It concluded that, with regard to the part of the aid paid to CELF prior to 1 November 1993, the date of entry into force of the Treaty on European Union, the Commission had committed an error of law by considering that the aid at issue was compatible with the common market by virtue of former Article 87(3)(d) when the substantive law in force prior to 1 November 1993 should have been applied.
Üldkohus leidis, et selle abi osa puhul, mis kanti CELFile üle enne 1. novembrit 1993, mis on Euroopa Liidu lepingu jõustumise kuupäev, on komisjon teinud õigusliku vea, pidades vaidlusalust abi ühisturuga kokkusobivaks endise asutamislepingu artiklit 87 lõike 3 punkti d alusel, ehkki tegelikult oleks tulnud kohaldada enne 1. novembrit 1993 kehtinud alussätteid.