Alessandra Forzano

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* The European Commission clears under EU State aid rules an investment fund that will support sustainable urban regeneration in the North‑west region of England (Northwest Urban Investment Fund) On 13 July 2011 the Commission (...)

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* On 11 July 2011, the Commission temporarily approved the recapitalisation of the Bank of Ireland (BoI) by the Irish authorities of up to €5.35 billion, after a first €3.5 billion restructuring plan was approved in July 2010. This (...)

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* On 29 June 2011, the Commission cleared a joint plan for Anglo Irish Bank (Anglo) and Irish Nationwide Building Society (INBS) whereby they will be merged and resolved over a period of 10 years. The two Irish financial (...)

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* By decision of 29 June 2011 the Commission concluded that the unlimited State guarantee granted to the Institut Français du Pétrole Énergies Nouvelles (IFP) constitutes compatible State aid as long as the IFP’s economic (...)

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* On 6 June 2011 the Commission granted temporary Approval to Danish support for the liquidation of Amagerbanken, which was declared bankrupt in February 2011. The aid is limited to what is necessary to facilitate an orderly (...)

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* On 6 June 2011 the Commission cleared Danish support for the liquidation of Eik Bank, as it provides for an orderly wind‑up of the bank and foresees sufficient safeguards to limit distortion of competition. The bank, until 2010 (...)

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* On 24 May 2011, following a formal investigation started in 1998, the Commission decided that Crédit Mutuel was not overcompensated for distribution of the Livret bleu savings account in France. In 1975 France created the (...)

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* Following an in‑depth investigation, on 24 May 2011 the Commission found that the different taxation of casino entrance fees is unlawful aid because it creates fiscal discrimination in favour of public casinos and causes the (...)

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* On 23 May 2011 the Commission approved the restructuring plan of the Agricultural Bank of Greece (ATE), judging it apt to restore the bank’s long‑term viability whilst ensuring it shares the burden of its restructuring and (...)

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* On 10 May 2011 the Commission approved a scheme notified by Germany to grant support for damage caused by natural disasters in the Federal State of Bavaria. The aid can be granted over a six‑year timeframe in the form of direct (...)

