12/01/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has still not annulled the procedure by which it has referred Portugal to the Court of Justice in the Champalimaud affair, following approval of the new plan by which Banco Santander Central Hispano would buy a part of Champalimaud (see yesterday's EUROPE of, p.15). "Before annulling the appeal, we are waiting for the new operation to be fully approved by the Portuguese authorities", the Commission's spokesperson's services tell us. The Portuguese Central Bank should decide on the plan on 11 February. The Commission had asked the Court of Justice to decide on the conflict of powers between Portugal and the Commission, the former having initially prohibited the planned merger, whereas the European executive had approved it.