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

3. Mai 2016 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Calculation of State Aid in Guarantees

State Aid Blogs - 21.11.State resources State control

State guarantees can be used to support loans for working capital. The amount of State aid in guarantees can be calculated to remain below the de minimis threshold of EUR 200,000. Introduction With financial instruments being very much in vogue, there is much interest in the use of guarantees and loans as a means of granting State aid. Therefore, […]

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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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18. April 2016 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Who is Aided when a Bank is Resolved?

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Bank resolution may involve State aid. However, the depositors do not normally benefit from State aid, nor do the buyers of the viable assets, if they pay a market price. Any aid normally goes to the remaining, non-performing, assets that are eventually liquidated. Introduction The new bank resolution regime that came into force on 1 January 2016 aims to […]

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12. April 2016 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Private Creditor Test: All Options Must be Taken into Account

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A private investor always takes into account all available information before it makes any investment. Similarly, a private creditor takes into account all available options for recovering the largest possible amount of the money that is due. Such options may include different legal procedures. In assessing alternative options, a private creditor considers not only the amount that may be recovered, […]

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5. April 2016 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Local Infrastructure

State Aid Blogs - StateAidHub blogpost47 Finance lexxion GBER SMEs

Public funding of local infrastructure is not State aid when the responsibility for the infrastructure falls within the remit of public authorities, it is not commercially exploited, it is open to all users, it is not intended to support the needs of any particular undertaking and any benefits to any undertaking are incidental. Introduction Even since the adoption of […]

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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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30. März 2016 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Treatment of Advisory and Information Services under State Aid Rules: The Case of the German Milk Levy

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Public funding of advisory and information activities may constitute State aid. Public funding of industry associations may constitute State aid. Introduction An article that was published on this blog in January (view the article HERE) dealt with the issue of compulsory tests. If tests which are intended to safeguard public health are paid for by the state, is there any […]

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23. März 2016 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Compensatory Payments Can still Confer an Advantage

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Membership of a compulsory insurance scheme can still confer an advantage to participating undertakings. Private contributions can still become state resources if they are paid into a fund that is managed by the state. Member States always have the option to ask for a measure to be assessed directly on the basis of the Treaty but they have to justify […]

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15. März 2016 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

a) Natural Disasters and b) Absolute Impossibility to Recover Incompatible State Aid

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Aid to remedy the damage caused by natural disasters can be granted only if the damage is the direct consequence of the disaster and the amount of aid must be limited to the actual damage suffered by each individual undertaking. Absence of documentary evidence can lead to absolute impossibility to recover incompatible aid. Introduction Article 107(2) TFEU declares three […]

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8. März 2016 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

When Infrastructure is not Public: Dedicated, Project-Specific and Bespoke

State Aid Blogs - alex kalinin 8bs Kz8ACdM unsplash

Public funding of open and freely used infrastructure is not State aid. Public funding of project-specific, dedicated or bespoke infrastructure is State aid. Public funding of infrastructure connecting public and private parts may be State aid if the relevant national rules require developers to bear the cost. Introduction The Commission has recently examined an infrastructure project in the vicinity […]

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2. September 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Compensatory Payments Can be State Aid

Tractor on a field

Article 107(1) also applies to payments that offset the damage caused by natural disasters. It is irrelevant that the compensation is partial or that competitors did not suffer similar damage. A measure can be State aid even if it is partially or wholly funded by private resources. It is sufficient that the resources come under state control. A measure is […]

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26. August 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Levying Taxes to Fund Public Broadcasters

broadcast tower

Taxes may not be examined by the Commission in the context of Article 107 even if they finance State aid measures. By contrast, the Commission may examine a tax in the context of its assessment of the compatibility of aid with the internal market when the tax is inseparable from an aid measure. A tax is inseparable from an aid […]

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19. August 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

A Textbook Case of i) How to Sell Public Assets without Passing on Incompatible State Aid to the Buyer, and ii) How to Work together with the Commission

handshake

An undertaking that has received incompatible State aid must pay it back or, if it cannot, it must be liquidated. Before a recipient of possibly incompatible State aid is liquidated, its assets can be sold off to the highest bidder. The buyer of previously subsidised assets does not benefit from State aid if i) it pays a market price and […]

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12. August 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Management of Port Infrastructure through a very long Concession Contract: Is the Funding Gap Method Meaningful?

port

Competitive selection of the operator of an infrastructural facility normally eliminates State aid. However, modifications to the contract after the operator is selected may confer an advantage that constitutes State aid. Public funding that is calculated on the basis of the “funding gap” method ensures that the aid is necessary and proportional. Introduction Several recent articles in the blog […]

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4. August 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Profitability of an Investment Must be Determined Ex Ante

invest graph

Internal transfer of capital which is not used to fund new economic activities is not State aid. Injection of fresh capital to satisfy solvency and liquidity requirements still has to comply with State aid rules. A private investor always has the option of not injecting new capital and may opt instead to close down the business. A private investor always […]

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29. Juli 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Benchmarks of Profitability for Private Investors

movie production

A public authority that injects capital in an undertaking [or provides any other kind of finance] must ensure that the funding can achieve the rate of return that can, in principle, satisfy a private investor. The rate that can satisfy a private investor and ensure that the funding is free of State aid is the rate that covers the cost of […]

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22. Juli 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Sale of Public Assets, SGEI and Electricity Levies

Electrical grid

Revenue from levies on electricity users is most likely to constitute State resources. Public service obligations can be transferred from one electricity-generating company to another. Compensation for public service obligations may distinguish between controllable and uncontrollable costs. Performance benchmarking can be used as a means for inducing efficiency. Electricity levies may not directly or indirectly discriminate against imported electricity. Introduction This is a […]

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16. Juli 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Capital Injection that Turns out to be Incompatible State Aid

skiing equipment

Public authorities and the entities they control need to ensure that injection of public money in an undertaking must satisfy the market economy investor principle, otherwise it will be considered to be State aid. Public funding of an undertaking in difficulty has to be preceded by an ex ante assessment that can show that either the recipient will be turned around […]

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10. Juli 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The New General Block Exemption Regulation: The Cornerstone of the State Aid Regime, 2014-2020

office table

The new GBER at a glance Common Provisions: aid must be transparent, must have incentive effect, rules on cumulation, and aid measures and awards must be published. Specific Provisions: Thirteen categories and many types of aid. Exclusions: no export aid, no mandated use of domestic products, no aid to firms in difficulty, no provisions that violate EU law, and no aid to […]

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3. Juli 2014 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Land Development without State Aid

construction site

Activities which are part of the performance of public duties are non-economic in nature [e.g. spatial development]. Public funding of these activities does not constitute State aid. The transfer of resources from one level of government to another is transfer between public authorities and does not constitute State aid. Competitive selected developers obtain no advantage. Purchasers of subsidised assets who pay market prices […]

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