{ "attribution": { "source": "legal.exploreworldai.com", "canonical": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/judgment-text?id=eu:c-300-21", "cite_as": "NovaCopilot, legal.exploreworldai.com (https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/judgment-text?id=eu:c-300-21)", "license": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/revision", "version": "legal-2026-10-15", "fingerprint": "ewai:eu:8d311e", "proof": "sha256:e741474f65a2bade2fbaca36e3f521bfac2e8b068c330f7f3a053ba7a11c2b6b", "jurisdiction": "eu", "lang": "en", "publisher": "NovaCopilot by ExploreWorld Legal", "terms": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/om" }, "brand_source": "Source: NovaCopilot", "item": { "schema_version": "1.0.0", "id": "eu:c-300-21", "jurisdiction": "eu", "lang": "en", "brand_source": "Source: NovaCopilot", "brand": { "product": "NovaCopilot", "platform": "ExploreWorldAI", "infrastructure": "ExploreWorld Legal", "infrastructure_url": "legal.exploreworldai.com", "legal_entity": "Valkiv Ventures AB", "permanent_url": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/novacopilot", "source": "Source: NovaCopilot", "powered_by": "Powered by NovaCopilot", "license": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/licensvillkor" }, "sections": [ { "title": "62021CJ0300", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Third Chamber)", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "4 May 2023 (\n *1\n ) (\n i\n )", "paragraphs": [ "para_4", "para_5", "para_6" ] }, { "title": "UI", "paragraphs": [ "para_8", "para_9", "para_10", "para_11", "para_12", "para_13", "para_14", "para_15", "para_16", "para_17", "para_18", "para_19", "para_20", "para_21", "para_22", "para_23", "para_24", "para_25", "para_26", "para_27", "para_28", "para_29" ] }, { "title": "Judgment", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "1", "paragraphs": [ "para_32" ] }, { "title": "2", "paragraphs": [ "para_34" ] }, { "title": "Legal context", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "3", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "Recitals 10, 75, 85 and 146 of the GDPR are worded as follows:", "paragraphs": [ "para_38", "para_39", "para_40" ] }, { "title": "(75)", "paragraphs": [ "para_42", "para_43" ] }, { "title": "(85)", "paragraphs": [ "para_45", "para_46" ] }, { "title": "(146)", "paragraphs": [ "para_48" ] }, { "title": "4", "paragraphs": [ "para_50", "para_51", "para_52" ] }, { "title": "5", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "Under Article 4(1) of that regulation, that article being entitled ‘Definitions’:", "paragraphs": [ "para_55" ] }, { "title": "(1)", "paragraphs": [ "para_57" ] }, { "title": "6", "paragraphs": [ "para_59" ] }, { "title": "7", "paragraphs": [ "para_61" ] }, { "title": "8", "paragraphs": [ "para_63", "para_64", "para_65" ] }, { "title": "9", "paragraphs": [ "para_67", "para_68" ] }, { "title": "10", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "Article 84(1) of that regulation, that article being headed ‘Penalties’, provides:", "paragraphs": [ "para_71" ] }, { "title": "The dispute in the main proceedings and the questions referred for a preliminary ruling", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "11", "paragraphs": [ "para_74" ] }, { "title": "12", "paragraphs": [ "para_76" ] }, { "title": "13", "paragraphs": [ "para_78" ] }, { "title": "14", "paragraphs": [ "para_80" ] }, { "title": "15", "paragraphs": [ "para_82" ] }, { "title": "16", "paragraphs": [ "para_84" ] }, { "title": "17", "paragraphs": [ "para_86" ] }, { "title": "18", "paragraphs": [ "para_88" ] }, { "title": "19", "paragraphs": [ "para_90" ] }, { "title": "20", "paragraphs": [ "para_92", "para_93", "para_94" ] }, { "title": "(2)", "paragraphs": [ "para_96" ] }, { "title": "(3)", "paragraphs": [ "para_98" ] }, { "title": "Consideration of the questions referred", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "Whether Questions 1 and 2 are admissible", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "21", "paragraphs": [ "para_102" ] }, { "title": "22", "paragraphs": [ "para_104" ] }, { "title": "23", "paragraphs": [ "para_106" ] }, { "title": "24", "paragraphs": [ "para_108" ] }, { "title": "25", "paragraphs": [ "para_110" ] }, { "title": "26", "paragraphs": [ "para_112" ] }, { "title": "27", "paragraphs": [ "para_114" ] }, { "title": "Substance", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "Question 1", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "28", "paragraphs": [ "para_118" ] }, { "title": "29", "paragraphs": [ "para_120" ] }, { "title": "30", "paragraphs": [ "para_122" ] }, { "title": "31", "paragraphs": [ "para_124" ] }, { "title": "32", "paragraphs": [ "para_126" ] }, { "title": "33", "paragraphs": [ "para_128" ] }, { "title": "34", "paragraphs": [ "para_130" ] }, { "title": "35", "paragraphs": [ "para_132" ] }, { "title": "36", "paragraphs": [ "para_134" ] }, { "title": "37", "paragraphs": [ "para_136" ] }, { "title": "38", "paragraphs": [ "para_138" ] }, { "title": "39", "paragraphs": [ "para_140" ] }, { "title": "40", "paragraphs": [ "para_142" ] }, { "title": "41", "paragraphs": [ "para_144" ] }, { "title": "42", "paragraphs": [ "para_146" ] }, { "title": "Question 3", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "43", "paragraphs": [ "para_149" ] }, { "title": "44", "paragraphs": [ "para_151" ] }, { "title": "45", "paragraphs": [ "para_153" ] }, { "title": "46", "paragraphs": [ "para_155" ] }, { "title": "47", "paragraphs": [ "para_157" ] }, { "title": "48", "paragraphs": [ "para_159" ] }, { "title": "49", "paragraphs": [ "para_161" ] }, { "title": "50", "paragraphs": [ "para_163" ] }, { "title": "51", "paragraphs": [ "para_165" ] }, { "title": "Question 2", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "52", "paragraphs": [ "para_168" ] }, { "title": "53", "paragraphs": [ "para_170" ] }, { "title": "54", "paragraphs": [ "para_172" ] }, { "title": "55", "paragraphs": [ "para_174" ] }, { "title": "56", "paragraphs": [ "para_176" ] }, { "title": "57", "paragraphs": [ "para_178" ] }, { "title": "58", "paragraphs": [ "para_180" ] }, { "title": "59", "paragraphs": [ "para_182" ] }, { "title": "Costs", "paragraphs": [] }, { "title": "60", "paragraphs": [ "para_185" ] }, { "title": "On those grounds, the Court (Third Chamber) hereby rules:", "paragraphs": [ "para_187", "para_188", "para_189", "para_190" ] }, { "title": "Article 82(1) of Regulation 2016/679", "paragraphs": [ "para_192", "para_193" ] }, { "title": "Article 82 of Regulation 2016/679", "paragraphs": [ "para_195", "para_196", "para_197", "para_198" ] } ], "paragraphs": [ { "text": "62021CJ0300", "paragraph_id": "para_1" }, { "text": "JUDGMENT OF THE COURT (Third Chamber)", "paragraph_id": "para_2" }, { "text": "4 May 2023 (\n *1\n ) (\n i\n )", "paragraph_id": "para_3" }, { "text": "(Reference for a preliminary ruling – Protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – Article 82(1) – Right to compensation for damage caused by data processing that infringes that regulation – Conditions governing the right to compensation – …", "paragraph_id": "para_4" }, { "text": "In Case C‑300/21,", "paragraph_id": "para_5" }, { "text": "REQUEST for a preliminary ruling under Article 267 TFEU from the Oberster Gerichtshof (Supreme Court, Austria), made by decision of 15 April 2021, received at the Court on 12 May 2021, in the proceedings", "paragraph_id": "para_6" }, { "text": "UI", "paragraph_id": "para_7" }, { "text": "v", "paragraph_id": "para_8" }, { "text": "Österreichische Post AG,", "paragraph_id": "para_9" }, { "text": "THE COURT (Third Chamber),", "paragraph_id": "para_10" }, { "text": "composed of K. Jürimäe, President of the Chamber, M. Safjan, N. Piçarra, N. Jääskinen (Rapporteur) and M. Gavalec, Judges,", "paragraph_id": "para_11" }, { "text": "Advocate General: M. Campos Sánchez-Bordona,", "paragraph_id": "para_12" }, { "text": "Registrar: A. Calot Escobar,", "paragraph_id": "para_13" }, { "text": "having regard to the written procedure,", "paragraph_id": "para_14" }, { "text": "having considered the observations submitted on behalf of:", "paragraph_id": "para_15" }, { "text": "–", "paragraph_id": "para_16" }, { "text": "UI, by himself as Rechtsanwalt,", "paragraph_id": "para_17" }, { "text": "–", "paragraph_id": "para_18" }, { "text": "Österreichische Post AG, by R. Marko, Rechtsanwalt,", "paragraph_id": "para_19" }, { "text": "–", "paragraph_id": "para_20" }, { "text": "the Austrian Government, by A. Posch, J. Schmoll and G. Kunnert, acting as Agents,", "paragraph_id": "para_21" }, { "text": "–", "paragraph_id": "para_22" }, { "text": "the Czech Government, by O. Serdula, M. Smolek and J. Vláčil, acting as Agents,", "paragraph_id": "para_23" }, { "text": "–", "paragraph_id": "para_24" }, { "text": "Ireland, by M. Browne, A. Joyce, M. Lane and M. Tierney, acting as Agents, and by D. Fennelly, Barrister-at-Law,", "paragraph_id": "para_25" }, { "text": "–", "paragraph_id": "para_26" }, { "text": "the European Commission, by A. Bouchagiar, M. Heller and H. Kranenborg, acting as Agents,", "paragraph_id": "para_27" }, { "text": "after hearing the Opinion of the Advocate General at the sitting on 6 October 2022,", "paragraph_id": "para_28" }, { "text": "gives the following", "paragraph_id": "para_29" }, { "text": "Judgment", "paragraph_id": "para_30" }, { "text": "1", "paragraph_id": "para_31" }, { "text": "This request for a preliminary ruling concerns the interpretation of Article 82 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation) ( OJ 2016 L 119, p. 1 ; ‘the GDPR’), read in conjunction with the principles of equivalence and effectiveness.", "paragraph_id": "para_32" }, { "text": "2", "paragraph_id": "para_33" }, { "text": "The request has been made in proceedings between UI and Österreichische Post AG concerning the action brought by the former seeking compensation for the non-material damage which he claims to have suffered as a result of the processing by that company of data relating to the political affinities of persons resident in Austria, in particular himself, even though he had not consented to such processing.", "paragraph_id": "para_34" }, { "text": "Legal context", "paragraph_id": "para_35" }, { "text": "3", "paragraph_id": "para_36" }, { "text": "Recitals 