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.

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

23. Juli 2019 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Rights of Unsuccessful Bidders in the Auctioning of State Assets

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost29 stateassets nuerburgring

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost29 stateassets nuerburgring

Competitors of aid recipients may challenge a Commission decision only if State aid causes substantial harm to them. Assets must be sold to the highest bidder who makes a credible offer. Introduction If a public authority sells a state asset at a price below its market rate it grants State aid to the buyer. The market price is the highest […]

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16. Juli 2019 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Investor Protection and Existing Aid

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost28 Investment Romania StateAid Commission EU Lexxion

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost28 Investment Romania StateAid Commission EU Lexxion

Aid granted before accession to the EU may not be assessed by the Commission. Introduction It is fairly safe to say that in the sixty years of case law on State aid, the Court of Justice has ruled that there are just four instances in which payment of public money to an undertaking does not constitute State aid on the […]

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9. Juli 2019 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

1) The European Commission Does not Have to Identify Individual Beneficiaries in its Recovery Decisions 2) Revision of the GBER [InvestEU, Seal of Excellence, ETC]

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost27 GBER

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost27 GBER

This week’s article deals with two issues: possible defence against repayment of incompatible State aid and the forthcoming revision of the GBER. Introduction In 2008, the Commission ordered France to recover incompatible aid that had been granted by means of several public measures to support farmers [see Commission decision 2009/402]. What made that decision interesting was that part of the […]

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2. Juli 2019 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Application of the MEOP to Energy Infrastructure

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost26 energy infrastructure

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost26 energy infrastructure

A public authority that acts as a private operator may charge what the market can bear. Introduction In January 2019, Germany notified to the Commission, for reasons of legal certainty, investment of the municipality of Hamburg in a district heating network. The Commission, in decision SA.52390, found that the investment in Hamburg District Heating Network conformed with the Market Economy […]

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25. Juni 2019 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

How to Value Land in Complex Land Swaps

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost25 LandSwap RealdMadrid

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost25 LandSwap RealdMadrid

A private investor assesses all components of a complex transaction and takes into account not just profit, but also the legal implications of the prospective transaction and possible future liability. Introduction When a public authority sells land, it should either auction it through a competitive and unconditional process or have it valued beforehand by an independent expert.Sometimes, public […]

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18. Juni 2019 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Is it OK to Tax Company Size?*

State Aid Blogs -

State Aid Blogs -

Progressive tax rates that are consistent with the objective of the tax system are not necessarily selective. Introduction Member States are free to design their corporate tax systems as long as they do not grant State aid or infringe fundamental internal market freedoms. A question that arises in discussions on what Member States may or may not do when designing […]

2 Kommentare

11. Juni 2019 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

I) Unlimited State Guarantees II) Effect on Trade

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost23

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost23

A competitor who wants to challenge a Commission decision authorising State aid without a formal investigation must, first, show that it is seriously harmed by the aid. Introduction This week’s article reviews two judgments: one on unlimited state guarantees granted by France [case T-135/17, Scor v European Commission][1] and another on aid that was found not to affect trade between Member […]

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4. Juni 2019 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Not Every Compensation Is a Compensation in the Meaning of Altmark

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost22 electricity Altmark SGEI

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost22 electricity Altmark SGEI

Regulation and licensing do not constitute obligations for the provision of an SGEI. Compensation for changes in public policy is not compensation that complies with the Altmark conditions. Introduction The calculation of the compensation for the net extra costs of public service obligations [PSO] is a difficult task. On 15 May 2019, in case C-706/17, Achema et al v Lithuania […]

Ein Kommentar

28. Mai 2019 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

What Happens when Internal Market Rules and State Aid Rules Clash?

