Opinion of Mr Advocate General da Cruz Vilaça delivered on 4 February 1987

1 Translated from the Portuguese.

2 Official Journal 1985, L 260, p. 7.

3 Official Journal 1984, L 29, p. 1.

4 Official Journal 1985, L 340, p. 5.

5 Judgment of 3 March 1982 in Case 14/81 Alpha Steel v Commission [1982] ECR 749, at p. 763, paragraph 8 of the decision.

6 Judgment of 23 April 1956 in Joined Cases 7 and 9/54 Groupement des industries sidérurgiques luxembourgeoises v High Authority [1954-56] ECR 175, at p. 192; judgment of 15 July 1960 in Joined Cases 24 and 34/58 Chambre syndicate de la sidérurgie de l'Est de la France v High Authority [1960] ECR 281, at p. 292; judgment of 23 February 1961 in Case 30/59 De Gezamenlijke Steenkolenmijnen in Limburg v High Authority [1961], ECR 1, at pp. 16 and 17.

7 Judgment of 11 February 1955 in Case 3/54 Assider v High Authority [1954-56] ECR 63, at p. 69; judgment of 16 July 1956 in Case 8/55 Fédération charbonnière de Belgique (Fédéchar) v High Authority [1954-56] ECR 245, at p. 257.

8 Fédéchar, supra, at p. 257; however, for a somewhat more restrictive formulation, see the judgment of 9 June 1964 in Joined Cases 55 to 59 and 61 to 63/63 Ferriere di Modena and Others v High Authority [1964] ECR 211, at p. 228.

9 Judgment of 21 February 1984 Walzltahl-Vereinigung and Thyssen v Commission [1984] ECR 951, at pp. 982 to 984.

10 Judgment of 15 January 1983 in Case 250/83 Finsider v Commission [1981] ECR 131, at pp. 150 and 151.

11 Judgments referred to in footnote 7, supra, at pp. 256, 227 and 228 respectively.

12 Sec the preamble to Decision No 2760/85/ECSC.

13 Judgment of 11 July 1968 in Case 6/68 Zuckerfabrik Watenstedtv Council [1968] ECR 409, at p. 415; judgment of 5 May 1977 in Case 101/76 Koninklijke Scholten Honig v Council and Commission [1977] ECR 797, at p. 808; judgment of 17 June 1980 in Joined Cases 789 and 790/79 Calpak v Commission [1980] ECR 1949, at p. 1959.

14 Sec lhe Opinion of Mr Advocate General Lenz in Finisider [1985] ECR 132, at p. 137.

15 Diaro da República, Series I, No 215, 2nd Supplement, 18 September 1985.

16 Reference to those two conceptions of a misuse of powers are to be found in the case-law of the Court. See, for the first (traditional) meaning, the judgment of 12 June 1958 in Case 2/57 Hauti fourneaux de Chasse v High Authority [1958] ECR 119, at p. 207; see also the judgment of 18 March 1980 in Joined Cases 154, 205, 206, 226 to 228, 263 and 264/78, 39, 31, 83 and 85/79 Valsabbia v Commission [1980] ECR 907, at p. 1020, paragraph 130 of the decision. For misuse of powers in the objective sense see, for instance, Fédéchar [1954-56] ECR 292, at pp. 302 and 303.

17 Judgment of 7 July 1982 in Case 119/81 Klöckner-Werke v Commission [1982] ECR 2627, at p. 2650.

18 See the Valsabbia judgment, supra, ECR 907, at p. 1002; see also the judgment of 13 June 1958 in Case 9/56 Meroni v High Authority [1957-58] ECR 133, at pp. 151 and 152; judgment of 21 June 1958 in Case 8/57 Groupement des hauts fourneaux et aciéries belges v High Authority [1957-58] ECR 245, at pp. 253 and 254.

19 See the Valsabbia judgment, supra, ECR 907, at p. 1002; see also the judgment of 13 June 1958 in Case 9/56 Meroni v High Authority [1957-58] ECR 133, at pp. 151 and 152; judgment of 21 June 1958 in Case 8/57 Groupement des hauts fourneaux et aciéries belges v High Authority [1957-58] ECR 245, at pp. 253 and 254.

20 See Valsabbia, supra, at p. 1003.

21 Case 119/81 [1982] ECR 2627, at p. 2650, paragraph 13 of the decision.

22 See also the judgment of 20 June 1985 in Case 64/84 Queenborough Rolling Mill v Commission [1985] ECR 1829, at p. 1847, paragraph 11 of the decision.

23 Judgment of 15 January 1985 in Case 250/83 Finsider v Commission [1985] ECR 131, at p. 152.

24 Judgment of 10 July 1984 in Case 72/83 Campus Oil Limited v Minister for Industry and Energy [1984] ECR 2727 et seq.

25 See, for instance, the judgment of 19 September 1985 in Joined Cases 63 and 147/84 Finsider v Commission [1985] ECR 2857, at p. 2873, paragraph 31 of the decision.

26 See Hauls fourneaux de Chasse, supra, at p. 209, and judgment of 21 June 1958 in Case 13/57 Eisen- und Stahlindustrie v High Authority [1957-58] ECR 265.

27 See Finsider, supra, at p. 152; see also the judgment of 13 July 1962 in Joined Cases 17 and 20/61 Klöckner-Werke v High Authority [1962] ECR 325, at p. 345.

28 See Finsider, supra, at p. 152, paragraph 8 of the decision.

29 Commission Decision No 2320/81/ECSC of 7 August 1981 (Official Journal 1981, L 228, p. 14).

30 See, for example, the judgment in Valsabbia, supra, at p. 909.

31 See the judgment in Alpha Steel, supra, at p. 767.

32 See the judgment of 11 May 1983 in Joined Cases 303 and 312/81 Klöckner v Commission [1983] ECR 1507, at pp. 1524 and 1525.

33 See the judgment of 5 May 1966 in Joined Cases 18 and 35/65 Gutmann v Commission [1966] ECR 103, at p. 118; judgment of 29 September 1976 in Case 105/75 Giuffrida v Council [1976] ECR 1395, at p. 1403; judgment of 6 March 1979 in Case 92/78 Simmenthal v Commission [1979] ECR 777, at p. 811; judgment of 21 February 1984 in Joined Cases 140, 146, 221 and 226/82 Wahstahl-Vereinigung v Commission [1984] ECR 951, at p. 986.

34 Judgment of 15 December 1983 in Joined Cases 31, 138 and 204/82 Metallurgiki Halyps v Commission [1983] ECR 4193, at pp. 4208 and 4209.

35 See, to the same effect, the judgment of 20 June 1985 in Queenborougb Rolling Mill, supra, paragraph 11 of the decision.

36 See Metallurgiki Halyps, supra, at p. 4211.

37 Sec Campus Oil, supra, at p. 2754.

38 idem, at p. 2755.

39 See Finsider, supra, paragraph 32 of the decision.