Дело C-401/92: Tankstation ‘t Heukske и Boermans, Заключение от 16 март 1994 г.

1. Do the provisions of the EEC Treaty, including Articles 30 to 36 or Article 86 in conjunction with Article 3(f) and Article 5 militate against rules which are in themselves lawful on the compulsory closing of shops as laid down in the Netherlands Winkelsluitingswet 1976 and serving as the basis for implementing measures as laid down in the (amended) implementing degree of 6 December 1977 under which operators of inter alia petrol stations, shops in station buildings and at airports, shops in hospitals and museums are or continue to be permitted to offer for sale and to sell smoking accessories, beverages, newspapers, music cassettes and foodstuffs whereas others, including specialized shops are considerably more restricted in their opening possibilities?

2. Must the abovementioned provisions or any other provisions of the EEC Treaty be interpreted as precluding the criminal conviction of operators of petrol stations at the side of the public highway on the basis of the Winkelsluitingswet and the abovementioned implementing decree in so far as those provisions lay down rules for shops in petrol stations which:

(a) in themselves do not affect the opening hours of petrol stations and relate merely to the conditions under which and the times at which certain goods may be offered for sale at those petrol stations;

(b) make a distinction between petrol stations at the side of rijkswegen (national highways) and petrol stations at the side of other public highways, in so far as the former enjoy more freedom to offer for sale tobacco and tobacco products than the latter?

3. Is it relevant to the answer to Question 2(a) and (b) whether as between the two categories of petrol station distinguished in Question 2(b) there exists a difference between the proportion of normal revenue yielded by motor fuels and by other products in so far as the first category is (substantially) less dependent for its revenue on sales of products other than motor fuels than the second category?

4. Is it relevant to the answer to Question 2(a) and (b) and Question 3 that by governmental rules possibly with the involvement of a committee of representatives of petroleum companies, permits for petrol stations at the side of rijkswegen were granted in such a way that priority was thereby given to petroleum companies having a relatively large share of the market?