10, 75, 85 and 146 of the GDPR are worded as follows:", "paragraph_id": "para_37" }, { "text": "‘(10)", "paragraph_id": "para_38" }, { "text": "In order to ensure a consistent and high level of protection of natural persons and to remove the obstacles to flows of personal data within the [European] Union, the level of protection of the rights and freedoms of natural persons with regard to the processing of such data should be equivalent in all Member States. …", "paragraph_id": "para_39" }, { "text": "…", "paragraph_id": "para_40" }, { "text": "(75)", "paragraph_id": "para_41" }, { "text": "The risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons, of varying likelihood and severity, may result from personal data processing which could lead to physical, material or non-material damage, in particular: where the processing may give rise to discrimination, identity theft or fraud, financial …", "paragraph_id": "para_42" }, { "text": "…", "paragraph_id": "para_43" }, { "text": "(85)", "paragraph_id": "para_44" }, { "text": "A personal data breach may, if not addressed in an appropriate and timely manner, result in physical, material or non-material damage to natural persons such as loss of control over their personal data or limitation of their rights, discrimination, identity theft or fraud, financial loss, unauthoris …", "paragraph_id": "para_45" }, { "text": "…", "paragraph_id": "para_46" }, { "text": "(146)", "paragraph_id": "para_47" }, { "text": "The controller or processor should compensate any damage which a person may suffer as a result of processing that infringes this Regulation. The controller or processor should be exempt from liability if it proves that it is not in any way responsible for the damage. The concept of damage should be …", "paragraph_id": "para_48" }, { "text": "4", "paragraph_id": "para_49" }, { "text": "Article 1 of the GDPR, headed ‘Subject matter and objectives’, provides in paragraphs 1 and 2:", "paragraph_id": "para_50" }, { "text": "‘1.   This Regulation lays down rules relating to the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and rules relating to the free movement of personal data.", "paragraph_id": "para_51" }, { "text": "2.   This Regulation protects fundamental rights and freedoms of natural persons and in particular their right to the protection of personal data.’", "paragraph_id": "para_52" }, { "text": "5", "paragraph_id": "para_53" }, { "text": "Under Article 4(1) of that regulation, that article being entitled ‘Definitions’:", "paragraph_id": "para_54" }, { "text": "‘For the purposes of this Regulation:", "paragraph_id": "para_55" }, { "text": "(1)", "paragraph_id": "para_56" }, { "text": "“personal data” means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (“data subject”); …’", "paragraph_id": "para_57" }, { "text": "6", "paragraph_id": "para_58" }, { "text": "Chapter VIII of the GDPR, entitled ‘Remedies, liability and penalties’, contains Articles 77 to 84 of that regulation.", "paragraph_id": "para_59" }, { "text": "7", "paragraph_id": "para_60" }, { "text": "Article 77 of that regulation deals with the ‘right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority’, while Article 78 concerns the ‘right to an effective judicial remedy against a supervisory authority’.", "paragraph_id": "para_61" }, { "text": "8", "paragraph_id": "para_62" }, { "text": "Article 82 of the GDPR, entitled ‘Right to compensation and liability’, states in paragraphs 1 and 2:", "paragraph_id": "para_63" }, { "text": "‘1.   Any person who has suffered material or non-material damage as a result of an infringement of this Regulation shall have the right to receive compensation from the controller or processor for the damage suffered.", "paragraph_id": "para_64" }, { "text": "2.   Any controller involved in processing shall be liable for the damage caused by processing which infringes this Regulation. …’", "paragraph_id": "para_65" }, { "text": "9", "paragraph_id": "para_66" }, { "text": "Article 83 of that regulation, entitled ‘General conditions for imposing administrative fines’, provides in paragraph 1:", "paragraph_id": "para_67" }, { "text": "‘Each supervisory authority shall ensure that the imposition of administrative fines pursuant to this Article in respect of infringements of this Regulation referred to in paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 shall in each individual case be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.’", "paragraph_id": "para_68" }, { "text": "10", "paragraph_id": "para_69" }, { "text": "Article 84(1) of that regulation, that article being headed ‘Penalties’, provides:", "paragraph_id": "para_70" }, { "text": "‘Member States shall lay down the rules on other penalties applicable to infringements of this Regulation in particular for infringements which are not subject to administrative fines pursuant to Article 83, and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. Such penalties shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.’", "paragraph_id": "para_71" }, { "text": "The dispute in the main proceedings and the questions