The European Commission has appealed a European Court of Justice decision in May that found no unlawful state aid in the French government's pledge of support to France Telecom when it was on the brink of bankruptcy in 2002, two years after its acquisition of mobile group Orange. The appeal process could take months or even years, writes La Tribune. Former minister of Finance Francis Mer said the government would not let the 56.45 percent state-owned operator fail, specifically that "the state would take the necessary decisions for any financing problems to be resolved". The government agreed a EUR 9 billion credit line, which France Telecom did not need in the end, because it managed to secure financing on the open market. The European Commission argues that the minister's statements persuaded credit rating agencies to not downgrade France Telecom. The case was originally brought by Bouygues Telecom. France Telecom-Orange operator was not immediately available to comment to AFP.
