European Union – Environment. The Court of Justice of the European Union gave a preliminary ruling in which it decided, among other things, that Directive (EC) 2003/87 had to be interpreted as not precluding national legislation which allowed the competent authority to require the surrender, without full or partial compensation, of unused emissions allowances which had been improperly issued to an operator, as a result of the failure by the latter to comply with the obligation to inform the competent authority in due time of the cessation of the operation of an installation.