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

24. Juni 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Public Support for Infrastructure
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 56
Introduction Normally, each weekly article reviews just one court judgment or Commission decision. This article deviates from normal practice. It reviews three recent Commission decisions on three different French measures of support of port infrastructure: SA.115739: Direct inland waterway access to Port of Le Havre [April 2025][1] SA.113270: Investment aid to the port of Dunkirk [December 2025][2] SA.111060: Modernisation of […]
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17. Juni 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Coverage of Losses of a State-Owned Company
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Introduction Eu law does not prohibit states from owning or investing in companies [see Article 345 TFEU]. This means that when the state, as owner, makes payments to the companies it owns or loses part of its capital as a result of commercial losses, it does not grant to them State aid if such payments are mandated by law and […]
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10. Juni 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

How to Calculate the Amount of Compensation of SGEI Providers: The Case of Distribution of Newspapers and Periodicals by Belgium’s bpost
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 54
Introduction Public funding that offsets costs incurred as a result of compliance with legal obligations constitutes State aid, if all of the criteria of Article 107(1) TFEU are satisfied. The fact that the purpose of the aid is to offset higher than otherwise costs is irrelevant. However, Article 106(2) TFEU allows Member States to grant State aid to compensate for […]
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3. Juni 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

When Does Existing Aid Become New Aid?
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 53
Introduction New State aid schemes have to be notified to the Commission for prior authorisation. Changes to already authorised schemes that do not alter their nature or significantly increase their amounts do not need to be notified as they are considered to be existing aid. Article 4(1) of Regulation 794/2004 explains that “an alteration to existing aid shall mean any […]
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27. Mai 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Competitors of Recipients of State Aid Can Challenge Aid Measures only when they Can Prove they Have “Legal Standing”
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 52
Introduction Perhaps paradoxically, a public authority can adopt a measure that confers an advantage to undertakings without that measure constituting State aid. This is the case, for example, when the measure is not selective or does not affect trade between Member States. A public measure may also escape being classified as State aid when it is a regulatory act. Normally, […]
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20. Mai 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Calculation of the Funding Gap of District Heating Projects
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 51
Introduction The European Commission recently approved a modification of a Czech scheme for the support of district heating [SA.118343]. The modification concerned an increase of the original budget due to a) a significant rise of carbon allowance prices, b) a higher than expected demand for aid and c) strategic shifts towards accelerated decarbonisation. The original scheme is authorised by decision […]
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13. Mai 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Tax Exemption of General Application
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 50
Introduction In November 2014, the General Court in case T-219/10, Autogrill v Commission, held that a tax exemption for the acquisition of foreign undertakings did not constitute State aid because it did not exclude any undertaking from benefitting from it. This was because the beneficiaries could not be identified beforehand. However, on appeal, in December 2016, the Court of Justice […]
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6. Mai 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Restructuring Aid
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 49
Introduction Following a formal investigation, the Commission in decision 2025/775 approved restructuring aid to TAROM, the Romanian airline which is 97% owned by the state.[1] In 2020, Romania provided rescue aid to TAROM, which was also approved by the Commission in decision SA.56244. The rescue decision was appealed by Wizz Air. Its appeal was dismissed by the General Court in […]
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29. April 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

State Aid for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 48
Introduction Although the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework [TCTF] expired at the end of 2024, three sections are still valid until 31 December 2025. They are sections 2.5, 2.6 and 2.8. They support the green and digital transition to a more resilient economy. In this context, Finland notified to the Commission an aid scheme consisting of two measures: (a) Aid […]
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22. April 2025  |   Article 107(3)(b),Commission decision on SA.59158,discrimination,proportionality,recapitalisation,Ryanair v Commission,T 398/21,undertaking in difficulty von Phedon Nicolaides

