State Aid Law Blog

State Aid Uncovered by Prof Phedon Nicolaides

On a weekly basis Phedon Nicolaides posts critical analysis pieces on the latest State aid judgments and decisions on his blog State Aid Uncovered. Each article presents the main points of a court ruling or Commission‘s decision, places them in the context of similar case law or practice, assesses the underlying reasoning, and identifies any inconsistencies or contradictions.
Occasional guest blog posts by other State aid experts complement the State aid knowledge hub.

Subscribe now!

Professor at Maastricht University; Professor at University of Nicosia, and Academic Director at Lexxion Training

State Aid Uncovered ×

18. October 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Compliance with State Aid Rules in Cohesion Policy: A Special Report of the European Court of Auditors
State Aid Blogs - m 14 1
Control of State aid by national authorities needs to be strengthened. Typical mistake is to grant aid after a project has started or to subsidise ineligible costs. Aid measures for risk capital, SGEI and R&D appear to be particularly prone to error.    Introduction   On 4 October 2016, the European Court of Auditors [ECA] published a special report 24/2016 […]
read more
No Comments
11. October 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Non-economic Activities, Absolute Impossibility to Recover Incompatible Aid and the Powers of National Courts
State Aid Blogs - SAH blog48 Montessori Lexxion
This article reviews three judgments that were all rendered on 15 September 2016. The first two concern the concept of economic activity. The third is about the rights of national courts to consider the correctness of Commission decisions. The Court of Justice has said clearly that national courts may not question Commission decisions.   Economic activity The first two cases […]
read more
No Comments
6. October 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Compensation for the Extra Costs Imposed by Law
State Aid Blogs - m 15 1
When the state imposes obligations which create extra costs for a single undertaking, that undertaking suffers a disadvantage in relation to its competitors. The extra costs are abnormal because normal costs are those borne by all competitors. Introduction On 14 July 2016, the General Court rendered its judgment in case T 143/12, Germany v Commission.1 The outcome was a victory for […]
read more
2 Comments
27. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Regional Aid for a Large Project subject to Individual Notification under the GBER
State Aid Blogs - m 16 1
In the meaning of regional aid rules, diversification in a “new activity” is not the same as diversification in a “new product”. A “new process innovation” must be different, in the sense of being distinct from an existing process, must be substantial, in the sense that it covers the whole production process and must be new, in the sense that […]
read more
No Comments
20. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Non-State Aid Assistance to Depositors and Customers of Banks
State Aid Blogs - m 17 1
Public assistance to borrowers who cannot repay their loans does not constitute State aid if the beneficiaries are individuals. Public assistance to undertakings which cannot repay their loans does not constitute State aid if the amount of aid does not exceed the de minimis threshold. Any public funding of deposits which are transferred from ailing to healthy banks is not […]
read more
No Comments
13. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Burden-Sharing and State Aid to Banks
State Aid Blogs - m 18 1
Creditors must contribute to the recovery of banks before State aid is granted. Burden-sharing by creditors in the recovery of banks does not deprive them of their right to property.   Introduction On 19 July 2016, the Court of Justice rendered its judgment in case C‑526/14, Tadej Kotnik and others v Državni zbor Republike Slovenije.[1] The judgment was in response to a […]
read more
No Comments
6. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid: Part III – Trade Effect, Distortion of Competition and Infrastructure
State Aid Blogs - m 19 1
This is the third and last article in a series of three that reviews the Commission’s Notice on the Notion of State Aid.* Last week’s article analysed the concepts of advantage and selectivity. This week the focus is on the last two constituent elements of the notion of State aid: affectation of cross-border trade and distortion of competition. This article […]
read more
No Comments
30. August 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid: Part II – Advantage and Selectivity
State Aid Blogs - m 19 1
This is the second article in a series of three that reviews the Commission’s Notice on the Notion of State Aid.* Last week’s article focused on the concepts of economic activity and state resources.** Next week’s article will conclude with a presentation of the conditions under which trade is affected and competition distorted and an analysis of the application of […]
read more
No Comments
23. August 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid: Part I – Economic Activities & State Resources
State Aid Blogs - m 19 1
The Notice provides a thorough review of the case law and the decisional practice of the Commission.   Introduction After more than two years of deliberations, the Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid was published in the Official Journal on 19 July 2016.[1] The Notice presents “the Commission’s understanding of Article 107(1) of the Treaty, as interpreted by the […]
read more
No Comments
16. August 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Compliance with Regulation 651/2014: The Consequences of Failure to Publish an Aid Measure*
State Aid Blogs - m 20 1
Member States must publish the aid measures they adopt on the basis of the GBER. Failure to publish prevents them from being exempted from notification and renders any aid illegal.   Introduction On 21 July 2016, the Court of Justice delivered a judgment in response to a request for a preliminary ruling in case C-493/14, Dilly’s Wellnesshotel v Finanzamt Linz.[1] An […]
read more
No Comments
« Previous PageNext Page »

