CELEX: C1999/086/45
Language: en
Date: 1999-03-27 00:00:00
Title: Action brought on 18 January 1999 by RJB Mining PLC against the Commission of the European Communities (Case T-12/99)

27.3.1999             EN                 Official Journal of the European Communities                                    C 86/25
The applicants further claim that the Commission's                  (a) to rule upon the notification by Germany of an
Guidelines on the method of setting fines imposed                        amendment to the plan approved by Commission
pursuant to Article 15(2) of Regulation No 17/62 and                     Decision 94/1070/ECSC; and
Article 65(5) of the ECSC Treaty (1) are unlawful pursuant
to Article 184 of the EC Treaty, since the guidelines
constitute a genuine regulation, which the Commission               (b) to authorise Germany to grant aid to its coal industry
was not competent to issue.                                              1998.
                                                                    The applicant seeks the annulment of the purported
Finally, the applicants complain of irregularities in the           amendment to the plan on the following grounds:
setting of the fine. For example, their cooperation was not
sufficiently taken into account, and the principles that a
fine should not exceed 10 % of turnover or threaten to              Ð Infringement of an essential procedural
lead to insolvency were ignored.                                         requirement / lack of reasoning:
(1) OJ C 9, 14.1.1998, p. 3.
                                                                         the contested decision makes no mention of the
                                                                         purported amendments to the plan in the operative
                                                                         part of the ruling. Accordingly, there has been no
                                                                         ruling under Article 8(4) of the Code (2) as to the
                                                                         amendments to the plant notified by Germany.
Action brought on 18 January 1999 by RJB Mining PLC                 Ð Manifest failure to observe the provisions
   against the Commission of the European Communities                    o f t h e E C S C Tr e a t y a n d / o r a n y r u l e o f
                                                                         law relating to its application and misuse
                        (Case T-12/99)                                   of powers:
                        (1999/C 86/45)
                                                                         the purported ruling proceeds on the entirely false
                                                                         basis that the three main recipients of aid continued to
                (Language of the case: English)                          exist separately throughout 1998 and fails to take into
                                                                         account of the merger of those recipients in August
                                                                         1998 or the massive state aid inherent in and
An action against the Commission of the European                         conditional on the merger. Further, the purported
Communities was brought before the Court of First                        ruling, in so far as it relates to operating aid, makes
Instance of the European Communities on 18 January                       no assessment under Article 3(2) and Article 8 of the
1999 by RJB Mining PLC, represented by Mark Philip                       Code as to whether the amended plan requires the
Brealey, of Brick Court Chambers, and Jonathan Alex                      relevant undertakings to be capable of becoming
Lawrence, Solicitor of Freshfields, with an address for                  viable within the foreseeable future.
service in Luxembourg at the Chambers of Arendt and
Medernach, 8Ð10 Rue Mathias Hardt.
                                                                    The applicant seeks the annulment of the purported
                                                                    authorisation of aid for 1998 on similar grounds to those
                                                                    raised in Case T-110/98.
The applicant claims that the Court should:
                                                                    (1) Case T-110/98 (OJ C 299, 26.9.1998, p. 38.
                                                                    (2) Decision No 3632/93/ECSC (OJ L 329, 30.12.1993, p. 12).
1. annul the Commission Decision of 2 December 1998
     relating to aid to the German coal industry for 1998;
     and
2. order the Commission to pay the costs of action,
     including those of the applicant.                              Action brought on 18 January 1999 by Pfizer Animal
                                                                         Health against the Council of the European Union
                                                                                            (Case T-13/99)
Pleas in law and main arguments adduced in support:
                                                                                            (1999/C 86/46)
The applicant, which has already challenged the decision                            (Language of the case: English)
relating to aid paid to the German coal industry for
1997 (1), seeks in the present application the annulment of
the decision relating to aid for 1998 (the contested                An action against the Council of the European Union was
decision) which purports:                                           brought before the Court of First Instance of the European