Orders nº T-43/98 of Court of First Instance of the European Communities, August 14, 1998
Resolution Date | August 14, 1998 |
Issuing Organization | Court of First Instance of the European Communities |
Decision Number | T-43/98 |
ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
14 August 1998 (1) (Association regime for overseas countries and territories - Decisions 91/482/EEC and 97/803/EC - Proceedings for interim measures - Intervention - Urgency - None)
In Case T-43/98 R,
Emesa Sugar (Free Zone) NV, a company incorporated under the law of Aruba, established at Oranjestad, Aruba, represented by Gerard van der Wal, Advocate with a right of audience before the Hoge Raad der Nederlanden, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the Chambers of Aloyse May, 31 Grand-Rue,
applicant,
Council of the European Union, represented by Jürgen Huber and Guus Houttouin, Legal Advisers, acting as Agents, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the office of Alessandro Morbilli, Manager of the Legal Affairs Directorate of the European Investment Bank, 100 Boulevard Konrad Adenauer,
defendant,
supported by
Commission of the European Communities, represented by Thomas van Rijn, Legal Adviser, acting as Agent, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the office of Carlos Gómez de la Cruz, of its Legal Service, Wagner Centre, Kirchberg,
Kingdom of Spain, represented by Rosario Silva de Lapuerta and Mónica López-Monis Gallego, Abogados del Estado, of the Community Proceedings Service, acting as Agents, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the Spanish Embassy, 4-6 Boulevard E. Servais,
and
French Republic, represented by Claude Chavance, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, with an address for service in Luxembourg at the French Embassy, 8 B Boulevard Joseph II,
APPLICATION for partial suspension of the operation of Council Decision 97/803/EC of 24 November 1997 amending at mid-term Decision 91/482/EEC on the association of the overseas countries and territories with the European Economic Community (OJ 1997 L 329, p. 50).
THE PRESIDENT OF THE COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
makes the following
Order
Legal context
'Products originating in the OCTs shall be imported into the Community free of customs duties and charges having equivalent effect.
'The Community shall not apply to imports of products originating in the OCTs any quantitative restriction or measure having equivalent effect.
'... fresh disruption should be avoided by taking measures to create a framework conducive to regular trade flows and at the same time compatible with the common agricultural policy.
'1. The ACP/OCT cumulation of origin referred to in Article 6 of Annex II shall be allowed for an annual quantity of 3 000 tonnes of sugar ...
-
For the purposes of implementing the ACP/OCT cumulation rules referred to in paragraph 1, forming sugar lumps or colouring shall be considered as sufficient to confer the status of OCT-originating products.
- 15.
- The contested decision also amended Articles 101(1) and 102 of the OCT decision, which now reads as follows::
'Article 101
-
Products originating in the OCTs shall be imported into the Community free of import duty.
...
Article 102
Without prejudice to Articles 108a and 108b, the Community shall not apply to imports of products originating in the OCTs any quantitative restriction or measure having equivalent effect.
Facts and procedure
- 16.
- Since April 1997 the applicant has operated a sugar factory on the island of Aruba and has exported sugar to the Community.
- 17.
- As sugar is not produced in Aruba, the applicant purchases white sugar from cane sugar refineries in ACP States. The purchased sugar is transported to Aruba, where it undergoes working and processing operations, after which the product is considered finished. These operations consist in purifying the sugar, milling it (which means bringing it to the grade required by the customer's specifications) and packaging it. The applicant states that its factory has a minimum processing capacity of 34 000 tonnes of sugar per year.
- 18.
- By application lodged at the Court Registry on 10 March 1998, the applicant brought an action under the fourth paragraph of Article 173 of the Treaty for the partial annulment of the contested decision.
- 19.
- By separate document registered at the Court Registry on 10 April 1998, the applicant also initiated proceedings under Article 185 of the Treaty for suspension of the operation of Article 1, points 28, 30, 32 and 60, of the contested decision until the Court gives judgment on the substance of the case and, in the alternative, proceedings under Article 186 of the Treaty for appropriate interim measures.
- 20.
- The...
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