Judgement of the Court; 5 February 2004; in Case C-18/02, Danmarks Rederiforening, acting on behalf of DFDS Torline A/S, and LO Landsorganisationen i Sverige, acting on behalf of SEKO Sjöfolk Facket för Service och Kommunikation

1.   (a)     Article 5(3) of the Brussels Convention of 27 September 1968 on jurisdiction and the enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, as amended by the Convention of 9 October 1978 on the Accession of the Kingdom of Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, by the Convention of 25 October 1982 on the Accession of the Hellenic Republic, by the Convention of 26 May 1989 on the Accession of the Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic and by the Convention of 29 November 1996 on the Accession of the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden, must be interpreted as meaning that a case concerning the legality of industrial action, in respect of which exclusive jurisdiction belongs, in accordance with the law of the Contracting State concerned, to a court other than the court which has jurisdiction to try the claims for compensation for the damage caused by that industrial action, falls within the definition of ‘tort, delict or quasi-delict’.

  (b)   For the application of Article 5(3) of the Brussels Convention to a situation such as that in the dispute in the main proceedings, it is sufficient that that industrial action is a necessary precondition of sympathy action which may result in harm.    

  (c)   The application of Article 5(3) of the Brussels Convention is not affected by the fact that the implementation of industrial action was suspended by the party giving notice pending a ruling on its legality.

2.   In circumstances such as those in the main proceedings, Article 5(3) must be interpreted as meaning that the damage resulting from industrial action taken by a trade union in a Contracting State to which a ship registered in another Contracting State sails must not necessarily be regarded as having occurred in the flag State, with the result that the shipowner can bring an action for damages against that trade union in the flag State.