EU: EC criticised over inaction

The Court of First Instance has criticised the European Commission for not acting within a reasonable time limit on the financing of public television channels in Spain. Following a complaint by the private commercial company Telecinco in March 1992, challenging the legality of state aid to public television channels, the Court found that by 1996, the Commission had still not ruled on the complaint, having repeatedly informed Telecinco that it was still awaiting further information. In condemning the Commission´s lack of administrative professionalism, the Court found that the Commission should examine complaints of this nature in a diligent and impartial manner, if it was to discharge its duty as guardian of the Treaties properly. A Commission spokesman said that it would rule on the Telecinco complaint without delay. The decision also has significance for Europe’s toy industries, which have suffered a similar delay, with similar reasons put forward for the delay, in respect of their complaint to the Commission over the Greek toy ad ban for broadcast media.