referred for a preliminary ruling", "paragraph_id": "para_72" }, { "text": "11", "paragraph_id": "para_73" }, { "text": "From 2017, Österreichische Post, a company incorporated under Austrian law, an address broker, collected information on the political affinities of the Austrian population. Using an algorithm that takes into account various social and demographic criteria, it defined ‘target group addresses’. The data thus generated were sold to various organisations, to enable them to send targeted advertising.", "paragraph_id": "para_74" }, { "text": "12", "paragraph_id": "para_75" }, { "text": "In the course of its activity, Österreichische Post processed data which, by way of statistical extrapolation, led it to infer that the applicant in the main proceedings had a high degree of affinity with a certain Austrian political party. That information was not communicated to third parties, but …", "paragraph_id": "para_76" }, { "text": "13", "paragraph_id": "para_77" }, { "text": "In that context, the applicant in the main proceedings brought an action before the Landesgericht für Zivilrechtssachen Wien (Regional Court for Civil Matters, Vienna, Austria) seeking, first, an injunction for Österreichische Post to cease processing the personal data in question and, second, an or …", "paragraph_id": "para_78" }, { "text": "14", "paragraph_id": "para_79" }, { "text": "On appeal, the Oberlandesgericht Wien (Higher Regional Court, Vienna, Austria) confirmed, by judgment of 9 December 2020, the decision at first instance. As regards the claim for compensation, that court referred to recitals 75, 85 and 146 of the GDPR and held that the Member States’ provisions of n …", "paragraph_id": "para_80" }, { "text": "15", "paragraph_id": "para_81" }, { "text": "Hearing the action brought by the two parties in the main proceedings, the Oberster Gerichtshof (Supreme Court, Austria), by interim judgment of 15 April 2021, did not uphold the appeal on a point of law brought by Österreichische Post against the injunction imposed on it. Therefore, only the appeal …", "paragraph_id": "para_82" }, { "text": "16", "paragraph_id": "para_83" }, { "text": "In support of its request for a preliminary ruling, the referring court states that it is apparent from recital 146 of the GDPR that Article 82 of that regulation established its own rules on liability for the protection of personal data, which superseded the rules in force in the Member States. The …", "paragraph_id": "para_84" }, { "text": "17", "paragraph_id": "para_85" }, { "text": "Specifically, in the first place, as regards the right to compensation for a breach of personal data protection, that court tends to consider, in the light of the sixth sentence of recital 146 of the GDPR, that compensation based on Article 82 of that regulation presupposes that material or non-mate …", "paragraph_id": "para_86" }, { "text": "18", "paragraph_id": "para_87" }, { "text": "In the second place, as regards the assessment of the compensation that may be awarded under Article 82 of the GDPR, that court considers that the principle of effectiveness of EU law must have a limited impact, on the grounds that that regulation already provides for severe penalties for breaches t …", "paragraph_id": "para_88" }, { "text": "19", "paragraph_id": "para_89" }, { "text": "In the third place, the referring court questions the argument put forward by Österreichische Post that the award of such compensation is subject to the condition that the breach of personal data protection has caused particularly serious harm. In that regard, it notes that recital 146 of the GDPR a …", "paragraph_id": "para_90" }, { "text": "20", "paragraph_id": "para_91" }, { "text": "In those circumstances, the Oberster Gerichtshof (Supreme Court) decided to stay the proceedings and to refer the following questions to the Court of Justice for a preliminary ruling:", "paragraph_id": "para_92" }, { "text": "‘(1)", "paragraph_id": "para_93" }, { "text": "Does the award of compensation under Article 82 of [the GDPR] also require, in addition to infringement of provisions of the GDPR, that an applicant must have suffered harm, or is the infringement of provisions of the GDPR in itself sufficient for the award of compensation?", "paragraph_id": "para_94" }, { "text": "(2)", "paragraph_id": "para_95" }, { "text": "Does the assessment of the compensation depend on further EU-law requirements in addition to the principles of effectiveness and equivalence?", "paragraph_id": "para_96" }, { "text": "(3)", "paragraph_id": "para_97" }, { "text": "Is it compatible with EU law to take the view that the award of compensation for non-material damage presupposes the existence of a consequence [or effect] of the infringement of at least some weight that goes beyond the upset caused by that infringement?’", "paragraph_id": "para_98" }, { "text": "Consideration of the questions referred", "paragraph_id": "para_99" }, { "text": "Whether Questions 1 and 2 are admissible", "paragraph_id": "para_100" }, { "text": "21", "paragraph_id": "para_101" }, { "text": "The applicant in the main proceedings submits, in essence, that