Joined cases C-92/09 and C-93/09 Volker und Markus Schecke GbR, Hartmut Eifert v. Land Hessen, judgment of the court of justice (Grand Chamber) of 9 November 2010

Abstract

The case of Volker und Markus Schecke GbR, Hartmut Eifert v Land Hessen is a textbook example of a clash between two well-established legal principles, being the right to privacy and the principle of transparency, neither of which can be allowed to unconditionally fall victim to the other. Simply put, the question is how much transparency can the right to privacy and the protection of personal data withstand before being infringed. The case is all the more fascinating since it concerns the Common Agricultural Policy (hereinafter ‘CAP’), which has traditionally occupied a privileged position both in terms of EU budget allocations and as regards the heated debate over its alleged lack of transparency and efficacy Commencing at a little more than 70 percent share of the total EU budget in 1980, CAP amounted to more than 40 percent in 2010.