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost21 Tax Refund

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost21 Tax Refund

A tax refund may not be granted, if it constitutes non-notified State aid. Introduction It is a well-established principle that restrictions on internal market rights or freedoms may not be attached to a State aid measure. Indeed, current State aid rules [e.g. GBER, guidelines] explicitly exclude from their scope any aid measure which is inseparably linked to a […]

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21. Mai 2019 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

There Is No Threshold below which Economic Activities Can Be Considered to be Non-economic

State Aid Blogs - StateaidHub blogpost20 Lexxion Port Economic Activities

State Aid Blogs - StateaidHub blogpost20 Lexxion Port Economic Activities

Non-economic activities have to be accounted separately from economic activities. The exercise of public tasks assigned by the state cannot protect an undertaking from State aid rules. State aid distorts competition even when it aims to remedy distortions. Introduction Ports, like other transport infrastructures, may operate under public obligations some of which may be of economic and some of non-economic […]

2 Kommentare

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18. Dezember 2018 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Date and Scope of Public Service Compensation

State Aid Blogs - SAH blog50 beneficiaries stateaid public transportation

State Aid Blogs - SAH blog50 beneficiaries stateaid public transportation

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 […]

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12. Dezember 2018 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Challenge of Identifying the Reference Tax System: The Spanish Goodwill Case, Again

State Aid Blogs - SAH blog49 Lexxion tax

State Aid Blogs - SAH blog49 Lexxion tax

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 […]

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4. Dezember 2018 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Recovery of Incompatible Aid Cannot be Absolutely Impossible Unless it is first Attempted

State Aid Blogs - SAH blog48 Montessori Lexxion

State Aid Blogs - SAH blog48 Montessori Lexxion

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 […]

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27. November 2018 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Legal Standing of Investors in Failed Banks

State Aid Blogs - m 3

State Aid Blogs - m 3

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 […]

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20. November 2018 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

State Aid Provisions in the Draft Agreement on the Withdrawal of the UK from the EU

State Aid Blogs - StateAid Blogpost Brexit EU Lexxion

State Aid Blogs - StateAid Blogpost Brexit EU Lexxion

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 […]

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9. November 2018 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Using the Correct Methodology to Calculate Public Service Compensation

State Aid Blogs - stellrweb djb1whucfBY unsplash

State Aid Blogs - stellrweb djb1whucfBY unsplash

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 […]

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6. November 2018 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Unconditional and Unlimited Guarantees and their (In)Compatibility with the Internal Market

State Aid Blogs -

State Aid Blogs -

Operating aid is not normally compatible with the internal market. Therefore, State aid provided through state guarantees should not cover operating costs. State aid embedded in guarantees must be quantifiable so that its necessity and proportionality can be assessed. The assessment of State aid must be made within an EU context taking into account its impact on trade. Introduction […]

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30. Oktober 2018 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Tax Inseparably Linked to State Aid

State Aid Blogs - Stateaid Blog43 Tax movie rent

State Aid Blogs - Stateaid Blog43 Tax movie rent

Taxes which are inseparably linked with an aid measure are assessed together with the aid itself. An increase of the budget of an aid scheme by more than 20% constitutes a change of existing aid that must be notified to the Commission for prior authorisation. Introduction Taxpayers may not refuse to pay taxes on the grounds that the tax […]

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23. Oktober 2018 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Public Service Obligations Must be Properly Defined and Selectivity Must be Proven [1]

State Aid Blogs - Stateaid blog42 Broadcasting

State Aid Blogs - Stateaid blog42 Broadcasting

Neither the existence of market failure, nor national laws that designate a service to be in the general interest can replace an official act that assigns to one or more undertakings clearly defined public service obligations. Introduction The proper definition of public service obligations (PSOs) is an issue that arises with surprising regularity. It is surprising because numerous court […]

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16. Oktober 2018 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Unlimited State Guarantees

State Aid Blogs - m 2 1

State Aid Blogs - m 2 1

Unlimited state guarantees create a presumption that the recipient of the guarantee obtains an advantage in the form of cheaper credit. Any advantage in the form of lower risk in transactions with suppliers or clients has to be proven. Introduction State guarantees must be limited in time and amount and may cover only a specified event. Unlimited and general […]

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