the first question referred is inadmissible on the ground that it is hypothetical. He maintains, first of all, that his claim for compensation is not based on the ‘mere’ infringement of a provision of the GDPR. Next, the order for refer …", "paragraph_id": "para_102" }, { "text": "22", "paragraph_id": "para_103" }, { "text": "The applicant in the main proceedings also claims that the second question referred is inadmissible, on the ground that it is both very broad in content and too vague in wording, since the referring court refers to ‘EU-law requirements’, without specifying any such requirement.", "paragraph_id": "para_104" }, { "text": "23", "paragraph_id": "para_105" }, { "text": "In that connection, it must be borne in mind that, according to settled case-law, it is solely for the national court before which the dispute has been brought, and which must assume responsibility for the subsequent judicial decision, to determine, in the light of the particular circumstances of th …", "paragraph_id": "para_106" }, { "text": "24", "paragraph_id": "para_107" }, { "text": "In the present proceedings, Question 1 concerns the conditions required for the exercise of the right to compensation provided for in Article 82 of the GDPR. Furthermore, it is not obvious that the interpretation sought bears no relation to the dispute in the main action or that the problem raised i …", "paragraph_id": "para_108" }, { "text": "25", "paragraph_id": "para_109" }, { "text": "As regards Question 2, it has already been held that the mere fact that the Court is called upon to give a decision in abstract and general terms cannot have the effect of rendering a request for a preliminary ruling inadmissible (judgment of 15 November 2007, International Mail Spain, C‑162/06 , EU …", "paragraph_id": "para_110" }, { "text": "26", "paragraph_id": "para_111" }, { "text": "However, that is not the case here, since the referring court explains that Question 2 is based on a doubt as to whether, in the context of the assessment of the damages possibly owed by Österreichische Post due to a breach of the provisions of the GDPR, it is necessary to ensure compliance not only …", "paragraph_id": "para_112" }, { "text": "27", "paragraph_id": "para_113" }, { "text": "Therefore, Questions 1 and 2 are admissible.", "paragraph_id": "para_114" }, { "text": "Substance", "paragraph_id": "para_115" }, { "text": "Question 1", "paragraph_id": "para_116" }, { "text": "28", "paragraph_id": "para_117" }, { "text": "By Question 1 the referring court asks, in essence, whether Article 82(1) of the GDPR must be interpreted as meaning that the mere infringement of the provisions of that regulation is sufficient to confer a right to compensation.", "paragraph_id": "para_118" }, { "text": "29", "paragraph_id": "para_119" }, { "text": "In that regard, it should be recalled that, according to settled case-law, the terms of a provision of EU law which makes no express reference to the law of the Member States for the purpose of determining its meaning and scope must normally be given an autonomous and uniform interpretation througho …", "paragraph_id": "para_120" }, { "text": "30", "paragraph_id": "para_121" }, { "text": "The GDPR makes no reference to the law of the Member States as regards the meaning and scope of the terms set out in Article 82 of that regulation, in particular as regards the concepts of ‘material or non-material damage’ and of ‘compensation for the damage suffered’. It follows that those terms mu …", "paragraph_id": "para_122" }, { "text": "31", "paragraph_id": "para_123" }, { "text": "In the first place, as regards the wording of Article 82 of the GDPR, it should be recalled that paragraph 1 of that article states that ‘any person who has suffered material or non-material damage as a result of an infringement of this Regulation shall have the right to receive compensation from the controller or processor for the damage suffered’.", "paragraph_id": "para_124" }, { "text": "32", "paragraph_id": "para_125" }, { "text": "It is clear from the wording of that provision that the existence of ‘damage’ which has been ‘suffered’ constitutes one of the conditions for the right to compensation laid down in that provision, as does the existence of an infringement of the GDPR and of a causal link between that damage and that infringement, those three conditions being cumulative.", "paragraph_id": "para_126" }, { "text": "33", "paragraph_id": "para_127" }, { "text": "Therefore, it cannot be held that any ‘infringement’ of the provisions of the GDPR, by itself, confers that right to compensation on the data subject, as defined in Article 4(1) of that regulation. Such an interpretation would run counter to the wording of Article 82(1) of that regulation.", "paragraph_id": "para_128" }, { "text": "34", "paragraph_id": "para_129" }, { "text": "Moreover, it is important to point out that the separate reference to ‘damage’ and to an ‘infringement’ in Article 82(1) of the GDPR would be superfluous if the EU legislature had considered that an infringement of the provisions of that regulation could be sufficient, by itself and