Facts　事实

In order to be used on the public highway in Belgium vehicles registered in that country must satisfy the requirements of the Royal Decree of 15 March 1968 which embodies a general regulation *97 concerning the technical standards to be met by motor vehicles and their trailers. [FN1]
　　在比利时，经登记的汽车要上路行驶必须满足1968年3月15日颁布的皇家法令的规定要求，该法包括了有关汽车及其拖车必须符合的技术标准。

Each type of chassis or unit-construction vehicle manufactured or assembled in Belgium or imported for use in that country must be approved by the Minister for Transport or his representative and be the subject of an approval (procès-verbal d'agréation) ( sections 3 (1) and 10 (1) of the Royal Decree of 15 March 1968).
　　在比利时制造和装配的或进口到该国使用的每一型号底盘或独立结构的汽车都必须经运输部或其代理人的批准，并成为许可的对象（1968年3月15日皇家法令第3（1）和10（1）部分）

Where a type of vehicle has thus obtained an approval the manufacturer or, where he is established abroad, his sole authorised agent in Belgium shall issue, in respect of each new vehicle of the same type which is in use on the road, a certificate 'of conformity' which attests that the vehicle entirely satisfies the requirements contained in the certificate of approval (section 10 (4) of the Decree). The manufacturer or his sole authorised agent subsequently affixes to each vehicle the compulsory type-shield (section 16 (2) of the Decree).
　　如果一种型号的汽车已经获得了这样的批准，则其制造商，如果它在比利时境外建立，或者它在比利时的代理机构应当对在路行驶的同一种型号的新汽车发行一份“相符”证书，以证明该车完全符合批准文件［法令第10（40）］的要求。相应地，该制造商或其代理机构应该为每一汽车帖上强制性的已检标签［法令第16（2）］。

Following instructions from the Belgian Minister for Transport, since 15 March 1973 the State testing stations, which until that date carried out the inspections of used vehicles, have no longer issued certificates of conformity and type-shields for vehicles which have been registered abroad for less than six months; since that date, therefore, the conformity inspections of such vehicles have been carried out by the manufacturer's authorised agent in Belgium.
　　根据比利时运输部的指令，从1973年3月15日起，原负责对汽车进行检查的国家测试站点不再为在国外注册少于6个月的汽车颁发相符证书和已检标签。从该日起，这项工作由制造商在比利时的代理机构进行。

For the purposes of the Royal Decree of 15 March 1968, General Motors Continental NV, a limited company incorporated under Belgian law having its registered office in Antwerp, is the sole authorised agent of Adam Opel AG, Rüsselsheim/Main, a manufacturer of private motor cars, and of other manufacturers belonging to the General Motors group.
G.M.C. is responsible for obtaining a certificate of approval for all types of General Motors vehicles included in its Belgian sales programme. It applies for 'general' approvals for Opel and Vauxhall models; for the American models produced by General Motors, it applies for 'low-volume' type approvals, valid for up to 10 units per year. G.M.C. subsequently issues the certificates of conformity and the type-shields for each vehicle sold through its approved dealers.
　　根据1968年3月15日的皇家法令，通用汽车大陆公司作为一家依比利时法律成立的有限公司，它在安特卫普有一家注册机构，是私人汽车制造商Adam Opel AG, Rüsselsheim/Main的唯一代理机构，也是通用汽车大陆公司旗下其他制造商的唯一代理机构。通用汽车大陆公司负责为所有型号的通用汽车获取批准证书，包括其在比利时的销售计划。它为Opel and Vauxhall型号的汽车申请了“通用的”批准证书；对通用汽车公司制造的美国型号汽车，它申请了“低容量”型批准，每年有多达10个单位的有效期。通用汽车大陆公司相应地为每一辆通过其经销商卖出的汽车颁发相符证书和已检标签。

