Judgment_paragraph 74 · Commission of the European Communities v United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (C-508/03)

74It is clear from settled case-law that the purpose of an action brought under Article 226 EC is to obtain a declaration that the State concerned has failed to fulfil its obligations under the Treaty and that it has failed to put an end to that infringement within the time set by the Commission in its reasoned opinion (Case C-347/88 Commission v Greece [1990] ECR I-4747, paragraph 40). The Court has also consistently held that the question whether a Member State has failed to fulfil its obligations must be assessed by reference to the situation prevailing in the Member State concerned at the end of the period laid down in the reasoned opinion (see Case C-200/88 Commission v Greece [1990] ECR I-4299, paragraph 13, and Case C-362/90 Commission v Italy, paragraph 10).