in any event, to give rise to a right to compensation.", "paragraph_id": "para_130" }, { "text": "35", "paragraph_id": "para_131" }, { "text": "In the second place, the foregoing literal interpretation is supported by the context of that provision.", "paragraph_id": "para_132" }, { "text": "36", "paragraph_id": "para_133" }, { "text": "Article 82(2) of the GDPR, which specifies the rules on liability – the principle of which is established in paragraph 1 of that article – reproduces the three conditions necessary to give rise to the right to compensation, namely processing of personal data that infringes the provisions of the GDPR, damage suffered by the data subject, and a causal link between that unlawful processing and that damage.", "paragraph_id": "para_134" }, { "text": "37", "paragraph_id": "para_135" }, { "text": "In addition, the clarifications provided by recitals 75, 85 and 146 of the GDPR support that interpretation. First, recital 146, which specifically concerns the right to compensation provided for in Article 82(1) of that regulation, refers, in its first sentence, to ‘damage which a person may suffer …", "paragraph_id": "para_136" }, { "text": "38", "paragraph_id": "para_137" }, { "text": "The literal interpretation of Article 82(1) of the GDPR is further supported by a comparison with other provisions also contained in Chapter VIII of that regulation, which governs, inter alia, the various remedies to protect the rights of the data subject in case of processing of his or her personal data that is allegedly contrary to the provisions of that regulation.", "paragraph_id": "para_138" }, { "text": "39", "paragraph_id": "para_139" }, { "text": "In that regard, it should be noted that Articles 77 and 78 of the GDPR, contained in that chapter, provide for legal remedies before or against a supervisory authority, in case of an alleged infringement of that regulation, without it being stated that the data subject must have suffered ‘damage’ in …", "paragraph_id": "para_140" }, { "text": "40", "paragraph_id": "para_141" }, { "text": "Similarly, Articles 83 and 84 of the GDPR, which permit the imposition of administrative fines and other penalties, have essentially a punitive purpose and are not conditional on the existence of individual damage. The relationship between the rules set out in Article 82 and those set out in Article …", "paragraph_id": "para_142" }, { "text": "41", "paragraph_id": "para_143" }, { "text": "Last, it is important to note that the fourth sentence of recital 146 of the GDPR states that the rules laid down by the GDPR apply without prejudice to any claims for damages deriving from the violation of other rules of EU or Member State law.", "paragraph_id": "para_144" }, { "text": "42", "paragraph_id": "para_145" }, { "text": "In the light of all of the foregoing reasons, the answer to Question 1 is that Article 82(1) of the GDPR must be interpreted as meaning that the mere infringement of the provisions of that regulation is not sufficient to confer a right to compensation.", "paragraph_id": "para_146" }, { "text": "Question 3", "paragraph_id": "para_147" }, { "text": "43", "paragraph_id": "para_148" }, { "text": "By Question 3, which it is appropriate to examine before Question 2, the referring court asks, in essence, whether Article 82(1) of the GDPR must be interpreted as precluding a national rule or practice which makes compensation for non-material damage, within the meaning of that provision, subject to the condition that the damage suffered by the data subject has reached a certain degree of seriousness.", "paragraph_id": "para_149" }, { "text": "44", "paragraph_id": "para_150" }, { "text": "In that regard, it should be borne in mind that, as has been pointed out in paragraph 30 of the present judgment, the concept of ‘damage’ and, specifically in the present case, the concept of ‘non-material damage’, within the meaning of Article 82 of the GDPR, must be given an autonomous and uniform definition specific to EU law, in the absence of any reference to the domestic law of the Member States.", "paragraph_id": "para_151" }, { "text": "45", "paragraph_id": "para_152" }, { "text": "In the first place, the GDPR does not define the concept of ‘damage’ for the purposes of the application of this instrument. Article 82 of that regulation confines itself to expressly stating that not only ‘material damage’ but also ‘non-material damage’ may give rise to a right to compensation, without any reference being made to any threshold of seriousness.", "paragraph_id": "para_153" }, { "text": "46", "paragraph_id": "para_154" }, { "text": "In the second place, the context of that provision also tends to indicate that the right to compensation is not subject to the condition that the damage in question has reached a certain threshold of seriousness. The third sentence of recital 146 of the GDPR states that ‘the concept of damage should …", "paragraph_id": "para_155" }, { "text": "47", "paragraph_id": "para_156" }, { "text": "In the third and last place, such an interpretation is supported by the objectives pursued by the GDPR. In that regard, it