The Commission adopted new Guidelines on environmental protection and energy state aid for the period 1 July 2014-31 December 2020. The Guidelines were adopted in the form of a Communication and will apply to all notified aid measures on which the Commission will decide after 1 July 2014, even...

Advantage is one of the four cumulative criteria that determine whether the EU state aid regime is applicable. Here we look at advantage in relation to compensation for public service obligations. In its Altmark ruling of 2003 the CJEU has fashioned a four part test that, if met, means that the...

One of the criticisms against the new rules applicable to the granting of State aid to finance the provision of services of general economic interest in the "Almunia package" is that enforcement is likely to be their weakest point. Similarly, in the more general setting of the "private"...

The new state aid rules: modernise the Commission's criteria to assess audiovisual support schemes; - exempt from prior notification schemes below 50 million euros per year - strike the right balance among economic, cultural and legal concerns, ensuring continued legal certainty.

These are smarter, tailored and simpler rules that: permit investment aid if there is a genuine transport need - establish transition periods for small airports - provide simple rules for start-up of new routes - are flexible towards isolated regions - ensure aid is not wasted and ends up where...

The objective of regional aid is to support economic development and employment in disadvantaged regions of Europe. In order to avoid or minimise any distortion of competition caused by this aid, the regional aid guidelines set out the rules under which Member States can provide financial...

State aid modernisation: cuts red tape and simplifies the granting of State aid, which increases the efficiency of state aid policy ; provides incentives for Member States to allocate good aid to companies in a non-distortionary manner, contributing directly to promoting growth and jobs ;...

Landscape reviews are a new product of the European Court of Auditors (the Court). They consider broad themes based on the Court's output and accumulated knowledge and experience. They are intended to serve as a basis for consultation and dialogue with the Court's stakeholders. They enable the...