Sixty Years Of Eu State Aid Law And Policy

If an EU industrial policy can be said to exist, its contours may be found in the complex and evolving concept of State aid. Because approaching any State aid issue can be fraught with multiple and sometimes conflicting interpretations, an in-depth analysis of the rationales, initiatives, and regulations that constitute the State aid system is much needed. In response to this need, this book provides a fine-grained clarifying context through which recent reforms, policy shifts, and judicial decisions concerning State aid can be understood and applied to specific situations. Focusing on the impacts of landmark cases and policy developments leading up to a deeply informed critique of the current State Aid Modernisation Programme, the authors cover such issues and topics as the following: – linkages to other established and evolving EU common policies and common strategies; – effect of EU State aid rules in the expanding geopolitical regions of EU influence; – interaction with the WTO Subsidies and Countervailing Measures Agreement; – the problem of a ‘subsidies culture’; – how the European Commission’s notion of ‘bad’ State aid has evolved; – effect of EU policy imperatives (e.g., environmental goals) which implicitly argue for increased subsidisation; – nexus with EU tax harmonisation; – competition among undertakings versus competition among Member State policies; and – nature of the quasi-devolution of regulatory responsibilities to EU Member States. This book is a crucially important source of both theoretical enlightenment and practical wisdom that will greatly enhance confident progress through any legal matter involving EU State aid rules. It will prove of immeasurable value to practitioners, in-house counsel, policymakers, and academics for many years to come.

ÔErika Szyszczak and the team have come up trumps with a modern comment on state aid and policy. Thank you!Õ Ð Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor, The Barrister Magazine ÔThis fine collection of essays demonstrates in a very articulate way why EU State aid law has taken the centre stage of EU law. In eighteen chapters the reader is provided with a fascinating snapshot of the main issues and developments of the law. The key elements of the EU policy are analysed in a critical way often leading to new insights. In addition the book contains a wealth of material greatly facilitating further research.Õ Ð Piet Jan Slot, University of Leiden, The Netherlands ÔEuropean state aid law needs more self-questioning and more intellectual debate. In my view, this Research Handbook is a very valuable contribution to this necessary process. It correctly identifies the most intellectually problematic issues within state aid law and asks the right questions. This may be due to the balance in the excellent selection of contributors, coming both from the academia and from practice. This guarantees, on the one hand, that the questions are relevant in practice and not purely theoretical but also provides, on the other hand, for a rigorous analytical approach when confronting the issues. The result is a fresh and interesting new look to many of the basic issues of state aid law.Õ Ð JosŽ Luis Buendia Sierra, Garrigues, Brussels, Belgium, and KingÕs College London, UK ÔThis Research Handbook provides an in-depth exploration of some of the most difficult and controversial issues in current State aid law and policy. It is unusual in providing not only a legal but also an economic and political science perspective on this rapidly developing area of EU law. The Handbook will be a welcome addition to the shelves of State aid practitioners and academics alike.Õ Ð Kelyn Bacon, Brick Court Chambers, London, UK This timely new Handbook reflects on current issues that confront State aid law and policy in the EU. State aid was a neglected area of competition law until attempts to modernise it became central to the Lisbon process 2000 where the aim was to encourage ÔintelligentÕ State aid by reducing aid to specific sectors and by making better use of aid for horizontal projects central to EU integration concerns. This policy framework has underpinned the new approach to State aid policy in the EU in recent years and informs many of the chapters in this book. Contributions from leading academics, regulators and practising lawyers, discuss topics devoted to modernisation, problems faced by recent enlargements of the EU, the role of State aid in the fiscal crisis and recession, the role of the private market investor test, regional aid, environmental aid and the review of the Altmark ruling. Perspectives on State aid law and policy from the disciplines of economics and political science are also explored in detail. Research Handbook on European State Aid Law will appeal to academics, regulators, national and EU government officials, practitioners and postgraduate students who are involved in State aid law.

Rules controlling State aid and subsidies on the EU and the WTO level can have a decisive influence on both regulatory and distributive decision-making. This field of law has grown exponentially in importance and complexity over the past decades. Rules on State aid and subsidies control are one of the key instruments to ensure that public spending and regulatory measures do not lead to discriminatory distortions of competition. As a consequence, hardly any part of national law is free from review under criteria of State aid and subsidy regulation. In turn, State aid and subsidies law is linked to economic, constitutional, administrative law of the EU and the Member States as well as to public international law. This book brings together leading experts from academia, the judiciary, civil servants from the European Commission, and practising lawyers to provide expert opinion and commentary on the diverse dimensions of the complex and vital area of law. Critically analysing and explaining developments and current approaches in State aid law and subsidies, the chapters take into account not only the legal dimensions but also the economic and political implications. They address the EU law applicable to State aid in the aftermath of the recent State Modernisation reform, and coverage includes: an in-depth analysis of the notion of State aid as interpreted by the Court's cases-law and the Commission's practice; the rules on compatibility of State aid with the internal market; the rules governing the procedure before the Commission; the litigation before the Court of Justice of the European Union; and analysis of the other trade defence instruments, including WTO subsidy law and EU anti-subsidy law.

Why do the Member States of the European Union still grant aid and is that aid compatible with the objective of integration which should result in a better allocation of resources? The main purpose of this book is to explain the principles and methods of EC state aid policy in a manner which is both accessible and useful to practitioners and policy makers, by bringing together contributions from officials (both Community and national), industry representatives, and academics. In particular, it examines both theory on the role and objective of public assistance and current practice controlling such assistance. It addresses the issue of state aid from economic, legal and administrative perspectives and offers detailed information on current practice through case studies. It also considers likely future developments in the Community framework of state aid control. Finally, this book identifies major weaknesses in the present system of state aid rules, and paves the way for a proper economic analysis of the effects of forty years of state aid policy in the European Community.

Why do the Member States of the European Union still grant aid and is that aid compatible with the objective of integration which should result in a better allocation of resources? The main purpose of this book is to explain the principles and methods of EC state aid policy in a manner which is both accessible and useful to practitioners and policy makers, by bringing together contributions from officials (both Community and national), industry representatives, and academics. In particular, it examines both theory on the role and objective of public assistance and current practice controlling such assistance. It addresses the issue of state aid from economic, legal and administrative perspectives and offers detailed information on current practice through case studies. It also considers likely future developments in the Community framework of state aid control. Finally, this book identifies major weaknesses in the present system of state aid rules, and paves the way for a proper economic analysis of the effects of forty years of state aid policy in the European Community.

The recent State Aid Modernization has decentralized the enforcement of State aid law. In particular, under the General Block Exemption Regulation a number of aid schemes do not require the preventive “check” by the European Commission, while national courts play a growing role in private enforcement of State aid law. This insightful book analyzes the enforcement of State aid law in the aftermath of the State Aid Modernization, identifying a number of emerging trends at the national and EU level.

An invaluable resource to all those involved in advising or litigating matters of state aid, from lawmakers to regulators, lawyers, economists and courts. This fully revised 4th edition presents detailed practical guidance to the law and practice in the European Union as it stands today, together with the relevant primary law materials