CELEX: C2003/019/50
Language: en
Date: 2003-01-25 00:00:00
Title: Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 7 November 2002 in Joined Cases T-141/99, T-142/99, T-150/99 and T-151/99, Vela Srl and Tecnagrind SL v Commission of the European Communities (Agriculture — EAGGF — Withdrawal of financial assistance — Articles 23 and 24 of Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 — Principles of legal certainty and protection of legitimate expectations — Principle of proportionality)

25.1.2003                EN                      Official Journal of the European Communities                                         C 19/27
                                                          COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
     JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE                                    JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
                       of 21 November 2002
                                                                                                  of 7 November 2002
in Case T-88/98: Kundan Industries Ltd and Tata Inter-
       national Ltd v Council of the European Union ( 1)                    in Joined Cases T-141/99, T-142/99, T-150/99 and T-151/
                                                                            99, Vela Srl and Tecnagrind SL v Commission of the
(Dumping — Stainless steel fasteners — Calculation of                                          European Communities ( 1)
export price — Unreliability of the price — Calculation of
              normal value — Rights of the defence)
                                                                            (Agriculture — EAGGF — Withdrawal of financial assist-
                                                                            ance — Articles 23 and 24 of Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88
                           (2003/C 19/49)                                   — Principles of legal certainty and protection of legitimate
                                                                                     expectations — Principle of proportionality)
                     (Language of the case: English)
                                                                                                     (2003/C 19/50)
In Case T-88/98, Kundan Industries Limited, Tata International
Limited, established in Mumbai (India), represented by                                         (Language of the case: Italian)
J.-F. Bellis and P. De Baere, lawyers, with an address for service
in Luxembourg, v Council of the European Union (Agents:
S. Marquardt, H.-J. Rabe and G. Berrisch), supported by
Commission of the European Communities (Agents: V. Kreus-
chitz and N. Khan): Application for the annulment of Article 1              In Joined Cases T-141/99, T-142/99, T-150/99 and T-151/99:
of Council Regulation (EC) No 393/98 of 16 February 1998                    Vela Srl, established in Milan (Italy), Tecnagrind SL, established
imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of                       in Barcelona (Spain), represented by G. M. Scarpellini, lawyer,
stainless steel fasteners and parts thereof originating in the              with an address for service in Luxembourg, Commission
People’s Republic of China, India, the Republic of Korea,                   of the European Communities (Agents: C. Cattabriga and
Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand (OJ 1998 L 50, p. 1) the Court                M. Moretto) — Application, in Case T-141/99, for the
of First Instance (Fourth Chamber, Extended Composition),                   annulment of Commission Decision C (1999) 540 of 9 March
composed of: M. Vilaras, President, V. Tiili, J. Pirrung, P. Men-           1999 withdrawing the assistance granted to Vela Srl by
gozzi and A. W. H. Meij, Judges; H. Jung, Registrar, has given              Commission Decision C (92) 1494 of 30 June 1992, concern-
a judgment on 21 November 2002, in which it:                                ing grant of the EAGGF, Guidance Section, contribution under
                                                                            Council Regulation (EEC) No 4256/88 of 19 December 1988,
1.     Annuls Article 1 of Council Regulation (EC) No 393/98 of             laying down provisions for implementing Regulation (EEC)
       16 February 1998 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty             No 2052/88 as regards the EAGGF Guidance Section (OJ 1988
       on imports of stainless steel fasteners and parts thereof            L 374, p. 25), in connection with Project No 92.IT.06.001
       originating in the People’s Republic of China, India, the            entitled Action in the form of a demonstrative project for the
       Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand insofar as          introduction and promotion of cylindrical luffa in disadvan-
       it imposes an anti-dumping duty on exports to the European           taged European areas; in Case T-142/99, for the annulment of
       Community of products manufactured by Kundan Industries              Commission Decision C (1999) 541 of 4 March 1999
       Limited and exported by Tata International Limited which             withdrawing the assistance granted to Sonda Srl by Com-
       exceeds that which would apply but for an adjustment to the          mission Decision C (93) 3401 of 26 November 1993,
       export price made in respect of a commission.                        concerning grant of the EAGGF, Guidance Section, contri-
                                                                            bution under Council Regulation (EEC) No 4256/88, in
2.     Dismisses the remainder of the application.                          connection with Project No 93.IT.06.057 entitled Action in
                                                                            the form of a pilot demonstrative project for the reduction of
                                                                            production costs and fertiliser costs in sunflower cultivation;
3.     Orders the Council to bear its own costs and to pay 30% of the       in Case T-150/99, for the annulment of Commission Decision
       costs of the applicants and orders the Commission to bear its        C (1999) 532 of 4 March 1999 withdrawing the assistance
       own costs.                                                           granted to Tecnagrind SL by Commission Decision C (93)
                                                                            3395 of 26 November 1993, concerning grant of the EAGGF,
                                                                            Guidance Section, contribution under Council Regulation
( 1) OJ C 234, 25.7.1998.
