The EU Court of Justice declares invalid a Commission decision penalizing France for State aid (Ministre de l’Agriculture et de l’Alimentation / Compagnie des pêches de Saint-Malo)

Seized with an interpretation request concerning the arrangements for implementing a Commission decision penalising France for State Aid declared incompatible with the common market, the Court of Justice rules that the decision is invalid* The Commission erred in law in considering that the reduction in employees’ contributions conferred a direct advantage on fisheries undertakings Following, first, the oil pollution caused by the wreck of the tanker Erika on 12 December 1999 in the Bay of Biscay and, secondly, the significant damage caused in the southern half of France by the violent storm which occurred on 27 and 28 December 1999, France adopted a compensation scheme for fishermen and fish farmers in order to make good the damage caused to those persons by those events. By two