210It should be noted first of all that in an action for annulment a plea alleging failure to state or failure sufficiently to state the reasons on which a Community act is based is a matter of public policy which must be raised by the Community judicature of its own motion and which, in consequence, may be invoked by the parties at any stage of the proceedings (see, to that effect, Joined Cases T-45/98 and T-47/98 Krupp Thyssen Stainless and Acciai speciali Terni v Commission [2001] ECR II-3757, paragraph 125). Accordingly, the fact that the plea alleging failure sufficiently to state reasons for the method of setting the fines was first raised only in the reply does not have the consequence that the Court is unable to examine it in this case.
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