26.1.2008

Official Journal of the European Union

C 22/22

Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Conseil d'Etat (France) lodged on 25 October 2007 — Association Nationale pour la Protection des Eaux et Rivières — TOS, Association OABA v Ministère de l'écologie, du développement et de l'aménagement durables — Intervener: Association France Nature Environnement

(Case C-473/07)

(2008/C 22/42)

Language of the case: French

Referring court

Conseil d'Etat

Parties to the main proceedings

Applicants: Association Nationale pour la Protection des Eaux et Rivières — TOS, Association OABA

Defendant: Ministère de l'écologie, du développement et de l'aménagement durables

Questions referred

Must paragraph 6.6(a) of Annex I to Directive 96/61/EC (1), which applies to installations for the intensive rearing of poultry with more than 40 000 places, be interpreted:

1.	as including within its scope quails, partridges and pigeons; and, if so,

2.	as authorising a mechanism for calculating authorisation thresholds on the basis of a system of ‘animal-equivalents’, which gives weighting to the number of animals per place according to species so that account may be taken of the amount of nitrogen actually excreted by the various species?

(1) Council Directive 96/61/EC of 24 September 1996 concerning integrated pollution prevention and control (OJ 1996 L 257, p. 26).