Even where the government acts as the purchaser of services, an assessment of whether it has acted in accordance with the market economy operator principle requires an examination of all the relevant facts. The fact that the government acted through private companies, that the government pursued public policy objectives or that there was no tender procedure is not a reason to exclude the application of the market economy operator principle, the Court of Justice ruled in this case. The Court of Justice confirmed that the burden of proof as to whether the MEOP has been complied with and whether an advantage has been conferred on a company lies with the Commission.