The new refinery of French refiner Elf in Leuna, some 20 km south of Halle, late in the evening, September 8. The refinery is an investment of 5 billion German marks and will start to produce in October 97. An event that should be celebrated as part of the privatization and enchanced competitiveness of former East German businesses may be turning into a nasty political dispute, as French refiner Elf and the European Commission (EC) are embroiled in a dispute over subsidies Elf received to build a refinery in Leuna in Saxony-Anhalt.