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

21. Juli 2015 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Application of the MEIP to Transactions between Parent and Subsidiary Companies

State Aid Blogs - m 1 4

State Aid Blogs - m 1 4

The Market Economy Investor Principle also applies to transactions between related companies. A private investor enjoys a margin of discretion in deciding in favour or against an investment. However, despite that margin of discretion, a prudent private investor always carries out an assessment of the potential profitability of the investment before it commits any money. Introduction When a public […]

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14. Juli 2015 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Using Loans to Grant De Minimis Aid and GBER Compatible Aid

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost23

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost23

De minimis aid underpins “off-the-shelf” financial instruments which leverage private investment and at the same time ensure that all aid is passed on to the final beneficiary. Introduction One of the most convenient aid instruments is de minimis aid. It can be used for any purpose [apart from promotion of exports or on condition that domestic products are favoured] […]

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7. Juli 2015 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Privatisation by Splitting the Assets

State Aid Blogs - m 12 2

State Aid Blogs - m 12 2

The sale of a public undertaking [privatisation] needs to be preceded by independent valuation and be carried out on the basis of a competitive procedure. Certain guarantees may be provided to prospective buyers, if they could increase the sale price. The break-up of an undertaking and the disposal of the different parts through separate sales should be shown to generate […]

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2. Juli 2015 | Guest State Aid Blog von Lexxion Publisher

Court’s Diary – July 2015

gavel

gavel

Any comments on #Stateaid? Get in touch: Stateaidhub[at]lexxion.de Wednesday 01/07/2015 Opinion in Case C-357/14 P Dunamenti Erőmű v Commission (Court of Justice – Third Chamber) Thursday 02/07/2015 Judgment in Joined cases T-425/04 RENV France v Commission, T-444/04 RENV Orange v Commission (General Court – Sixth Chamber, Extended Composition) Wednesday 08/07/2015 Hearing in Case T-287/11 Heitkamp BauHolding v Commission (General Court – Ninth […]

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29. Juni 2015 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Levying of Charges to Maintain Equal Treatment Is Not Necessarily Selective

State Aid Blogs - SAH blogpost37 Hinkley Point C UK 2017

State Aid Blogs - SAH blogpost37 Hinkley Point C UK 2017

The standard of proof of whether a measure is selective depends on whether that measure is a scheme or a grant of individual aid. Measures providing for exemption are by definition selective. Measures that impose additional charges for the purpose of maintaining equality between operators are not necessarily selective even if the responsible authorities retain a degree of discretion in […]

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22. Juni 2015 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Ex post Monitoring of a Risk Capital Fund

State Aid Blogs - 10.10. Stateaid deminimis calculator

State Aid Blogs - 10.10. Stateaid deminimis calculator

Ex post monitoring will be pursued vigorously by the Commission. Irregularities in the implementation of State aid measures may lead to the opening of the formal investigation procedure. Introduction This article examines Commission decision concerning a UK risk capital scheme entitled Enterprise Capital Funds [SA.15373 and SA.33186]. The decision is the outcome of an investigation that was initiated after […]

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17. Juni 2015 | Guest State Aid Blog von Lexxion Publisher

EStAL Best Reviewer Award 2014/2015

Last week our 13th Experts’ Forum on New Developments in European State Aid Law took place. From 10th to 12th June 2015 a group of enthusiastic professionals interested in State Aid gathered at the Club of the University Foundation in Brussels to discuss the most recent issues on the topic. In the realm of this conference, we were proud to announce our […]

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15. Juni 2015 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Germany Scores a Hat-trick of Non-Aid Measures!

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost33 trade

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost33 trade

At the end of April, the European Commission announced that seven measures were found not to constitute State aid because they could not be reasonably expected to affect cross-border trade. The finding of no affectation of trade is rare. That seven measures were thought not capable of affecting trade is very exceptional. Perhaps the Commission is trying to signal to […]

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8. Juni 2015 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Perils of Ex Post Monitoring

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost4 2019 lexxion pari passu chemistry Investment

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost4 2019 lexxion pari passu chemistry Investment

Greater use of the new General Block Exemption Regulation means fewer State aid measures subject to notification and ex ante assessment by the Commission. However, less ex ante control will be followed by more ex post control. Member States should be prepared for wider and more intrusive ex post monitoring. Introduction One of the cornerstones of the State Aid […]

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3. Juni 2015 | Guest State Aid Blog von Lexxion Publisher

