair business to consumer commercial practices in the internal market and amending Council Directive 84/450/EEC, Directives 97/7/EC, 98/27/EC and 2002/65/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (‘Unfair Commercial Practices Directive’) must be interpreted as precluding national legislation which, with certain exceptions, and without taking account of the specific circumstances, imposes a general prohibition of combined offers made by a vendor to a consumer.

(1)  OJ C 69, 21.3.2009.