must be borne in mind that the third sentence of recital 146 of that regulation expressly calls for an interpretation of the concept of ‘damage’, within the meaning of the regulation, which ‘fully reflects the objectives of this Regulation’.", "paragraph_id": "para_157" }, { "text": "48", "paragraph_id": "para_158" }, { "text": "It is apparent, in particular, from recital 10 of the GDPR that the objectives of the GDPR are, inter alia, to ensure a consistent and high level of protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data within the European Union and, to that end, to ensure consistent and homog …", "paragraph_id": "para_159" }, { "text": "49", "paragraph_id": "para_160" }, { "text": "Making compensation for non-material damage subject to a certain threshold of seriousness would risk undermining the coherence of the rules established by the GDPR, since the graduation of such a threshold, on which the possibility or otherwise of obtaining that compensation would depend, would be liable to fluctuate according to the assessment of the courts seised.", "paragraph_id": "para_161" }, { "text": "50", "paragraph_id": "para_162" }, { "text": "The fact remains that the interpretation thus adopted cannot be understood as meaning that a person concerned by an infringement of the GDPR which had negative consequences for him or her would be relieved of the need to demonstrate that those consequences constitute non-material damage within the meaning of Article 82 of that regulation.", "paragraph_id": "para_163" }, { "text": "51", "paragraph_id": "para_164" }, { "text": "In the light of the foregoing reasons, the answer to Question 3 is that Article 82(1) of the GDPR must be interpreted as precluding a national rule or practice which makes compensation for non-material damage, within the meaning of that provision, subject to the condition that the damage suffered by the data subject has reached a certain degree of seriousness.", "paragraph_id": "para_165" }, { "text": "Question 2", "paragraph_id": "para_166" }, { "text": "52", "paragraph_id": "para_167" }, { "text": "By Question 2 the referring court asks, in essence, whether Article 82 of the GDPR must be interpreted as meaning that, for the purposes of determining the amount of damages payable under the right to compensation enshrined in that article, national courts must apply the domestic rules of each Member State relating to the extent of financial compensation, having due regard in particular to the principles of equivalence and effectiveness of EU law.", "paragraph_id": "para_168" }, { "text": "53", "paragraph_id": "para_169" }, { "text": "In that connection, it should be recalled that, according to settled case-law, in the absence of EU rules on the matter, it is for the national legal order of each Member State to establish procedural rules for actions intended to safeguard the rights of individuals, in accordance with the principle …", "paragraph_id": "para_170" }, { "text": "54", "paragraph_id": "para_171" }, { "text": "In the present case, it should be noted that the GDPR does not contain any provision intended to define the rules on the assessment of the damages to which a data subject, within the meaning of Article 4(1) of that regulation, may be entitled under Article 82 thereof, where an infringement of that r …", "paragraph_id": "para_172" }, { "text": "55", "paragraph_id": "para_173" }, { "text": "As regards the principle of equivalence, in the present proceedings, the Court has nothing before it that is capable of raising doubts as to whether national legislation applicable to the dispute in the main proceedings complies with that principle and, therefore, of showing that that principle may have a specific effect in the context of that dispute.", "paragraph_id": "para_174" }, { "text": "56", "paragraph_id": "para_175" }, { "text": "As regards the principle of effectiveness, it is for the referring court to determine whether the detailed rules laid down in Austrian law for the determination, by the courts, of damages due under the right to compensation enshrined in Article 82 of the GDPR, make it impossible in practice or excessively difficult to exercise the rights conferred by EU law, and more specifically by that regulation.", "paragraph_id": "para_176" }, { "text": "57", "paragraph_id": "para_177" }, { "text": "In that context, it should be noted that the sixth sentence of recital 146 of the GDPR states that that instrument is intended to ensure ‘full and effective compensation for the damage they have suffered’.", "paragraph_id": "para_178" }, { "text": "58", "paragraph_id": "para_179" }, { "text": "In that regard, in view of the compensatory function of the right to compensation under Article 82 of the GDPR, as the Advocate General pointed out, in essence, in points 39, 49 and 52 of his Opinion, financial compensation based on that provision must be regarded as ‘full and effective’ if it allow …", "paragraph_id": "para_180" }, { "text": "59", "paragraph_id": "para_181" }, { "text": "In the light of all of the foregoing considerations, the answer to Question 2 is that Article 82 of the GDPR must