State Aid Uncovered ×

18. October 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Compliance with State Aid Rules in Cohesion Policy: A Special Report of the European Court of Auditors
State Aid Blogs - m 14 1
Control of State aid by national authorities needs to be strengthened. Typical mistake is to grant aid after a project has started or to subsidise ineligible costs. Aid measures for risk capital, SGEI and R&D appear to be particularly prone to error.    Introduction   On 4 October 2016, the European Court of Auditors [ECA] published a special report 24/2016 […]
read more
No Comments
11. October 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Non-economic Activities, Absolute Impossibility to Recover Incompatible Aid and the Powers of National Courts
State Aid Blogs - SAH blog48 Montessori Lexxion
This article reviews three judgments that were all rendered on 15 September 2016. The first two concern the concept of economic activity. The third is about the rights of national courts to consider the correctness of Commission decisions. The Court of Justice has said clearly that national courts may not question Commission decisions.   Economic activity The first two cases […]
read more
No Comments
6. October 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Compensation for the Extra Costs Imposed by Law
State Aid Blogs - m 15 1
When the state imposes obligations which create extra costs for a single undertaking, that undertaking suffers a disadvantage in relation to its competitors. The extra costs are abnormal because normal costs are those borne by all competitors. Introduction On 14 July 2016, the General Court rendered its judgment in case T 143/12, Germany v Commission.1 The outcome was a victory for […]
read more
2 Comments
27. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Regional Aid for a Large Project subject to Individual Notification under the GBER
State Aid Blogs - m 16 1
In the meaning of regional aid rules, diversification in a “new activity” is not the same as diversification in a “new product”. A “new process innovation” must be different, in the sense of being distinct from an existing process, must be substantial, in the sense that it covers the whole production process and must be new, in the sense that […]
read more
No Comments
20. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Non-State Aid Assistance to Depositors and Customers of Banks
State Aid Blogs - m 17 1
Public assistance to borrowers who cannot repay their loans does not constitute State aid if the beneficiaries are individuals. Public assistance to undertakings which cannot repay their loans does not constitute State aid if the amount of aid does not exceed the de minimis threshold. Any public funding of deposits which are transferred from ailing to healthy banks is not […]
read more
No Comments
13. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Burden-Sharing and State Aid to Banks
State Aid Blogs - m 18 1
Creditors must contribute to the recovery of banks before State aid is granted. Burden-sharing by creditors in the recovery of banks does not deprive them of their right to property.   Introduction On 19 July 2016, the Court of Justice rendered its judgment in case C‑526/14, Tadej Kotnik and others v Državni zbor Republike Slovenije.[1] The judgment was in response to a […]
read more
No Comments
6. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid: Part III – Trade Effect, Distortion of Competition and Infrastructure
State Aid Blogs - m 19 1
This is the third and last article in a series of three that reviews the Commission’s Notice on the Notion of State Aid.* Last week’s article analysed the concepts of advantage and selectivity. This week the focus is on the last two constituent elements of the notion of State aid: affectation of cross-border trade and distortion of competition. This article […]
read more
No Comments
30. August 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid: Part II – Advantage and Selectivity
State Aid Blogs - m 19 1
This is the second article in a series of three that reviews the Commission’s Notice on the Notion of State Aid.* Last week’s article focused on the concepts of economic activity and state resources.** Next week’s article will conclude with a presentation of the conditions under which trade is affected and competition distorted and an analysis of the application of […]
read more
No Comments
23. August 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid: Part I – Economic Activities & State Resources
State Aid Blogs - m 19 1
The Notice provides a thorough review of the case law and the decisional practice of the Commission.   Introduction After more than two years of deliberations, the Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid was published in the Official Journal on 19 July 2016.[1] The Notice presents “the Commission’s understanding of Article 107(1) of the Treaty, as interpreted by the […]
read more
No Comments
16. August 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Compliance with Regulation 651/2014: The Consequences of Failure to Publish an Aid Measure*
State Aid Blogs - m 20 1
Member States must publish the aid measures they adopt on the basis of the GBER. Failure to publish prevents them from being exempted from notification and renders any aid illegal.   Introduction On 21 July 2016, the Court of Justice delivered a judgment in response to a request for a preliminary ruling in case C-493/14, Dilly’s Wellnesshotel v Finanzamt Linz.[1] An […]
read more
No Comments
« Previous PageNext Page »

