An Austrian maize starch processor has failed to persuade the European Court of Justice to lift a European Commission ban on its receiving national state aid for a plant at Aschach. Agrana Zucker und Stärke AG claimed that the Commission had assessed its case too slowly and incorrectly, through misreading criteria justifying the payment of €4.13m, (20% of the capital). The court rejected the company’s pleas and ordered it to pay costs.


By Keith Nuthall, just-food.com correspondent