Europäisches Beihilfenrecht Blog

State Aid Uncovered Blog

In Lexxions Blog „State Aid Uncovered” veröffentlicht Prof. Phedon Nicolaides wöchentlich kritische Analysen zu den neuesten Urteilen und Entscheidungen zu staatlichen Beihilfen. Jeder Beitrag stellt die wichtigsten Punkte eines Gerichtsurteils oder einer EU-Kommissionsentscheidung vor, ordnet sie in den Kontext ähnlicher Rechtsprechung oder Praxis ein, bewertet die zugrundeliegende Argumentation und zeigt etwaige Ungereimtheiten oder Widersprüche auf.

In loser Folge werden auf diesem Blog auch Gastbeiträge von anderen Experten für staatliche Beihilfen veröffentlicht, welche die Inhalte der Blogbeiträge ergänzen.

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

17. Januar 2023 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Private Acquirer Test: An Illuminating and also Puzzling Judgment

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A public authority may act as a market operator and acquire services through a private third party without conferring an advantage to the provider of those services. Introduction When a public authority buys a service and pays the market price it does not confer an advantage to the seller in the meaning of Article 107(1) TFEU. Even if it pursues […]

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10. Januar 2023 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Value of Land

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Different valuation methods do not confer a selective advantage if they generate similar results. Introduction Land or immovable property has no intrinsic value. Its value depends on how the land or property is used. In turn, how it is used is determined by several factors such as its location, and the applicable zoning rules. A plot of land in an […]

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3. Januar 2023 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Link between State Aid and Environmental Provisions of EU Law

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Introduction It is an established principle in the case law that the Commission may not authorise State aid that infringes other provisions of EU law, both primary and secondary. Now consider the following case. A Member State notifies to the Commission regional investment aid to support the construction of a mega factory. The factory will produce its own energy and […]

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28. Dezember 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Consequences of not Knowing when State Aid is State Aid

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Introduction Public officials, legal advisors and academics are sometimes frustrated by the practice of the Commission of declaring a public measure as being compatible with the internal market without first taking a firm position on whether that measure constitutes State aid. The Commission would say something like “it is not certain whether the aided activity is economic in nature” or […]

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20. Dezember 2022 | von Phedon Nicolaides

Compensation for Damage

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Introduction On 9 November 2022, the General Court followed its previous judgments in cases concerning compensation for damage caused by the covid-19 pandemic to rule, in case T-111/21, Ryanair v European Commission, that Member States were free to choose to whom to grant State aid.[1] Ryanair had sought the annulment of Commission decision SA.55373 concerning damage compensation to Croatia Airlines […]

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13. Dezember 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

State Guarantees for Undertakings in Difficulty

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In order to detect State aid in a state guarantee, it is necessary to carry out a search to identify the market rate, if it exists. There is no general presumption that an undertaking in difficulty cannot obtain a guarantee from the market. It is necessary to consider the risk of default. The calculation of the amount of aid must […]

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6. Dezember 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Compliance with State Aid Guidelines

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For aid to be declared compatible with the internal market, all of the formal and substantive provisions of the relevant guidelines must be satisfied. State aid is granted the moment the right to a selective advantage is conferred, even if the actual benefit materialises at a future point in time. Introduction On 26 October 2022, the General Court reiterated, in […]

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22. November 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The “Arm’s Length Principle” and the Taxation of Transactions between Related Companies

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The arm’s length principle is not an autonomous principle that can be applied to any advance tax ruling. It must be provided in the national tax system. Furthermore, the arm’s length principle must be applied, if it exists in the national tax system, in the form that is defined by that tax system. Introduction In a series of decisions beginning […]

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29. November 2022 | von Phedon Nicolaides

What Costs Must be Included in Compensation for Public Service Obligations?