be interpreted as meaning that, for the purposes of determining the amount of damages payable under the right to compensation enshrined in that article, national courts must apply the domestic rules of each Member State relating to the extent of financial compensation, provided that the principles of equivalence and effectiveness of EU law are complied with.", "paragraph_id": "para_182" }, { "text": "Costs", "paragraph_id": "para_183" }, { "text": "60", "paragraph_id": "para_184" }, { "text": "Since these proceedings are, for the parties to the main proceedings, a step in the action pending before the referring court, the decision on costs is a matter for that court. Costs incurred in submitting observations to the Court, other than the costs of those parties, are not recoverable.", "paragraph_id": "para_185" }, { "text": "On those grounds, the Court (Third Chamber) hereby rules:", "paragraph_id": "para_186" }, { "text": "1.", "paragraph_id": "para_187" }, { "text": "Article 82(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (General Data Protection Regulation)", "paragraph_id": "para_188" }, { "text": "must be interpreted as meaning that the mere infringement of the provisions of that regulation is not sufficient to confer a right to compensation.", "paragraph_id": "para_189" }, { "text": "2.", "paragraph_id": "para_190" }, { "text": "Article 82(1) of Regulation 2016/679", "paragraph_id": "para_191" }, { "text": "must be interpreted as precluding a national rule or practice which makes compensation for non-material damage, within the meaning of that provision, subject to the condition that the damage suffered by the data subject has reached a certain degree of seriousness.", "paragraph_id": "para_192" }, { "text": "3.", "paragraph_id": "para_193" }, { "text": "Article 82 of Regulation 2016/679", "paragraph_id": "para_194" }, { "text": "must be interpreted as meaning that for the purposes of determining the amount of damages payable under the right to compensation enshrined in that article, national courts must apply the domestic rules of each Member State relating to the extent of financial compensation, provided that the principles of equivalence and effectiveness of EU law are complied with.", "paragraph_id": "para_195" }, { "text": "[Signatures]", "paragraph_id": "para_196" }, { "text": "(\n *1\n ) Language of the case: German.", "paragraph_id": "para_197" }, { "text": "(\n i\n ) The wording of the header of this document has been amended since it was first put online.", "paragraph_id": "para_198" } ], "word_count": 5866, "cites": [ "C-415/93", "C-355/97", "C-567/20", "C-162/06", "C-295/20", "C-439/19", "C-595/20", "C-786/19", "C-65/20", "C-311/18", "C-154/21", "C-403/16", "C-18/21", "C-295/04", "C-298/04" ], "sha256": "6000ae2a1ce55d17ff15250d649d727a58e3dc3654b5920f35bbbca17bd703e0", "source_url": "https://publications.europa.eu/resource/celex/62021CJ0300.ENG.xhtml.ECR_62021CJ0300_EN_01.html", "fetched_at": "2026-09-30T02:46:12.57+00:00", "canonical": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/ai/judgments/eu/c-300-21", "risk_graph": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/risk?id=eu:c-300-21", "relations_graph": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/relations?id=eu:c-300-21", "changes": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/eu-praxis/changes", "agent": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/eu-praxis/agent?id=eu:c-300-21", "verification": { "stored_sha256": "6000ae2a1ce55d17ff15250d649d727a58e3dc3654b5920f35bbbca17bd703e0", "recomputed_sha256": "6000ae2a1ce55d17ff15250d649d727a58e3dc3654b5920f35bbbca17bd703e0", "intact": true, "checked_at": "2026-10-15T07:36:40.037Z" } }, "hash": "sha256:e741474f65a2bade2fbaca36e3f521bfac2e8b068c330f7f3a053ba7a11c2b6b", "version": "legal-2026-10-15", "expires": "2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z", "dependency": { "index_version": "legal-2026-10-15+legal-2026-10-15+2026-10-15T07:24:49", "content_hash": "sha256:e741474f65a2bade2fbaca36e3f521bfac2e8b068c330f7f3a053ba7a11c2b6b", "revalidate_after": "2026-10-15T08:36:40.625Z", "max_copy_age_seconds": 3600, "policy": "revalidate-required; attribution-preferred", "changelog": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/dependency", "verify": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/verify", "stale_copy_invalid": true }, "canonical": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/judgment-text?id=eu:c-300-21", "follow": [ { "rel": "risk", "href": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/risk?id=eu:c-300-21" }, { "rel": "relations", "href": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/relations?id=eu:c-300-21" }, { "rel": "agent", "href": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/eu-praxis/agent?id=eu:c-300-21" }, { "rel": "obligations", "href": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/obligation-chain" }, { "rel": "changes", "href": "https://legal.exploreworldai.com/api/public/v1/whats-new?jurisdiction=eu" } ], "disclaimer": "Source reference with official identifier. 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