Reference for a preliminary ruling from the Conseil d'État (France) lodged on 2 January 2009 - Centre d'Exportation du Livre Français (CELF), Ministre de la Culture et de la Communication v Société Internationale de Diffusion et d'Édition

(Case C-1/09)

Language of the case: French

Referring court

Conseil d'État

Parties to the main proceedings

Appellants: Centre d'Exportation du Livre Français (CELF), Ministre de la Culture et de la Communication

Respondent: Société Internationale de Diffusion et d'Édition

Questions referred

May the national court stay proceedings concerning the obligation to recover State aid until the Commission of the European Communities has ruled, by way of a final decision, on the compatibility of the aid with the rules of the common market, where a first decision of the Commission declaring that aid to be compatible has been annulled by the Community judicature?

2.    Where the Commission has on three occasions declared the aid to be compatible with the common market, before those decisions were annulled by the Court of First Instance of the European Communities, is such a situation capable of being an exceptional circumstance which may lead the national court to limit the obligation to recover the aid?

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