ALTERNATIVELY THAT THE DEFENDANT SHOULD BE ORDERED TO PAY TO IT THE SUM OF FF 1 AS PROVISIONAL DAMAGES AND THAT AN EXPERT SHOULD BE APPOINTED IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE AMOUNT OF THE DAMAGE .
5 AMONGST OTHER SUBMISSIONS THE DEFENDANT PLEADS THE ABSENCE OF A CAUSAL CONNEXION BETWEEN THE BEHAVIOUR COMPLAINED OF AND THE ALLEGED DAMAGE .
6 THE APPLICANT MAINTAINS THAT IT HAS BEEN UNJUSTLY DEPRIVED OF PART OF ITS SALES ON THE FRENCH MARKET BY ITALIAN MANUFACTURERS AND THAT IT HAS BEEN OBLIGED TO MAKE EXCEPTIONAL REDUCTIONS IN ITS PROFIT MARGINS WHICH WERE ALREADY EXTREMELY LOW IN ORDER TO AVOID A DISASTROUS FALL IN ITS TURNOVER .
7 FOR EXAMPLE , IN JANUARY 1974 ACCORDING TO THE APPLICANT , ITALIAN PASTA PRODUCTS WERE OFFERED FOR SALE ON THE FRENCH MARKET AT PRICES VARYING FROM FF 2.385 TO 2.505 PER KG WHILST THE SELLING PRICES OF FRENCH MANUFACTURERS AT THE SAME PERIOD WERE FROM FF 3.08 TO 3.20 PER KG ALTHOUGH THESE LATTER PRICES INCLUDED ONLY A VERY SLIGHT PROFIT MARGIN .
8 THE DEFENDANT STATES THAT IT WAS ASSURED BY THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT THAT THE AIMA ONLY SOLD DURUM WHEAT AT REDUCED PRICES TO MANUFACTURERS WHO DISTRIBUTE THEIR PASTA PRODUCTS ON THE DOMESTIC MARKET WHILST EXPORTERS ONLY OBTAINED THE RAW MATERIAL AT THE MARKET PRICE .
9 ALTHOUGH THE APPLICANT CLAIMS THAT ITS SALES DROPPED IN THE SOUTH-EAST OF FRANCE IT HAS NOT ESTABLISHED THAT THIS FALL WAS CAUSED BY THE ITALIAN MEASURES WHICH IT DISPUTES .
10 IT IS CLEAR FROM STATISTICS THAT THE EXPORT OF ITALIAN PASTA PRODUCTS TO FRANCE HAD ALREADY REGISTERED AN INCREASE IN 1971 , THAT IS TO SAY , BEFORE THE AID COMPLAINED OF WAS GRANTED .
11 SUBSEQUENTLY , DURING THE PERIOD WHEN THIS AID WAS IN OPERATION , AS SLIGHT INCREASE IN EXPORTS TO FRANCE ( 4.4 % IN 1974 AS COMPARED WITH 1972 ) COINCIDED WITH THE IMPOSITION OF COMMUNITY LEVIES ON EXPORTS TO THIRD COUNTRIES FOLLOWING THE SHORTAGE OF DURUM WHEAT ON THE WORLD MARKET AND THE WEAKNESS OF THE LIRA .
12 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PRICES FREE-FACTORY OF FRENCH PASTA PRODUCTS AND THE FREE-AT-FRONTIER PRICES OF ITALIAN PASTA PRODUCTS WAS INDEED DIMINISHED IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1974 ( FF 0.063 PER KG ) IN RELATION TO THE PREVIOUS QUARTER ( FF 1 PER KG ) AND INDEED IN RELATION TO THE THREE PREVIOUS QUARTERS FOR 1973 ( ON AVERAGE FF 0.65 PER KG ).
13 ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT THE APPLICANT ' S ARGUMENT IS ERRONEOUS MAY BE DEDUCED FROM THE FACT THAT THE PRICES OF ITALIAN EXPORTS INCREASED IN RELATION TO 1972 BY 25 % IN 1973 AND BY 75 % IN 1974 , THAT IS TO SAY , IN PROPORTION TO THE AVERAGE INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF DURUM WHEAT IN ITALY .
14 THE APPLICANT DOES NOT EXAMINE THESE FIGURES AND MERELY STATES THAT THE PRICES OF ITALIAN PASTA PRODUCTS EXPORTED TO FRANCE WERE LOWER THAN THOSE OF FRENCH PASTA PRODUCTS