Olga Simeon

Case Handler, State Aid Transport, Directorate-General Competition, European Commission, Brussels

Olga Simeon graduated in European Law at the University of Trieste in 2002, complementing her study with an academic year at the University of Trier and an internship in Competition Law at ERA (Europäische Recchtsakademie Trier). During her almost thirteen-year experience as a State aid expert she has collaborated in the management of State aid issues within European Territorial Cooperation programs, in the LeaderSHIP 2020 Strategy initiative and in several EU funded projects on capacity and institution building onState aid and Competition law(Romania and Croatia). Having a deep knowledge of Structural funds, she has also provided legal advise in the application of State aid law to measures co-financed by Structural Funds. Olga is responsible for the State aid area in the Regional Administration of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, within the Regional Department for financial affairs, State aid –amp– ETC unit, being based in Brussels. She also covers the role of legal adviser to the Regional Government on State aid issues and of coordinator of the Italian Regions for State Aid Issues within the Conference of the Regions and Autonomous Provinces in Rome. Moreover, during the State aid modernization, she has been appointed national State aid expert by the Committee of the Regions and by the European Economic and Social Committee, working in particular on the opinions regarding the last revision of the Regional aid guidelines (EESC 1849/2012, INT/653) and of the Aviation Guidelines (COTER-V-043) and, most currently, on the opinion regarding the evaluation of State aids (EESC 1139/2015, INT/76). Alongside the administrative tasks, she also has grounded experience in the teaching and lecturing field for Ministries, Regions, Local Governments, Chambers of Commerce, research bodies, universities, professional and trade associations; she is conceiver of and responsible for the State aid basic and advanced courses within the regional training platform, providing regular courses since 2009; she also periodically organizes conferences on State which address regional institutions and participates in seminars and conferences as a speaker on manyfold State aid topics.