Court’s Diary – June 2015

gavel

gavel

Any comments on #Stateaid? Get in touch: Stateaidhub[at]lexxion.eu Thursday 04/06/2015 Judgment in Case C-15/14 P Commission v MOL (Court of Justice – First Chamber) Tuesday 09/06/2015 Hearing in Case T-515/13 Spain v Commission (General Court – Seventh Chamber) Wednesday 10/06/2015 Hearing in Case C-367/14 Commission v Italy (Court of Justice – Third Chamber) Hearing in Case T-719/13 Lico Leasing and Pequeños y […]

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14. März 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

SMEs Linked through Natural Persons

corporate building

corporate building

Two or more enterprises may constitute a single undertaking when their owners and/or managers are related in a way that they can act jointly to exercise influence over the decision of those enterprises. Introduction On 27 February 2014, the Court of Justice rendered a judgment on the notion of “linked enterprises” following a request for preliminary ruling from a […]

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6. März 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The New Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines: Problematic Issues (part 2)

man looking airplane takeoff

man looking airplane takeoff

Introduction Last week I reviewed the main provisions of the new Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines. This week I focus on three issues which are either not well explained or too ambiguous, leaving too much room for creative interpretation. [1] Investment funding gap The new Guidelines, like the other new rules, stress that aid must have an incentive […]

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28. Februar 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The New Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines (part 1)

man looking airplane takeoff

man looking airplane takeoff

Introduction[1] One more set of State aid rules for 2014-20 has been adopted. On Thursday, 20 February 2014, the Commission published its Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines.[2] The other main substantive rules which are already in place are the following, in chronological order:[3] The package on services of general economic interest (SGEI): A Communication, a Decision (like a […]

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21. Februar 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Role of National Courts in Recovery of Incompatible State Aid

court house

court house

Introduction In December I examined the judgment in the case of Lufthansa v Frankfurt-Hahn, which laid down certain obligations for national courts whenever they are petitioned to suspend and even recover aid that happens to be at the same time under investigation by the Commission. In this article I review the judgment of the Court of Justice of 13 February […]

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14. Februar 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

An Assessment of the State Aid Consistency of Financial Instruments Supported by Structural and Investment Funds (Regulation 1303/2013)

coins on the table

coins on the table

Introduction Last week I reviewed the new State aid guidelines on risk finance. This week I will examine the provisions on financial instruments in the new structural and investment funds regulation. The regulation was published in the Official Journal just before Christmas. Both sets of rules have been updated on the basis of similar principles. The primary aim of both […]

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4. Februar 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Guidelines on State Aid to Promote Risk Finance Investments

financial graph

financial graph

Introduction On 15 January the Commission adopted the fourth set of guidelines for the programming period 2014-2020 [the first three were those on broadband, SGEI, and regional aid]. The latest guidelines replaced those on risk capital for SMEs. What is immediately noticeable from the title of the new guidelines is that they are not confined only to funding in […]

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28. Januar 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Services of General Economic Interest and Horse Racing

horse racing

horse racing

Introduction Public authorities often argue that the activities they support are important and that they should be considered as services of general economic interest. However, in many cases they are not. In this article I review the Commission Decision 2014/19 concerning a parafiscal levy that was intended to fund supposedly public service obligations assigned to French horse racing companies.[1] This Decision […]

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21. Januar 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Possibly Conflicting Roles of EU Institutions on State Aid

EU flag

EU flag

Introduction On 10 December 2013, the Court of Justice, in C‑272/12 P, wrote another chapter in the long-running case of the exemption from excise taxes for alumina producers in France, Ireland and Italy. This is not the last chapter. The Court annulled a judgment of the General Court and referred the case back to the General Court. In fact this […]

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10. Januar 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Non-Equivalence of the Various Methods of Supporting Green Electricity

electrical sockets

electrical sockets

Introduction Ever since the judgment of the Court of Justice in 2001 on PreussenElektra [case C-379/98], Member States have been grappling with the question of how to support electricity from renewable resources [green electricity] without granting State aid. In PreussenElektra the Court found that there was no transfer of state resources and no State aid, because the German government imposed […]

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2. Januar 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The New Rules on De minimis Aid for 2014-2020: Regulation 1407/2013

EU comission

EU comission

Introduction[1] It is appropriate to start this year’s articles on State aid with an appraisal of one of the most important new legislative items for the period 2014-2020: the new de minimis rules. The European Commission adopted the new de minimis Regulation in mid-December and the formal text was published just before Christmas in the Official Journal of 24 December […]

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