State Aid Uncovered ×

18. October 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Compliance with State Aid Rules in Cohesion Policy: A Special Report of the European Court of Auditors
State Aid Blogs - m 14 1
Control of State aid by national authorities needs to be strengthened. Typical mistake is to grant aid after a project has started or to subsidise ineligible costs. Aid measures for risk capital, SGEI and R&D appear to be particularly prone to error.    Introduction   On 4 October 2016, the European Court of Auditors [ECA] published a special report 24/2016 […]
read more
No Comments
11. October 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Non-economic Activities, Absolute Impossibility to Recover Incompatible Aid and the Powers of National Courts
State Aid Blogs - SAH blog48 Montessori Lexxion
This article reviews three judgments that were all rendered on 15 September 2016. The first two concern the concept of economic activity. The third is about the rights of national courts to consider the correctness of Commission decisions. The Court of Justice has said clearly that national courts may not question Commission decisions.   Economic activity The first two cases […]
read more
No Comments
6. October 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Compensation for the Extra Costs Imposed by Law
State Aid Blogs - m 15 1
When the state imposes obligations which create extra costs for a single undertaking, that undertaking suffers a disadvantage in relation to its competitors. The extra costs are abnormal because normal costs are those borne by all competitors. Introduction On 14 July 2016, the General Court rendered its judgment in case T 143/12, Germany v Commission.1 The outcome was a victory for […]
read more
2 Comments
27. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Regional Aid for a Large Project subject to Individual Notification under the GBER
State Aid Blogs - m 16 1
In the meaning of regional aid rules, diversification in a “new activity” is not the same as diversification in a “new product”. A “new process innovation” must be different, in the sense of being distinct from an existing process, must be substantial, in the sense that it covers the whole production process and must be new, in the sense that […]
read more
No Comments
20. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Non-State Aid Assistance to Depositors and Customers of Banks
State Aid Blogs - m 17 1
Public assistance to borrowers who cannot repay their loans does not constitute State aid if the beneficiaries are individuals. Public assistance to undertakings which cannot repay their loans does not constitute State aid if the amount of aid does not exceed the de minimis threshold. Any public funding of deposits which are transferred from ailing to healthy banks is not […]
read more
No Comments
13. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Burden-Sharing and State Aid to Banks
State Aid Blogs - m 18 1
Creditors must contribute to the recovery of banks before State aid is granted. Burden-sharing by creditors in the recovery of banks does not deprive them of their right to property.   Introduction On 19 July 2016, the Court of Justice rendered its judgment in case C‑526/14, Tadej Kotnik and others v Državni zbor Republike Slovenije.[1] The judgment was in response to a […]
read more
No Comments
6. September 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid: Part III – Trade Effect, Distortion of Competition and Infrastructure
State Aid Blogs - m 19 1
This is the third and last article in a series of three that reviews the Commission’s Notice on the Notion of State Aid.* Last week’s article analysed the concepts of advantage and selectivity. This week the focus is on the last two constituent elements of the notion of State aid: affectation of cross-border trade and distortion of competition. This article […]
read more
No Comments
30. August 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid: Part II – Advantage and Selectivity
State Aid Blogs - m 19 1
This is the second article in a series of three that reviews the Commission’s Notice on the Notion of State Aid.* Last week’s article focused on the concepts of economic activity and state resources.** Next week’s article will conclude with a presentation of the conditions under which trade is affected and competition distorted and an analysis of the application of […]
read more
No Comments
23. August 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid: Part I – Economic Activities & State Resources
State Aid Blogs - m 19 1
The Notice provides a thorough review of the case law and the decisional practice of the Commission.   Introduction After more than two years of deliberations, the Commission Notice on the Notion of State Aid was published in the Official Journal on 19 July 2016.[1] The Notice presents “the Commission’s understanding of Article 107(1) of the Treaty, as interpreted by the […]
read more
No Comments
16. August 2016  |   State Aid Uncovered by Phedon Nicolaides

Compliance with Regulation 651/2014: The Consequences of Failure to Publish an Aid Measure*
State Aid Blogs - m 20 1
Member States must publish the aid measures they adopt on the basis of the GBER. Failure to publish prevents them from being exempted from notification and renders any aid illegal.   Introduction On 21 July 2016, the Court of Justice delivered a judgment in response to a request for a preliminary ruling in case C-493/14, Dilly’s Wellnesshotel v Finanzamt Linz.[1] An […]
read more
No Comments
« Previous PageNext Page »

How to Submit a Blog Post

Do you want to share your analysis of a State aid law topic? We invite you to submit your post on, for example: recent European, national or international judgments or legislation with relevance to EU State aid law; new developments, publications, hot topics in EU State aid law. The recommended length of the post is 500-2,000 words incl. references (endnotes). Your analysis will be published under the category ‘Guest State Aid Blog’.

Here’s how you can publish a post on the Blog as a guest author:

Step 1: Submit your draft to Nelly Stratieva at [email protected].

Step 2: We at Lexxion will review your draft to make sure its content and quality fit the blog. If needed, they will suggest what improvements you should make.

Step 3: Once your draft has been finalised and accepted, we will publish your post.

Submit your guest blog post

Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on legal developments, upcoming conferences, workshops, and publications in your areas of interest.

Stay up to date: Newsletter Subscription