Judgment_paragraph 26 · Directeur général des finances publiques v Mapfre asistencia compañia internacional de seguros y reaseguros SA and Mapfre warranty SpA v Directeur général des finances publiques (C-584/13)

26At the outset, it should be borne in mind that, according to settled case-law, the terms used to specify the exemptions in Article 13 of the Sixth Directive are to be interpreted strictly. However, the interpretation of those terms must be consistent with the objectives underlying those exemptions and must comply with the requirements of the principle of fiscal neutrality inherent in the common system of VAT. Accordingly, that requirement of strict interpretation does not mean that the terms used to specify the exemptions referred to in Article 13 must be construed in such a way as to deprive the exemptions of their intended effects (see, inter alia, judgment in Zimmermann, C‑174/11, EU:C:2012:716, paragraph 22 and the case-law cited).