Member States Are not Obliged to Grant State Aid to all Undertakings Affected by a Serious Economic Disturbance
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Introduction On 2 April 2025, the General Court, in case T‑398/21, Ryanair v Commission, dismissed yet another appeal by Ryanair against a Commission decision on aid to airlines whose purpose was to redress the impact of covid-19.[1] In particular, Ryanair sought the annulment of Commission decision on SA.59158 concerning Polish State aid to LOT airlines. The aid was authorised by the […]
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20. Mai 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Calculation of the Funding Gap of District Heating Projects
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 51
Introduction The European Commission recently approved a modification of a Czech scheme for the support of district heating [SA.118343]. The modification concerned an increase of the original budget due to a) a significant rise of carbon allowance prices, b) a higher than expected demand for aid and c) strategic shifts towards accelerated decarbonisation. The original scheme is authorised by decision […]
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13. Mai 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Tax Exemption of General Application
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 50
Introduction In November 2014, the General Court in case T-219/10, Autogrill v Commission, held that a tax exemption for the acquisition of foreign undertakings did not constitute State aid because it did not exclude any undertaking from benefitting from it. This was because the beneficiaries could not be identified beforehand. However, on appeal, in December 2016, the Court of Justice […]
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6. Mai 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Restructuring Aid
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 49
Introduction Following a formal investigation, the Commission in decision 2025/775 approved restructuring aid to TAROM, the Romanian airline which is 97% owned by the state.[1] In 2020, Romania provided rescue aid to TAROM, which was also approved by the Commission in decision SA.56244. The rescue decision was appealed by Wizz Air. Its appeal was dismissed by the General Court in […]
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29. April 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

State Aid for Transition to a Sustainable Economy
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 48
Introduction Although the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework [TCTF] expired at the end of 2024, three sections are still valid until 31 December 2025. They are sections 2.5, 2.6 and 2.8. They support the green and digital transition to a more resilient economy. In this context, Finland notified to the Commission an aid scheme consisting of two measures: (a) Aid […]
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15. April 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Regulation v Exploitation of a State Asset
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 46
Introduction State assets which are put at the disposal of undertakings must be made available at a market rate. Free use or use at a price below the market rate means that the state forfeits potential revenue that constitutes transfer of state resources. If all the other criteria of Article 107(1) TFEU are satisfied, the free or preferential use of […]
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8. April 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

A Rare Aid Measure of No Effect on Trade
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Introduction The assessment by the Commission of the possible effect of State aid on intra-EU trade can be summarised in the following three-step test whose purpose is to determine whether such an effect is foreseeable [i.e. not hypothetical]: the aid must support products or services that are traded, or, in the absence of such a direct effect; the recipient undertaking(s) […]
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1. April 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Subsidies to Incentivise Closure of Excess Capacity Are State Aid
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 44
Introduction Very often Member States claim that subsidies they grant as compensation for the costs incurred by the recipient undertakings do not confer an advantage to them and therefore do not constitute State aid. The Court of Justice of the EU [CJEU] has on the whole rejected this claim even if the subsidy is less than the costs which are […]
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25. März 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Measures to Support Electricity Prices Must Conform with the Principles of Non-discrimination and Proportionality
State Aid Blogs - State Aid Uncovered photos 43
Introduction On 12 March 2025, the General Court delivered its judgment in case T-596/22, PGI Spain, & Others v Commission.[1] PGI and the other applicants sought the annulment of Commission decision on SA.102454 and SA.102569 concerning a joint Spanish and Portuguese measure on the reduction of the electricity wholesale price in the Iberian peninsula. In May 2022, Spain and Portugal […]
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18. März 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Compensation for the Net Cost of Providing Postal Services
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Introduction Significant changes have occurred in the postal sector across Europe. Partly as a result of the covid-19 pandemic and partly due to technological evolution, letter deliveries have declined precipitously while parcel deliveries have increased substantially. At the same time digital mail has become ubiquitous. For example, in early March 2025, NordPost, the postal incumbent in Denmark and Sweden announced […]
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11. März 2025  |   State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Lease of Public Land
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Introduction Public land is a public asset that must be priced correctly when rented out to third parties. The problem is that in most cases rented out plots of public land are either too large or are in unusual places. In either case, comparable commercial transactions are difficult to find, especially if transactions in such plots are infrequent. In these […]
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2. Juni 2016  |   Guest State Aid Blog von Erika Ellyne

Frucona Revisited: Confusing EDF and Placing the Burden of Proof Where it Belongs
computer kayboard
We are happy to welcome Erika Ellyne on the State Aid Blog today. She is a lawyer at Van Bael & Bellis law firm where she works on EU competition law matters. Previously she was a researcher at the VUB University and the LSTS research center, where she is still an affiliate. Today she gives her insights on the Frucona […]
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1. Juni 2016  |   Guest State Aid Blog von Lexxion Publisher

