ON THAT BASIS UNTIL THE END OF 1984 .
8 IT WOULD APPEAR FROM THE DOCUMENTS BEFORE THE COURT , ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO BE CERTAIN OF THE EXACT DATE , THAT COCKERILL-DRC CLOSED ITS PLANT ON 26 DECEMBER 1984 . NEVERTHELESS , THE COMMISSION ALLOCATED QUOTAS TO IT FOR THE FIRST TWO QUARTERS OF 1985 ; THOSE QUOTAS WERE USED ONLY IN PART .
9 ON 7 FEBRUARY 1985 THE COMMISSION WAS INFORMED BY THE FRENCH MINISTER CONCERNED THAT , IN ACCORDANCE WITH AGREEMENTS BETWEEN COCKERILL-SAMBRE AND THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT , SACILOR WAS TO TAKE OVER COCKERILL-DRC ' S REFERENCE PRODUCTION AND QUANTITIES , AND THAT A REQUEST TO THAT EFFECT WOULD BE SENT TO THE COMMISSION . BY LETTER OF 25 FEBRUARY 1985 SACILOR ASKED THE COMMISSION TO AUTHORIZE , PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 15 ( 1 ) OF DECISION NO 234/84 , THE TRANSFER AGREED UPON WITH THE PARENT COMPANY COCKERILL-SAMBRE OF COCKERILL-DRC ' S REFERENCE QUANTITIES AND THEREFORE TO INCREASE ITS OWN CATEGORY VI REFERENCE QUANTITIES ACCORDINGLY AS FROM THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1985 .
10 BY LETTER OF 25 JUNE 1985 ONE OF THE TWO LIQUIDATORS OF COCKERILL-DRC APPLIED TO THE COMMISSION FOR THE TRANSFER OF COCKERILL-DRC ' S REFERENCE QUANTITIES AND THE CORRESPONDING QUOTAS TO COCKERILL-SAMBRE , PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 15 ( 1 ) OF DECISION NO 234/84 . THAT LETTER WAS CONFIRMED ON 28 JUNE 1985 IN THE SAME TERMS BY COCKERILL-SAMBRE .
11 SUBSEQUENTLY IT APPEARS THAT THE SAME LIQUIDATOR WROTE TWO LETTERS AT ALMOST THE SAME TIME . THE FIRST LETTER WAS SENT TO COCKERILL-SAMBRE ON 16 JULY 1985 AND INFORMED IT OF HIS INTENTION TO DRAW UP AN AGREEMENT TRANSFERRING TO COCKERILL-SAMBRE THE QUOTAS FOR THE LAST THREE QUARTERS OF 1985 , FOR A CONSIDERATION OF FF 1.5 MILLION . THE SECOND LETTER , SENT TO SACILOR ON 18 JULY 1985 , ACKNOWLEDGED SACILOR ' S OFFER TO PURCHASE THE WHOLE ROLLING MILL FOR FF 1.5 MILLION AND STATED THAT SACILOR WOULD HAVE THE FIRST RIGHT TO PURCHASE AT THAT PRICE .
12 ON 30 JULY 1985 SACILOR INFORMED THE COMMISSION BY TELEX THAT IT HAD BECOME THE OWNER OF COCKERILL-DRC ' S PLANT AND THEREFORE ASKED THE COMMISSION TO ALLOCATE TO IT ALL COCKERILL-DRC ' S REFERENCE QUANTITIES . BY LETTER OF 29 AUGUST 1985 COCKERILL-SAMBRE REPEATED THE SUBSTANCE OF ITS LETTER TO THE COMMISSION OF 28 JUNE .
13 ON THE BASIS OF THE INFORMATION AT ITS DISPOSAL THE COMMISSION CONCLUDED THAT THE LIQUIDATOR OF COCKERILL-DRC WAS IN THE PROCESS OF SELLING THE PLANT AND THE REFERENCE QUANTITIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PLANT SEPARATELY TO TWO DIFFERENT COMPANIES , THE PLANT TO SACILOR AND THE REFERENCE QUANTITIES TO COCKERILL-SAMBRE , ALTHOUGH SUCH ACTION WAS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN BY ARTICLE 9 ( 4 ) OF DECISION NO 234/84 . BY LETTERS DATED 27 SEPTEMBER 1985 IT THEREFORE INFORMED THE LIQUIDATOR OF COCKERILL-DRC AND COCKERILL-SAMBRE THAT IT COULD NOT , FOR THE TIME BEING , GIVE EFFECT TO THEIR REQUESTS FOR