"State aid: main developments between 1 May and 31  August 2011"* On 10 May 2011 the Commission rejected complaints filed by three mobile phone operators already active in the French market, as it found that the procedure for awarding France’s fourth 3G mobile phone licence in 2009 did not (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 20 April, the Commission adopted two decisions approving the funding mechanism that was in place for the Danish broadcaster TV2 between 1995 and 2002. The first decision concluded that state financing received during the (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 20 April, the Commission concluded that the national venture capital fund which aims to encourage the raising of risk capital for young innovative SMEs is compatible with the guidelines on risk capital. The French national (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* Following the Court annulment of a Commission decision of 2005, on 20 April the Commission adopted a decision stating that the purchase price paid by the Finnish municipality Karkkila to Componenta does not constitute state aid (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* Following an in-depth investigation, on 20 April the Commission decided that financial support of €55 million to automotive supplier Trèves from the Fonds de Modernisation des Equipementiers Automobiles (FMEA) does not constitute (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 31 March, the Commission approved several measures in favour of Kommunalkredit Austria AG. Before the crisis, Kommunalkredit was the seventh largest Austrian bank with a balance sheet of €37 billion. Its business consisted of (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 23 March, the Commission also adopted a Communication on the revision of European Union State aid rules on Services of General Economic Interest (SGEI) and a report on their application. These rules, also known as the 2005 (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 23 March, the Commission authorised £180 million (€212 million) of public assistance to the UK Post Office Limited (POL) for the funding of its network of post offices during one year starting 1 April 2011. The Commission also (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 23 March, the Commission authorised Denmark’s plans to establish a new public service radio, channel FM4, to increase competition on the country’s radio market for public service programming by supporting the creation of a new (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* By its decision of 23 March, the Commission authorised a grant of €19.2 million to the Italian sports car producer De Tomaso SpA for a project to train its workforce at its two production sites in Grugliasco (Piedmont) and (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 23 March, the Commission decided that investment aid for Glunz and OSB Deutschland, two interlinked plants, constituted state aid that was compatible with the internal market under Article 107(3) TFEU. The measure was (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* The Commission decided on 15 March that a so-called reorganisation clause, or «Sanierungsklausel«, under German corporate tax law amounts to State aid. The provision enables an ailing company to offset losses in a given year (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 8 March, the Commission authorised DKK15 million (approximately Eur. 2 million) of public funding for a pilot programme incentivising the purchase of electric cars until 31 December 2012. The scheme supports projects designed (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* After an in-depth investigation opened in 2009, on 8 March the Commission rejected a specific provision of the revised Green Electricity Act of Austria (Ökostromgesetznovelle 2008) that would have provided energy-intensive (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 8 March, the Commission closed a formal investigation procedure opened in 2009 and found that a state guarantee put in place by France to cover the exchange rate risk for aeronautic suppliers (Aero 2008) does not constitute (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 7 March, the Commission authorised an emergency recapitalisation of up to €250 million for the Slovenian bank Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB). NLB passed the stress tests conducted in mid-2010 by the European Banking Authority (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 3 March, the Commission requested Spain to abolish a 2002 provision in its corporate tax law that allows Spanish companies to amortise ‘financial goodwill’ deriving from acquisitions of shareholdings in companies in third (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 5 February, the Commission approved a support package and restructuring plan for the ABN AMRO Group, subject to certain conditions. The restructuring package has been under implementation since October 2008, when the Dutch (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 28 January the Commission published a guide to help public authorities understand how Member States may finance services of general interest in compliance with State aid rules. The ’Guide to the application of the European (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* The Commission decided in two cases on 26 January and 23 February that a French scheme to support supplementary welfare cover for local government staff is compatible with Article 107(2)(a) of the TFEU, which permits aid of a (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 26 January, the Commission authorised Spain to grant an interest-free reimbursable loan of €129 million to Aernnova for the development of the next-generation horizontal tail plane (HTP) for the future Airbus A350 XWB. When (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 26 January, the Commission authorised France to provide a €26 million direct grant for the construction of a district heating network in the North-East of Paris. The aid beneficiary is CPCU, a subsidiary of GDF Suez and the (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 12 January, the Commission authorised France to provide a €25.3 million grant for the construction of a heat boiler using a renewable energy source (geothermal energy) in Beinheim, the Alsace region. The project also involves (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 14 December 2010 the Commission authorised € 15.5 million of regional investment aid for the German company Sovello AG for the production of solar modules in Bitterfeld Wolfen (Thalheim, Sachsen Anhalt), Germany. Sovello (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 14 December 2010 the Commission authorised the support that Sweden intends to grant to the Gothenburg Biofuels Gasification (GoBiGas) research and development (R&D) project to develop a pre commercial demonstration (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 14 December 2010 the Commission adopted a negative decision with recovery on the Centre d’Exportation du Livre Français (CELF). The CELF case dates back to the beginning of the 90’s with the lodging of a complaint against (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* Following a public consultation on the State aid temporary rules established in response to the economic and financial crisis, the Commission believes there are still grounds for considering that the requirements for the (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 30 September 2010 and on 24 November 2010 the Commission decided to refer Spain to the Court of Justice for failing to implement a previous Court ruling which confirmed certain Commission decisions finding that (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 17 November 2010 the Commission approved a € 7 million aid scheme supporting parallel analogue and digital broadcasting during the transition to digital TV in Slovakia . Under this scheme broadcasters and network (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 8 November 2010 the Commission authorised aid for the restructuring of CajaSur. CajaSur provided retail banking services, mostly in the region of Andalucía, and came into financial difficulties as a result of its (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 5 November 2010 the Commission extended its ongoing State aid investigation into WestLB after reaching the conclusion that the bank had received an estimated Eur. 3.4 billion in State subsidies more than it was initially (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 28 October 2010 the Commission decided to refer Italy to the Court of Justice for failing to implement a previous Court ruling decision ordering the recovery of illegal and incompatible State aid from utilities with a (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 27 October the Commission concluded that part of the State support granted in 2009 to fertiliser producer Péti Nitrogenmuvek infringed EU State aid rules. In January 2009 Hungary issued guarantees in favour of (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* By its decision of 27 October 2010 the Commission authorised The Netherlands to provide a € 150 million grant for a CO2 capture and storage (CCS) demonstration project to a joint venture between E.ON and GDF Suez. The joint (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 25 October 2010 the Commission approved the Danish Government’s measures for the liquidation of Fionia Bank. Fionia Bank was a regional, full service bank based on the island of Funen and neighbouring islands in central (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 12 October 2010 the Commission approved a French scheme that subsidises legal downloads of music by French residents aged from 12 to 25 years. France proposed the creation of a Carte musique for young Internet users to (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 29 September 2010 the Commission authorised the compensation which Spain intends to grant to electricity generators to meet the costs of fulfilling a public service obligation, namely producing specific volumes of (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 29 September 2010 the Commission authorised The Netherlands to grant € 15.6 million of soft loans and a direct grant of € 5.7 million to Mapper Lithography B.V. for the development of ‘E beam lithography’. Mapper is a (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 15 September 2010 the Commission approved a thorough restructuring of Parex, Latvia’s second biggest bank before the crisis. The bank, which was partly nationalised in November 2008, benefited from State aid for a total (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 15 September 2010 the Commission decided that the regional investment aid of € 19.5 million that Italy intended to grant towards the takeover and conversion, by Fri el Acerra S.r.l, of a closed thermoelectric power plant (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* Another measure supporting the purchase of digital television terminal equipment for socially vulnerable groups in Slovakia was approved by the Commission on 15 September 2010. The aim is to bring digital television within (...)

State Aid: Main developments between 1 September and 31 December 2010* On 3 September 2010 the Commission authorised a scheme for the recapitalisation of credit institutions in Greece by the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (FSF). Its capital, which amounts to € 10 billion, stems from the (...)

State aid: main developments between 1 January and 30 April 2011* On 5 February, the Commission approved a support package and restructuring plan for the ABN AMRO Group, subject to certain conditions. The restructuring package has been under implementation since October 2008, when the Dutch (...)