Judgment of the Court of First Instance of 12 September 2007 - González y Díez v Commission
(State aid - Aid to cover exceptional restructuring costs - Withdrawal of an earlier decision - Expiry of the ECSC Treaty - Competence of the Commission - Continuity of the Community legal order - No infringement of essential procedural requirements - Protection of legitimate expectations - Manifest error of assessment)
Language of the case: Spanish
Parties
Applicant: González y Díez SA, (Villabona-Llanera, Spain), (represented by J. Díez-Hochleitner and A. Martínez Sánchez, lawyers),
Defendant: Commission of the European Communities (represented initially by J. Buendía Sierra, acting as Agent, and subsequently by C. Urraca Caviedes, acting as Agent, the latter assisted by Buendía Sierra, lawyer)
Re:
Action for annulment of Articles 1, 3 and 4 of Commission Decision 2004/340/EC of 5 November 2003 on aid for González y Díez SA to cover exceptional expenses (aid for 2001 and misuse of aid for 1998 and 2000), and amending Commission Decision 2002/827/ECSC (OJ 2004 L 119, p. 26).
Operative part of the judgment
The Court:
Annuls Article 3(b), in so far as it concerns the amount of EUR 54 057.63 (ESP 8 994 433), and Article 4(1)(b) of Commission Decision 2004/340/EC of 5 November 2003 concerning aid to the company González y Díez SA to cover exceptional costs (aid for 2001 and incorrect use of the aid for 1998 and 2000), amending Decision No 2002/827/ECSC.
Dismisses the action as to the remainder.
Orders the applicant to bear four-fifths of its own costs and to pay four-fifths of the costs incurred by the Commission. The Commission shall bear a fifth of its own costs and pay a fifth of the costs incurred by González y Díez.
____________1 - OJ C 71, 20.3.2004.