                                                                            (EEC) No 4256/88, in connection with Project
                                                                            No 93.ES.06.031 entitled Demonstrative project for the mul-
                                                                            tiple optimisation of Vetiver (Vetiveria Zizanioides) in the
 ---pagebreak--- C 19/28                  EN                      Official Journal of the European Communities                                          25.1.2003
Mediterranean area; and, in Case T-151/99, for the annulment                1999 C 351, p. 29, and OJ 2000 C 71, p. 8), the Court of First
of Commission Decision C (1999) 533 of 4 March 1999                         Instance (Third Chamber, Extended Composition), composed
withdrawing the assistance made to Tecnagrind SL by Com-                    of: M. Jaeger, President, R. García-Valdecasas, K. Lenaerts,
mission Decision C (96) 2235 of 13 September 1996,                          P. Lindh and J. Azizi, Judges; Registrar: B. Pastor, Deputy
concerning grant of the EAGGF, Guidance Section, contri-                    Registrar, has given a judgment on 23 October 2002, in which
bution under Council Regulation (EEC) No 4256/88, in                        it:
connection with Project No 95.ES.06.005 entitled ‘Demonstra-
tive project for the processing if castor-oil plants (Ricinus
Communis) in agricultural undertakings for the extraction of                1.     Dismisses the applications;
aromatic essences’, the Court of First Instance (Third Chamber),
composed of: M. Jaeger, President, K. Lenaerts and J. Azizi,                2.     Orders the applicants to pay their own costs together with those
Judges; J. Palacio González, Administrator, for the Registrar,                     of the Commission.
has given a judgment on 7 November 2002, in which:
1.     The applications are dismissed.                                      (1 ) OJ C 47 of 19.2.2000.
2.     In each case, the applicants shall bear their own costs and pay
       those of the Commission.
( 1) OJ C 246, 28.8.99.
                                                                                 JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
                                                                                                    of 23 October 2002
     JUDGMENT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE                                in Joined Cases T-346/99, T-347/99 and T-348/99: Territo-
                                                                            rio Histórico de Álava — Diputación Foral de Álava and
                                                                              Others v Commission of the European Communities ( 1)
                        of 23 October 2002
in Joined Cases T-269/99, T-271/99 and T-272/99: Territo-                   (State aid — Decision to initiate the procedure under
rio Histórico de Guipúzcoa — Diputación Foral de Gui-                       Article 88(2) EC — Actions for annulment — Admissibility
púzcoa and Others v Commission of the European Com-                         — Tax measures — Selective nature — Legitimate expec-
                             munities ( 1)                                                     tations — Misuse of powers)
(State aid — Decision to initiate the procedure under Article                                          (2003/C 19/52)
88(2) EC — Actions for annulment — Admissibility — Tax
measures — Selective nature — Legitimate expectations —
                          Misuse of powers)                                                     (Language of the case: Spanish)
                           (2003/C 19/51)
                                                                            In Joined Cases T-346/99, T-347/99 and T-348/99, Territorio
                    (Language of the case: Spanish)                         Histórico de Álava — Diputación Foral de Álava, Territorio
                                                                            Histórico de Guipúzcoa — Diputación Foral de Guipúzcoa,
                                                                            Territorio Histórico de Vizcaya — Diputación Foral de Vizcaya,
                                                                            represented by A. Creus Carreras and B. Uriarte Valiente,
In Joined Cases T-269/99, T-271/99 and T-272/99, Territorio                 lawyers, v Commission of the European Communities (Agents:
Histórico de Guipúzcoa — Diputación Foral de Guipúzcoa,                     F. Santaolalla Gadea, G. Rozet and G. Valero Jordana): Appli-
Territorio Histórico de Álava — Diputación Foral de Álava,                  cation for annulment of the Commission’s decision, notified
Territorio Histórico de Vizcaya — Diputación Foral de Vizcaya,              to the Spanish authorities by letter of 29 September 1999, to
represented by A. Creus Carreras and B. Uriarte Valiente,                   initiate the procedure under Article 88(2) EC against the
lawyers, v Commission of the European Communities (Agents:                  Spanish State in relation to tax aid in the form of a reduction
F. Santaolalla Gadea, G. Rozet and G. Valero Jordana): Appli-               in the tax base for firms in the Provinces of Álava, Viscaya and
cation for annulment of the Commission’s decisions, notified                Guipúzcoa (OJ 2000 C 55, p. 2), the Court of First Instance
to the Spanish authorities by letters of 17 August 1999, to                 (Third Chamber, Extended Composition), composed of:
initiate the procedure under Article 88(2) EC against the                   M. Jaeger, President, R. García-Valdecasas, K. Lenaerts, P. Lindh
Spanish State in relation to tax aid in the form of a 45 % tax              and J. Azizi, Judges; B. Pastor, Deputy Registrar, has given a
credit in the Provinces of Álava, Viscaya and Guipúzcoa (OJ                 judgment on 23 October 2002, in which it: