Public funds managed by private airport operators can be classified as state resources. Prices charged by airport operators can be used as a benchmark for market prices only if their activities and size are comparable and their costs are not subsidised by State aid. Before a private investor enters into any commercial arrangement, it takes into account all relevant information, […]
State Aid Law
Blog
State Aid Uncovered Blog
In Lexxion’s State Aid Uncovered blog, Prof. Phedon Nicolaides publishes weekly critical analyses of recent State aid judgments and decisions. Each post presents the key points of a court judgment or EU Commission decision, places it in the context of similar case law or practice, assesses the underlying reasoning and highlights any inconsistencies or contradictions.
Guest contributions from other State aid experts will also be published on the blog at irregular intervals to complement the content of the blog posts.
State Aid Uncovered ×
22. January 2019 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
16. January 2019 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Public funds managed by private airport operators can be classified as state resources. Prices charged by airport operators can be used as a benchmark for market prices only if their activities and size are comparable and their costs are not subsidised by State aid. Before a private investor enters into any commercial arrangement, it takes into account all relevant information, […]
8. January 2019 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Prevention of excessive taxation may justify tax exemption. Prevention of abuse may justify limits to the tax exemption. Introduction A tax exemption may not constitute state aid if it is justified by reasons which are linked to the nature or general scheme of the tax system. This is what the Court of Justice said on 19 December 2018, […]
21. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
State guarantees must be limited in duration and amount and the conditions for their mobilization must be defined in advance. Public funding to an operator in a closed sector does not affect trade and, therefore, does not constitute State aid. Introduction Large infrastructure projects are complex, encounter many unforeseen problems and often fall behind schedule for years. Consider, for […]
18. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Aid is deemed to be granted on the date the beneficiary undertaking acquires the legal right to it, regardless of whether it is actually paid on that date. It is not enough for a public authority to define the service that it wants an operator to provide and the price that it should charge. It must also define where and […]
12. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
To determine whether an aid measure is selective, the treatment of the beneficiaries has to be compared to those undertakings which are in a comparable position. Introduction On 15 November 2018, the General Court ruled in case T-239/11, Sigma Alimentos Exterior v European Commission.1 Sigma Alimentos Exterior (SAE), a Spanish company, appealed against Commission decision 2011/282 which found that […]
4. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Introduction In its ruling of 6 November 2018 in cases C‑622/16 P to C‑624/16 P, Scuola Elementare Maria Montessori v European Commission, the Court of Justice made it harder for Member States to escape from their recovery obligations.[1] Montessori appealed against the judgment of the General Court in case T‑220/13, Scuola Elementare Maria Montessori v European Commission. That judgment was reviewed here on […]
27. November 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Investors that lodge claims before national courts for damages from resolution of banks have legal standing to request annulment of Commission decisions authorising State aid to those banks. Introduction It is now ten years since the start of the financial crisis. In these ten years, the Commission has adopted about 500 decisions dealing with State aid to banks and other […]
20. November 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
The agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU requires compliance with EU State aid rules. Introduction On 14 November 2018, EU and UK negotiators finalised the text of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.[1] The Agreement has to be ratified by the UK and the other 27 Member States. Given immediate […]
9. November 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Compensation for the extra costs of a public service obligation may include a reasonable profit that reflects the risk borne by the provider of the public service. Introduction The calculation of the amount of compensation for the extra costs of public service obligations can be difficult and tricky. In the absence of such calculation, aid to providers of […]
State Aid Uncovered ×
22. January 2019 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Public funds managed by private airport operators can be classified as state resources. Prices charged by airport operators can be used as a benchmark for market prices only if their activities and size are comparable and their costs are not subsidised by State aid. Before a private investor enters into any commercial arrangement, it takes into account all relevant information, […]
16. January 2019 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Public funds managed by private airport operators can be classified as state resources. Prices charged by airport operators can be used as a benchmark for market prices only if their activities and size are comparable and their costs are not subsidised by State aid. Before a private investor enters into any commercial arrangement, it takes into account all relevant information, […]
8. January 2019 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Prevention of excessive taxation may justify tax exemption. Prevention of abuse may justify limits to the tax exemption. Introduction A tax exemption may not constitute state aid if it is justified by reasons which are linked to the nature or general scheme of the tax system. This is what the Court of Justice said on 19 December 2018, […]
21. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
State guarantees must be limited in duration and amount and the conditions for their mobilization must be defined in advance. Public funding to an operator in a closed sector does not affect trade and, therefore, does not constitute State aid. Introduction Large infrastructure projects are complex, encounter many unforeseen problems and often fall behind schedule for years. Consider, for […]
18. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Aid is deemed to be granted on the date the beneficiary undertaking acquires the legal right to it, regardless of whether it is actually paid on that date. It is not enough for a public authority to define the service that it wants an operator to provide and the price that it should charge. It must also define where and […]
12. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
To determine whether an aid measure is selective, the treatment of the beneficiaries has to be compared to those undertakings which are in a comparable position. Introduction On 15 November 2018, the General Court ruled in case T-239/11, Sigma Alimentos Exterior v European Commission.1 Sigma Alimentos Exterior (SAE), a Spanish company, appealed against Commission decision 2011/282 which found that […]
4. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Introduction In its ruling of 6 November 2018 in cases C‑622/16 P to C‑624/16 P, Scuola Elementare Maria Montessori v European Commission, the Court of Justice made it harder for Member States to escape from their recovery obligations.[1] Montessori appealed against the judgment of the General Court in case T‑220/13, Scuola Elementare Maria Montessori v European Commission. That judgment was reviewed here on […]
27. November 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Investors that lodge claims before national courts for damages from resolution of banks have legal standing to request annulment of Commission decisions authorising State aid to those banks. Introduction It is now ten years since the start of the financial crisis. In these ten years, the Commission has adopted about 500 decisions dealing with State aid to banks and other […]
20. November 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
The agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU requires compliance with EU State aid rules. Introduction On 14 November 2018, EU and UK negotiators finalised the text of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.[1] The Agreement has to be ratified by the UK and the other 27 Member States. Given immediate […]
9. November 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Compensation for the extra costs of a public service obligation may include a reasonable profit that reflects the risk borne by the provider of the public service. Introduction The calculation of the amount of compensation for the extra costs of public service obligations can be difficult and tricky. In the absence of such calculation, aid to providers of […]
State Aid Uncovered ×
22. January 2019 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Public funds managed by private airport operators can be classified as state resources. Prices charged by airport operators can be used as a benchmark for market prices only if their activities and size are comparable and their costs are not subsidised by State aid. Before a private investor enters into any commercial arrangement, it takes into account all relevant information, […]
16. January 2019 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Public funds managed by private airport operators can be classified as state resources. Prices charged by airport operators can be used as a benchmark for market prices only if their activities and size are comparable and their costs are not subsidised by State aid. Before a private investor enters into any commercial arrangement, it takes into account all relevant information, […]
8. January 2019 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Prevention of excessive taxation may justify tax exemption. Prevention of abuse may justify limits to the tax exemption. Introduction A tax exemption may not constitute state aid if it is justified by reasons which are linked to the nature or general scheme of the tax system. This is what the Court of Justice said on 19 December 2018, […]
21. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
State guarantees must be limited in duration and amount and the conditions for their mobilization must be defined in advance. Public funding to an operator in a closed sector does not affect trade and, therefore, does not constitute State aid. Introduction Large infrastructure projects are complex, encounter many unforeseen problems and often fall behind schedule for years. Consider, for […]
18. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Aid is deemed to be granted on the date the beneficiary undertaking acquires the legal right to it, regardless of whether it is actually paid on that date. It is not enough for a public authority to define the service that it wants an operator to provide and the price that it should charge. It must also define where and […]
12. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
To determine whether an aid measure is selective, the treatment of the beneficiaries has to be compared to those undertakings which are in a comparable position. Introduction On 15 November 2018, the General Court ruled in case T-239/11, Sigma Alimentos Exterior v European Commission.1 Sigma Alimentos Exterior (SAE), a Spanish company, appealed against Commission decision 2011/282 which found that […]
4. December 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Introduction In its ruling of 6 November 2018 in cases C‑622/16 P to C‑624/16 P, Scuola Elementare Maria Montessori v European Commission, the Court of Justice made it harder for Member States to escape from their recovery obligations.[1] Montessori appealed against the judgment of the General Court in case T‑220/13, Scuola Elementare Maria Montessori v European Commission. That judgment was reviewed here on […]
27. November 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Investors that lodge claims before national courts for damages from resolution of banks have legal standing to request annulment of Commission decisions authorising State aid to those banks. Introduction It is now ten years since the start of the financial crisis. In these ten years, the Commission has adopted about 500 decisions dealing with State aid to banks and other […]
20. November 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
The agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU requires compliance with EU State aid rules. Introduction On 14 November 2018, EU and UK negotiators finalised the text of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.[1] The Agreement has to be ratified by the UK and the other 27 Member States. Given immediate […]
9. November 2018 |
State Aid Uncovered
by Phedon Nicolaides
Compensation for the extra costs of a public service obligation may include a reasonable profit that reflects the risk borne by the provider of the public service. Introduction The calculation of the amount of compensation for the extra costs of public service obligations can be difficult and tricky. In the absence of such calculation, aid to providers of […]