The Commission should thus finalise its assessment of the concerned Member State's reply to its reasoned opinion within a reasonable time, that is, as the Court defined it, a time span which is not manifestly unreasonable in the circumstances of the case. Alternatively, the Commission could show (i) why, objectively, it needed more time for its assessment and how this assessment was carried out, or (ii) that it needed to take further action in order to clarify or complete its assessment, for instance, by raising further questions with the Member State concerned.