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.

Jetzt abonnieren!

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

28. Juli 2015 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Market Economy Investor Principle Applies also to Avoidance of Losses

State Aid Blogs - m 11 2

A public authority can act as a private investor in paying to avoid costly contractual clauses. A public authority can act as a private investor in paying to bring forward future revenue. Introduction When a market operator invests to make profit, its underlying logic is the same as when it pays to avoid losses. In both cases it is […]

1 Kommentar

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

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 […]

Keine Kommentare

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

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] […]

Keine Kommentare

7. Juli 2015 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Privatisation by Splitting the Assets

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 […]

Keine Kommentare

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

Court’s Diary – July 2015

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 […]

Keine Kommentare

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

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 […]

2 Kommentare

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

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 […]

Keine Kommentare

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 […]

Keine Kommentare

15. Juni 2015 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

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

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 […]

Keine Kommentare

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

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 […]

Keine Kommentare

« Vorherige Seite Nächste Seite »

1. Mai 2013 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Fiscal Leveraging: Donations and State Aid for Culture and Sports

runners on the track

Introduction In this blog I examine primarily a Dutch measure that supports cultural institutions by providing tax incentives to individuals and corporations to make donations to those institutions. This is an unusual construction because the direct beneficiaries are different from the indirect beneficiaries which, however, are the main targets of the measure. This construction has been used rather extensively in […]

Keine Kommentare

21. April 2013 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Ex Post Evaluation of State Aid: A New Instrument

evaluation smileys

Introduction: The need for evaluation The State Aid Modernisation that was launched by the European Commission in May 2012 aims primarily to channel State aid to remedying genuine market failure. Subsequent policy documents have all been based on this underlying aim: to ensure that State aid is truly needed and effective in addressing market failure. The need and effectiveness of […]

Keine Kommentare

12. April 2013 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Objectively Justified Pricing: The Market Economy Operator Principle

office table

Introduction: Objective justification of price differentiation In a landmark judgment 25 years ago [February 1988], the Court of Justice established that business behaviour that appears to deviate from normal market practices can still conform with the market economy operator principle [MEOP] which is a variation of the better known market economy investor principle [MEIP]. Both principles are based on the […]

Keine Kommentare

7. April 2013 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Sale of State-owned Airlines [Commission Decision SA.33337 on sale of subsidiaries by LOT Polish Airlines]

airplane on the runway

Introduction In the previous posting I examined the funding of a regional airport. In this posting I look at a case concerning an airline; more specifically, the sale of three subsidiaries of Polish airline LOT.[1] During the past five or so years, the Commission has had to deal with many measures involving different kinds of public support to airlines [e.g. Alitalia, […]

Keine Kommentare

30. März 2013 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Airport Operators and Budget Airlines [Commission Decision SA.23324: Finavia, Airpro and Ryanair at Tampere-Pirkkala Airport

people on the airport

During the past 18 months or so, the European Commission has launched more than 20 investigations in the funding of regional airports and the arrangements that these airports have concluded with budget airlines such as Ryanair. This posting analyses a very recent Commission decision which found that no State aid was granted to either the airport operator or Ryanair. This […]

Keine Kommentare

25. März 2013 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Where is the Money? The Link between Advantage and Transfer of State Resources

100 euro detail

On 19 March 2013, the Court of Justice delivered an important judgment in case C-399/10 P, Bouygues v European Commission concerning aid that was granted by France to France Telecom. The case was an appeal to an earlier ruling of the General Court in case T 425/04 France and Others v Commission which annulled Article 1 of Commission Decision 2006/621 […]

Keine Kommentare

16. März 2013 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

Loans, Guarantees and Credit Worthiness

contract signing

This post examines the two latest judgments of EU courts on State aid. They do not introduce any novel approaches to the interpretation of Article 107(1) TFEU but they confirm and clarify the obligations of the State in its dealings with undertakings. T-387/11, Nitrogenmuvek Vegyipari v European Commission On 27 February 2013, the General Court rendered its judgment in […]

Keine Kommentare

8. März 2013 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

An “Alternative” Method of Valuation for State-Aid-Free Sale of Public Land

construction site

The obligation of the state to act as a private vendor When a public authority sells an asset to an undertaking, it must sell it at market price. The case law is clear on this point, especially with respect to the sale of public land or a building. Such a sale may constitute state aid “where it is not […]

Keine Kommentare

1. März 2013 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Market Economy Vendor Principle: Sale of Public Land by the Dutch Municipality of Leidschendam-Voorburg [Commission Decision SA.24123]

Cadastre

The previous posting examined a case where the European Commission applied the Market Economy Investor Principle [MEIP]. This is the principle that is used to determine whether there is state aid in commercial transactions between public authorities and undertakings. According to Article 345 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union [TFEU], the European Union is neutral with […]

Keine Kommentare

18. Februar 2013 | State Aid Uncovered von Phedon Nicolaides

The Curious Case of Applying the Market Economy Investor Principle to a Monopoly

monopoly game

On 3 October 2012, the European Commission concluded, in case SA.33988, that OPAP, the Greek operator of games of chance received no state aid because the Market Economy Investor Principle applied.[1] At first glance there is nothing unusual about a finding of no aid. But, as always, the devil is in the detail. OPAP holds the exclusive rights to organise various […]

Keine Kommentare

« Vorherige Seite Nächste Seite »

« Vorherige Seite Nächste Seite »

Sie möchten einen Beitrag einreichen oder zur Weiterentwicklung des Blogs State Aid Uncovered beitragen? Weitere Details finden Sie auf der englischsprachigen Seite.

Gastbeitrag einreichen