Under the Treaties the Commission is responsible for ensuring that Community law is correctly applied. As the Guardian of the Treaties, the European Commission has the option of commencing infringement proceedings under Article 258 (ex Article 226 TEC) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union whenever it considers that a Member State has breached Community law. The purpose of the procedure is to bring the infringement to an end. The infringement procedure starts with a letter of formal notice, by which the Commission allows the Member State to present its views regarding the breach observed. . If no reply to the letter of formal notice is received, or if the observations presented by the Member State in reply to that notice cannot be considered satisfactory, the Commission will move to the next stage of infringement procedure, which is the reasoned opinion; if necessary, the Commission will then refer the case to the Court of Justice.
The Commission's annual reports on the application of Community law have been published since 1982 and are designed to give the public access to information on ongoing legal proceedings. In addition, on the website of the Court of Justice of the European Communities one has access to judgements delivered by the Court. All judgments may be consulted also via EUR-Lex. Overall view of the implementation of Community Directives and the Commission infringement proceedings is given on the Secretariat-General website.
Infringements packages 2024
- December infringements package: key decisions
- November infringements package: key decisions
- October infringements package: key decisions
- July infringements package: key decisions
- May infringements package: key decisions
- April infringement package: key decisions
- March infringements package: key decisions
Infringements packages 2023
- December Infringements package: key decisions
- November infringement package: key decisions
- October infringement package: key decisions
- Rail transport: Commission decides to refer SPAIN to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to correctly transpose and apply EU rules establishing a single European railway area
- September infringement package: key decisions
- July infringement package: key decisions
- June infringement package: key decisions
- April Infringements package: key decisions
- The Commission decides to refer BULGARIA to the Court
- The European Commission decides to refer BULGARIA and POLAND
- The Commission decides to refer DENMARK to the Court
- The Commission decides to refer THE NETHERLANDS and PORTUGAL
- February infringements package: key decisions
- Commission decides to refer GREECE to the Court
- January infringements package: key decisions
Infringements packages 2022
- September Infringements package: key decisions
- July Infringements package: key decisions
- May Infringements package: key decisions
- April infringements package: key decisions
- February infringements package: key decisions
Infringements packages 2021
- Commission refers GERMANY to the Court of Justice of the European Union for excluding its regional transport networks from EU rail safety and interoperability requirements
- December infringements package: key decisions
- October infringements package: key decisions
- September infringements package: key decisions
- July infringements package: key decisions
- June infringements package: key decisions
- February infringements package: key decisions
Infringements packages 2020
- December infringements package: key decisions
- October infringements package: key decisions
- July infringements package: key decisions
- May infringements package: key decisions
- February infringements package: key decisions
Infringements packages 2019
- November infringements package: key decisions
- October infringements package: key decisions
- July infringements package: key decisions
- June infringements package: key decisions
- March infringements package: key decisions
- January infringements package: key decisions
Infringements packages 2018
- November infringements package: key decisions
- July infringements package: key decisions
- June infringements package: key decisions
- May infringements package: key decisions
- March infringements package: key decisions
- January infringements package: key decisions
Infringements packages 2017
- December infringements package: key decisions
- October infringements package: key decisions
- July infringements package: key decisions
- June infringements package: key decisions
- May infringements package: key decisions
- April infringements package: key decisions
- February infringements package: key decisions
Infringements packages 2016
- December infringements package: key decisions
- November infringements package: key decisions
- September infringements' package: key decisions
- The July infringements package: key decisions
- June infringements' package: key decisions
- May infringements' package: key decisions
- The April infringements' package: key decisions
- February infringements' package: key decisions
Infringements packages 2015
- December infringements' package: key decisions
- November infringements package: key decisions
- October infringements package: key decisions
- September infringements package: key decisions
- July infringements package: key decisions
- June infringements package: key decisions
- May infringements package: main decisions
- April infringements package: main decisions
- March infringements package: main decisions
- February infringements package: main decisions
Related documents
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
The Court of Justice of the European Communities
Application of Community Law