Luxembourg, 30/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Court of First Instance (CFI) has for the first time ruled in a case pitting the Government of Gibraltar against the Commission according to the so-called "expedited" procedure, says a CFI press release. In eight months, instead of the usual two years, the CFI made its ruling in which it annuls one of the two decisions the Commission took on 11 July 2001, and by which the latter had initiated the formal State aid investigation procedure, provided for by the EC Treaty, in respect of the Gibraltar legislation on two specific categories of companies, namely "exempt" companies and "qualifying" companies, which benefit from tax exemptions under the applicable national law. The decision relating to "exempt" companies was annulled because, says the Court, the Commission committed an error in classifying the legislation in issue as a new aid scheme; the action in respect of "qualified" companies as dismissed as unfounded. The press release refers to the fact that, thanks to this procedure, the CFI was able to organise a hearing as early as "5 March 2002", or four months following the introduction of the Commission's request for the case to be judged according to the "expedited" procedure.