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Introduction The two most difficult issues in imposing a public service obligation on a providers of a service of general economic interest is, first, the correct definition of the obligation and, second, the correct calculation of the amount of compensation that covers only the net extra cost of the service. The correct definition must take into account what the market […]

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15. November 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

No Effect on Trade

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A public measure of purely local character and which does not induce cross-border movement of investors or clients is unlikely to affect trade between Member States. Introduction It is rare to find a judgment that confirms that a particular public measure is not liable to affect trade between Member States. The General Court did so in its judgment of 19 […]

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5. Juli 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Why Grant a Loan to an Undertaking in Difficulty?

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When a market operator invests in an undertaking in difficulty it also considers the possibility of restructuring, sale or closure. Introduction The answer to the question posed in the title of this article is “because the loan enables the undertaking to become viable again and repay the loan with interest”. It is now well established in the case law that […]

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28. Juni 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Individual Aid to Counter the Effects of Serious Economic Disturbance Is Legally Possible, but Is it Appropriate?

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Individual aid need not be capable itself to remedy serious economic disturbance in the economy of a Member State. It is sufficient that it contributes to that effect. Introduction On 22 June 2022, in case T‑657/20, Ryanair v European Commission, the General Court confirmed once more that Member States have a right to grant State aid to the undertakings of […]

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21. Juni 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Date on which State Aid is Deemed to be Granted Is not necessarily the Date on which the Actual Benefit Materialises

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State aid is deemed to be granted even if the benefit cannot be quantified in advance and even if state resources are transferred at a future point in time. Introduction The precise date on which State aid is granted can be important such as, for example, when calculating the present value of aid granted in tranches at different points in […]

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14. Juni 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Territoriality and the Tax Treatment of Intra-group Transactions

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A special tax rule can constitute the reference or normal system of taxation if it is “severable” from other tax rules and has its own legal logic. Introduction The application of State aid rules to the tax treatment of transactions between companies that belong to the same multinational group is contentious. During the past three years or so, the Commission […]

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7. Juni 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

A Rare Commission Decision on SGEI Interpreting Decision 2012/21

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A non-profit provider of free services which are in competition with similar services on the market is an undertaking. Introduction The decentralisation of State aid policy of the past decade has made it easier for the Member States to achieve their public policy objectives. By using blog exemption regulations and decisions, they can grant State aid faster, without having to […]

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31. Mai 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

State Aid and Anti-Competitive Practices

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State aid to undertakings that engage in anti-competitive practices is incompatible with the internal market. Introduction For State aid to be compatible with the internal market, it may not infringe any other provision of the Treaty or secondary legislation. Occasionally, the Commission finds State aid measures to be incompatible with the internal market because they contain clauses that exclude foreign […]

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24. Mai 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Another Case of Rescue Aid to an Airline

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An undertaking does not have to be nationally “important” in order to qualify for rescue aid. Introduction The pandemic has been hard on airlines. For some of them, however, the pandemic simply exacerbated their already existing problems. On 18 May 2022, in case T‑577/20, Ryanair v European Commission, the General Court had to examine the case of State aid to […]

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10. Mai 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Risk Finance

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Risk finance aid in the form of tax relief based on the GBER must be limited to private investors. Introduction Decisions of the European Commission authorising aid for risk finance are very rare. This is the consequence of the success of the Commission to get Member States to use almost exclusively the General Block Exemption Regulation [GBER] for the design […]

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3. Mai 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Standard of Proof in State Aid Complaints and the “Informational Disadvantage” of Complainants

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The Commission must use its investigative powers to seek clarification from Member States in order for it to establish whether a measure constitutes State aid, or is compatible aid, or is existing aid. Introduction Complaints are an important source of information to the Commission. The possibility afforded to undertakings to lodge such complaints with the Commission is intended to dissuade […]

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26. April 2022 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Member States Must Recover of their Own Initiative Illegally Granted Aid

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Aid granted illegal must be recovered by the granting authority without any need for a prior Commission decision ordering recovery. The amount of recovered aid may be limited to that which is in excess of what is allowed by the GBER. Introduction It is a well-established principle in the case law that a “prudent market operator” is responsible to check […]

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