30As a preliminary point, it must be observed that, according to settled case-law, time-limits for appeals are a matter of public policy and are not subject to the discretion of the parties or the Court, since they were laid down with a view to ensuring clarity and legal certainty. Therefore, although the defendant in its defence and rejoinder did not raise a plea of inadmissibility in case T-142/01, the Court must examine, even of its own motion, whether the action was brought within the prescribed period (see, in particular, Case 4/67 Collignon v Commission [1967] ECR 365, at p. 372; Case 108/79 Belfiore v Commission [1980] ECR 1769, paragraph 3; Case 227/83 Moussis v Commission [1984] ECR 3133, paragraph 12; Case T-29/89 Moritz v Commission [1990] ECR II-787, paragraph 13).
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