Judgment of the Court (Sixth Chamber) of 23 November 2000 in Case C-441/97 P: Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl and Others v Commission of the European Communities and Others (Appeal — ECSC — Commission Decision No 3855/91/ECSC (Fifth Aid Code) — State aid for steel undertakings in the Italian public sector — Misuse of powers — Principle of non-discrimination — Principle of necessity)
Date: 2001-03-10
Institutions: Court of Justice
Subjects: General Court (EU), Italy, State aid, action for annulment (EU), infringement of EU law, iron and steel industry

10.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 79/1

I

(Information)

COURT OF JUSTICE

COURT OF JUSTICE

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT

(Sixth Chamber)

of 23 November 2000

in Case C-441/97 P: Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl and
Others v Commission of the European Communities and
Others (1)

(Appeal — ECSC — Commission Decision No 3855/
91/ECSC (Fifth Aid Code) — State aid for steel undertakings
in the Italian public sector — Misuse of powers — Principle
of non-discrimination — Principle of necessity)

(2001/C 79/01)

(Language of the case: German)

(Provisional translation; the definitive translation will be published
in the European Court Reports)

In Case C-441/98 P: Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl, established
in Düsseldorf (Germany), Thyssen Stahl AG, established in
Duisburg (Germany), Preussag Stahl AG, established in Salzgitt-
er (Germany), and Hoogovens Staal BV, formerly Hoogovens
Groep BV, established in IJmuiden (Netherlands), represented
by J. Sedemund, Rechtsanwalt, Berlin, and,
in the case of
Hoogovens Staal BV, by E.H. Pijnacker Hordijk, of the Brussels
Bar, with an address for service in Luxembourg at
the
Chambers of A. May, of the Luxembourg Bar, 398 Route
d’Esch — appeal against the judgment of the Court of First
Instance of 24 October 1997 in Case T-244/94 Wirtschaftsver-
einigung Stahl and Others v Commission [1997] ECR II-1963,
in which the Court of First Instance dismissed their action for
the annulment of Commission Decision 94/259/ECSC of
12 April 1994 concerning aid to be granted by Italy to the
public steel sector (Ilva group) (OJ 1994 L 112, p. 64), the
other parties to the proceedings being: Commission of the
European Communities (Agent: P.F. Nemitz) Italian Republic
(Agent: Professor U. Leanza, assisted by P.G. Ferri), Council of
the European Union, (Agents: S. Marquardt and A.P. Feeney)

and Ilva Laminati Piani SpA, established in Rome, Italy, — the
Court (Sixth Chamber), composed of: C. Gulmann, President
of the Chamber, J.-P. Puissochet (Rapporteur), and F. Macken,
Judges; N. Fennelly, Advocate General; L. Hewlett, Adminis-
trator, for the Registrar, has given a judgment on 23 November
2000, in which it:

1. Dismisses the appeal;

2. Orders Wirtschaftsvereinigung Stahl, Thyssen Stahl AG, Preus-
sag Stahl AG and Hoogovens Staal BV to pay the costs;

3. Orders the Italian Republic and the Council of the European

Union to bear their own costs.

(1) OJ C 94 of 28.3.1998.

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT

(Sixth Chamber)

of 23 November 2000

in Case C-1/98 P: British Steel plc v Commission of the
European Communities and Others (1)

(Appeal — ECSC — Commission Decision No 3855/
91/ECSC (Fifth Aid Code) — Individual Commission
decisions authorising State aid for steel undertakings —
Competence of the Commission — Legitimate expectations)

(2001/C 79/02)

(Language of the case: English)

In Case CA/98 P: British Steel plc (now Corus UK Ltd),
established in London, United Kingdom, represented by
instructed by W. Sibree, Solicitor, with an
R. Plender QC,