Court’s Diary – June 2016
Judge gavel with law books
Find below the court’s diary for all State aid cases this month. Would you like to write a comment on one of them? Please don’t hesitate and get in touch with us ([email protected]), we are happy to publish your comment on the blog.   Thursday 09/06/2016   Judgment in Case T-162/13 – Magic Mountain Kletterhallen and Others v Commission (General […]
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2. Mai 2016  |   Guest State Aid Blog von Lexxion Publisher

Court’s Diary – May 2016
Judge gavel with law books
Find below the court’s diary for all State aid cases this month. Would you like to write a comment on one of them? Please don’t hesitate and get in touch with us ([email protected]), we are happy to publish your comment on the blog.   Tuesday 10/05/2016 Judgment in Case T-47/15 – Germany v Commission (General Court – Third Chamber)   […]
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4. April 2016  |   Guest State Aid Blog von Lexxion Publisher

Court’s Diary – April 2016
Judge gavel with law books
Find below the court’s diary for all State aid cases this month. Would you like to write a comment on one of them? Please don’t hesitate and get in touch with us ([email protected]), we are happy to publish your comment on the blog.   Thursday 14/04/2016 Judgment in Case C-100/15 P – Netherlands Maritime Technology Association v Commission (Court of […]
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4. März 2016  |   Guest State Aid Blog von G. Guðmundsson

Being a Competition and State Aid Trainee at the EFTA Surveillance Authority
efta
We are happy to welcome two young professionals on the State Aid Blog today. Guðmundur Guðmundsson and Amie Eliassen are trainees at EFTA Surveillance Authority in the Competition and State Aid Directorate and give their insights on working in this dynamic and multicultural work environment. You want to apply for a traineeship yourself? Read on for more information.   The […]
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3. März 2016  |   Guest State Aid Blog von Lexxion Publisher

Court’s Diary – March 2016
Judge gavel with law books
Find below the court’s diary for all State aid cases. Would you like to write a comment on one of them? Please don’t hesitate and get in touch with us ([email protected]), we are happy to publish your comment on the blog.   Tuesday 01/03/2016 Judgment in Case T-79/14 – Secop v Commission (General Court – First Chamber) Thursday 03/03/2016 Judgment […]
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1. Februar 2016  |   Guest State Aid Blog von Lexxion Publisher

Court’s Diary – February 2016
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Find below the court’s diary for all State aid cases. Would you like to write a comment on one of them? Please don’t hesitate and get in touch with us ([email protected]), we are happy to publish your comment on the blog   Thursday 04/02/2016 Judgment in Case T-287/11 – Heitkamp BauHolding v Commission (General Court – Ninth Chamber) Judgment in […]
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1. Januar 2016  |   Guest State Aid Blog von Lexxion Publisher

Court’s Diary – January 2016
Judge gavel with law books
Find below the court’s diary for all State aid cases. Would you like to write a comment on one of them? Please don’t hesitate and get in touch with us ([email protected]), we are happy to publish your comment on the blog.     Thursday 28/01/2016 Judgment in T-507/12 -Slovenia v Commission (General Court – Fifth Chamber) Do you know we also publish […]
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12. Dezember 2015  |   Guest State Aid Blog von Lexxion Publisher

Top 3 State Aid Blog Posts from 2015
fireworks
From Amazon’s ‘advance pricing agreement’ over State aid to the Hungarian electricity market to Black Cabs’ exclusive rights in London, our guest bloggers on the StateAidHub have shed light on various controversial State aid judgments and developments. View now the most popular posts of 2015.   As 2015 and therefore the StateAidHub’s first year draws to a close, we thank […]
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3. Dezember 2015  |   Guest State Aid Blog von Emanuela Matei

The Interpretation of Conflicting Norms regarding the Validity of State Aid Infolding Contracts Must Be Consistent with the Safeguard of Individual Rights Created by EU State Aid Law (C 505/14, Klausner)
forest
The following blog post is another contributory piece by Emanuela Matei, Associate Researcher at the Centre of European Legal Studies, Bucharest. Matei holds a Juris Master in European Business Law (Lund University, June 2012), a Magister legum (Lund University, June 2010) and a BSc in Economics & Business Administration (Lund University, June 2009). We are very glad to welcome her […]
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