In its judgment of 3 October 2000, the European Court of Justice ruled that certain provisions of the German Crafts and Trades Regulation Act are incompatible with European law, as they contravene the principle of the freedom to provide services (Article 49 of the EC Treaty). The German legislature is called upon to amend the Crafts and Trades Regulation Act accordingly. In the view of the Monopolies Commission, the legislature should not confine itself to a minimal solution that merely meets the European Court of Justice’s requirements regarding the activities of foreign craft businesses in Germany. Rather, the Federal Government and the legislature should aim for a comprehensive deregulation of craft trade law.