Which principle is established by Cassis de Dijon (1979) regarding the movement of goods within the European Union?

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Multiple Choice

Which principle is established by Cassis de Dijon (1979) regarding the movement of goods within the European Union?

The principle being tested is mutual recognition of goods that are lawfully marketed in one Member State. Cassis de Dijon established that if a product is legally sold in one country, it should be allowed to be sold in other EU countries even if it does not meet the importing country’s own national rules, provided there is no justified public-interest reason to block it and the restriction is proportionate. Context helps: in Cassis, a French liqueur that did not meet Germany’s minimum alcohol-content rule was refused entry. The European Court of Justice ruled that Germany could not automatically bar that product simply because its own standard differed. Instead, those national rules should be treated with a preference for recognizing a product’s lawful marketing elsewhere, unless a legitimate objective—such as protecting health or consumers, maintaining fair competition, or other essential public-interest grounds—can be shown and the restriction is proportionate. This molded the internal market by reducing non-tariff barriers through mutual recognition, rather than insisting on uniform harmonization of every technical rule. The idea is that once something is lawfully marketed in one Member State, it should be allowed in others, with potential exceptions only if justified and proportionate.

The principle being tested is mutual recognition of goods that are lawfully marketed in one Member State. Cassis de Dijon established that if a product is legally sold in one country, it should be allowed to be sold in other EU countries even if it does not meet the importing country’s own national rules, provided there is no justified public-interest reason to block it and the restriction is proportionate.

Context helps: in Cassis, a French liqueur that did not meet Germany’s minimum alcohol-content rule was refused entry. The European Court of Justice ruled that Germany could not automatically bar that product simply because its own standard differed. Instead, those national rules should be treated with a preference for recognizing a product’s lawful marketing elsewhere, unless a legitimate objective—such as protecting health or consumers, maintaining fair competition, or other essential public-interest grounds—can be shown and the restriction is proportionate.

This molded the internal market by reducing non-tariff barriers through mutual recognition, rather than insisting on uniform harmonization of every technical rule. The idea is that once something is lawfully marketed in one Member State, it should be allowed in others, with potential exceptions only if justified and proportionate.

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