Any of the courts referred to below may request the Court of Justice to give a preliminary ruling on a question raised in a case pending before it and concerning interpretation of the provisions contained in the instruments referred to in Article 1 if that court considers that a decision on the question is necessary to enable it to give judgment:
(a)in Belgium:
(a)la Cour de cassation (het Hof van Cassatie) and le Conseil d'Etat (de Raad van State),
in Denmark:
Højesteret,
in the Federal Republic of Germany:
die obersten Gerichtschöfe des Bundes,
in Greece:
τα ανωτατα Αικαστήρια,
in Spain:
el Tribunal Supremo,
in France:
la Cour de cassation and le Conseil d'Etat,
in Ireland:
the Supreme Court,
in Italy:
la Corte suprema di cassazione and il Consiglio di Stato,
in Luxembourg:
la Cour supérieure de Justice, when sitting as Cour de cassation,
in the Netherlands:
de Hoge Raad,
in Portugal:
o Supremo Tribunal de Justiça and o Supremo Tribunal Administrativo,
in the United Kingdom:
the House of Lords and other courts from which no further appeal is possible;
(b)the courts of the Contracting States when acting as appeal courts.