§ Mr. Denzil DaviesTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when legal proceedings brought by the EU against France for prohibiting the importation of British beef will be heard by the European Court of Justice. [136196]
§ Ms QuinThe timing of the various stages in the European Commission's case against the French Government is determined by the European Court of Justice. The case is now entering the final phase of the written procedure and once that is concluded the Court will fix a Hearing date. It is possible, but not certain, that the Hearing could take place by Spring 2001. However, if the French Government, the Commission and the Court all agreed that a Hearing was not necessary, the oral procedure could be dispensed with altogether leaving the Court to begin its deliberations in advance of the Advocate General's Opinion and the Court's Judgment.