The European Commission issues a consultation document concerning the reform of State aid policy in order to contribute to the Lisbon strategy for growth and job

"Reforming state aid policy to best contribute to the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs"* Since she took up the mandate of Commissioner in charge of Competition, Neelie Kroes has made no secret that she plans to reform state aid policy. To some extent, reforming state aid is a logical step following the other comprehensive reforms undertaken under Commissioner Mario Monti’s tenure in the field of antitrust and merger control. In addition, with the re-launch of the Lisbon Strategy after five years of disappointing results, state aid policy has gained a specific relevance. There is today a unique opportunity to improve both the rules and the procedures of state aid policy. With the objective of less and better targeted state aid, state aid policy can be used pro-actively to contribute to