The European Commission announced yesterday it intends taking Greece to court after a failure to recover state aid granted to companies in the form of illegal tax exemptions.

On the day Greece was hit by a general strike in protest at austerity measures over bulging debts ordered by European Union partners, Brussels regulators said they have referred Athens to the Court of Justice "for failing to comply with a commission decision of July 2008".

"The Commission is determined to take all necessary steps to ensure that member states comply with their recovery obligations," Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia added in a statement.

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