Avis juridique important

61997O0400

Order of the President of the Court of 16 February 2000. - Administración General del Estado v Juntas Generales de Guipúzcoa et Diputación Foral de Giupúzcoa. - Reference for a preliminary ruling: Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco - Spain. - Removal from the register. - Joined cases C-400/97, C-401/97 and C-402/97.

European Court reports 2000 Page I-01073

Parties

In Joined Cases C-400/97, C-401/97 and C-402/97,

REFERENCES to the Court under Article 177 of the EC Treaty (now Article 234 EC) by the Tribunal Superior de Justicia del País Vasco for preliminary rulings in the proceedings pending before that court between

Administración del Estado

Juntas Generales de Guipúzcoa,

Diputación Foral de Guipúzcoa,

Intervener: Gobierno Vasco (C-400/97)

Juntas Generales de Álava,

Diputación Foral de Álava,

Intervener: Gobierno Vasco (C-401/97)

Juntas Generales de Vizcaya,

Interveners: Gobierno Vasco,

Diputación Foral de Vizcaya, (C-402/97)

on the interpretation of Article 52 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment, Article 43 EC) and of Article 92(1) of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment, Article 87(1) EC),

THE PRESIDENT OF THE COURT,

after hearing the views of Advocate General Saggio,

makes the following

Order

Grounds

By orders of 30 July 1997, received at the Court Registry on 1 December 1997, the Tribunal Superior de Justicia del País Vasco (High Court of Justice of the Basque Country) referred three questions to the Court for preliminary rulings on the interpretation of Article 52 of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment, Article 43 EC) and of Article 92(1) of the EC Treaty (now, after amendment, Article 87(1) EC).

By letters of 8 February 2000, received at the Court Registry on 14 February 2000, the Tribunal Superior de Justicia del País Vasco informed the Court that, as a result of the discontinuance of the applicant in the cases in the main proceedings, it was withdrawing its requests of 30 July 1997 for preliminary rulings.

In those circumstances, it must be ordered that the present cases be removed from the Register of the Court.

The costs incurred by the Spanish Government and the Commission of the European Communities, which have submitted observations to the Court, are not recoverable. Since these proceedings are, for the parties to the main proceedings, a step in the actions pending before the national court, the decisions on costs are a matter for that court.

Operative part

On those grounds,

THE PRESIDENT OF THE COURT

hereby orders:

Joined Cases C-400/97, C-401/97 and C-402/97 are removed from the Register of the Court.