The Court of Justice of the European Union has issued its ruling on the infraction proceedings again France in regards of the French exemptions on certain yacht charters. The Court ruled that the French exemption was not compatible with EU legislation as the French rules did not explicitly make the exemption conditional on the vessels’ use for navigation on the high seas.

 Although no official English version is yet available and we await the English version of the ruling for greater clarity, this ruling indicates that the days of the expansive French exemption may be drawing to an end. If you have any queries on how this may affect your business, or your clients, please contact us.