47The Netherlands Government recalls that although as a general rule the principle of legal certainty precludes a Community measure from having retroactive effect, it may exceptionally be otherwise when the purpose to be achieved so demands and when the legitimate expectations of those concerned are duly respected (Case 98/78 Racke [1979] ECR 69, paragraph 20; Case 99/78 Decker [1979] ECR 101, paragraph 8; and Joined Cases C-143/88 and C-92/89 Zuckerfabrik Süderdithmarschen and Zuckerfabrik Soest [1991] ECR I-415, paragraph 49). It points out in that connection that the measure was justified by the abuses recorded and that the legitimate expectations of the traders were protected. First, the legislative amendment was announced beforehand and was therefore not a surprise. Second, the Netherlands legislature made provision for transitional arrangements applicable to many situations. The only situations not covered were those in which the rent for property was low compared with the investment cost, that is to say, those situations which had features characteristic of abuses such as those the law sought to prevent. Finally, the Netherlands Government pointed out that, as is clear from the debates prior to adoption of the legislation, parties to leases for immovable property were given a period of time to allow them to make arrangements to deal with the consequences entailed by the future law.
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