146As to the merits, it should be borne in mind at the outset that the obligation laid down in Article 253 EC to state adequate reasons is an essential procedural requirement that must be distinguished from the question whether the reasoning is well founded, which goes to the substantive legality of the measure at issue (see Case C-367/95 PCommission v Sytraval and Brink’s France [1998] ECR I-1719, paragraph 67, and Case C-17/99France v Commission [2001] ECR I-2481, paragraph 35).