It is not true to say that the action taken by the EC against Greece is the same as the action that was taken against Whitegate in 1983. The European Court considered the Whitegate regime and in 1984 ruled that the system of mandatory purchases from Whitegate was justified on the grounds of public policy and public security. Furthermore, Whitegate is the sole refinery in Ireland. The situation in Greece is completely different. In Greece there is a mix of state owned and privately owned refineries, in other words there are a number of refineries, not just one, and they are in the public and private ownership. Whitegate is not in competition with other refineries but is run on a full cost recovery basis. The Commission's complaints with the Greek authorities deal with competition related to refineries and distribution and are far more fundamental and far reaching than the issues raised in the European Court relating to Whitegate in 1984.