WHY IT MATTERS: THE VNUK JUDGEMENT

In 2014, a farm worker named Damijan Vnuk was knocked off a ladder by a tractor trailer that was reversing into a barn.

A compensation claim was lodged with the farm’s insurer, Zavarovalnica Triglav, which was rejected; eventually, the case was heard in the Court of Justice of the European Union.

The judgement, in his favour, stated that a vehicle in normal use, at rest or in motion, needed compulsory insurance regardless of where it was, and that the Motor Insurance Directive (2009/13) needed changing. The UK Government did not interpret the Motor Insurance Directive in this way, sparking a rift between it and the European Union.