Private customers and dealers importing vehicles manufactured within the General Motors group into Belgium otherwise than through G.M.C.'s standard distribution system--parallel imports--are also obliged to resort to G.M.C., in its capacity as sole authorised agent for the approval procedures for both new vehicles and, since 15 March 1973, for vehicles registered abroad for less than six months.
　　把通用汽车集团制造的汽车进口至比利时的私人消费者和交易商除了通过通用汽车大陆公司的经销商进行――平行进口――之外，也被迫求之于通用汽车大陆公司，因该公司从1973年3月15日起已作为唯一的为新汽车以及在国外注册少于6个月的汽车进行批准程序的代理机构。

Between 15 March and 31 July 1973, G.M.C. charged the same rates for the issue of certificates of conformity and type-shields in *98 five cases of parallel imports as it had charged previously for inspecting certain American models (5,000 BF plus 900 BF VAT).
With effect from 1 August 1973 it implemented its new scale of charges, which distinguishes between G.M.C. vehicles of American manufacture and those of European manufacture: the costs charged for a private motor car manufactured in Europe by an undertaking within the General Motors group and already type-approved in Belgium were 1,250 BF whereas, as regards private motor cars manufactured in the U.S.A. by General Motors, the costs were 5,300, 7,000, or 30,000 BF, as the case might be.
On 3 August 1973, G.M.C. took action to reimburse part of the amounts charged in the five cases mentioned above. In two cases 4,900 BF and in three cases 4,425 BF were returned.
　　在1973年3月15日至7月31日之间，通用汽车大陆公司在五个平行进口的案例中为颁发相符证书和已检标签收取相同的费用，就如同此前它对某一美国型号汽车收取的费用一样（5,000比利时法郎加上900比利时法郎的增值税）。从1973年8月1日起它调整了其收费幅度，区分了美国制造与欧洲制造的通用汽车：如同本案的情况所示，对在欧洲制造的和已在比利时帖标的私人通用公司产骄车收取的费用是1,250比利时法郎；而对在美国制造的私人通用公司骄车分别收取5,300、7,000或者30,000比利时法郎。1973年8月3日，通用汽车大陆公司对上述五个案例中多收取的费用进行了补偿，其中两个案例退还了4,900比利时法郎，三个案例退还了4，425比利时法郎。

The Commission of the European Communities considered that by requiring parallel importers of Opel vehicles to pay an excessive price for the technical inspections and administrative costs involved in the issue of certificates of conformity and type-shields G.M.C. had abused a dominant position within a substantial part of the common market within the meaning of Article 86 of the EEC Treaty. On 26 July 1974, therefore, acting on its own initiative, it set in motion against G.M.C. the procedure provided for by Council Regulation 17 of 6 February 1962, the first regulation implementing Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty.
　　欧共体委员会认为，在Opel汽车的平行进口中，通用汽车大陆公司在进行技术检查和涉及颁发相符证书和已检标签的行政费用上实行了超高价格，因此构成欧共体条约第86条意义上的在共同市场的一个实质部分滥用了优势地位。因此在1974年7月26日，委员会根据1962年2月6日的委员会规则中提供的程序，即对欧共体条约第85条和第86条的第一次修订，主动提起动议起诉通用汽车大陆公司。

In pursuance of Article 19 (1) of Regulation 17 and of Article 2 (1) of Commission Regulation 99/63 of 25 July 1963, the Commission informed G.M.C. by letter on 31 July 1974 of the statement of objections which it intended to raise against it. On 6 September 1974 G.M.C. informed the Commission in writing of its views on these objections. On 19 December 1974, the Commission adopted Decision No. IV/28.851--General Motors Continental, relating to a proceeding under Article 86 of the EEC Treaty. [FN2]
　　依照17号规则第19（1）条和1963年99/63号委员会规则第2（1）条之规定，委员会在1974年7月31日书面通知了通用汽车大陆公司其意欲对该公司提起的异议。1974年9月19日，通用汽车大陆公司书面回复委员会，发表了对此异议的观点。1974年9月19日，委员会发布第IV/28.851号决定――通用汽车大陆公司，涉及欧共体条约第86条的一个程序。