La responsabilidad civil de los distribuidores de energía eléctrica conforme a la interpretación de la Directiva 85\374\CEE por el TJUESentencia del Tribunal de Justicia 24 de noviembre de 2022, asunto C‐691/21: Cafpi SA, Aviva assurances SA y Enedis SA.

Résumé

The Judgment of the Court of Justice (Tenth Chamber) of November 24, 2022 (Cafpi SA, Aviva assurances SA y Enedis SA) once again gives us the opportunity to reflect on a number of important questions regarding the civil liability of the manufacturer for damage caused by defective products, in this case in the electricity sector. The judgment answers a question referred for a preliminary ruling by the French Court of Cassation, asking the CJEU to rule on whether the operator of an electricity distribution network that modifies the level of intensity and voltage of electricity in order to distribute it to the final consumer must be considered a «producer» of electricity within the meaning of Article 3.1 of Directive 85/374. The interpretation of the concept of «producer» in the judgment implies a prior position on other concepts such as electricity as a product and/or service; electricity as a defective product and the concept of producer as an autonomous concept of European Union law.