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.

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.

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.

How has the evolution and transformation of the Common Market affected the legal concept of State aid? How has State aid adapted to the development of the European Union? These questions and more are answered in Juan Jorge Piernas López's examination of the historical, political, constitutional, and economical events that have affected the development of State aid in the EU. Examining three key, interwoven arguments, this book provides a richer understanding of current formulas which depict the concept of aid through the prism of policy and enforcement considerations. First, the book demonstrates that the concept of aid is a 'living instrument' that has been applied in accordance with the main policy priorities of the European Commission. Second, contrary to what has been affirmed in other literature, the evolution of this concept has been influenced by the broader advancement of the case law of the Court of Justice in different periods of the integration process. Third, the author contends that the study of the evolution of the concept of aid in light of policy and case law provides a holistic outlook valuable to the decision making process of difficult cases. In this regard, the book provides criteria to interpret and discuss cases including Sloman Neptun, Philip Morris, and Azores, beyond the analysis traditionally adopted in this field.

This book provides a comprehensive practitioner guide to the EU law of State aid, covering all relevant legislation, case law, and the dominant themes shaping EU State aid policy. It discusses the concept of State aid and its development in the European Union, as well as practical aspects such as procedures for notification to the European Commission, and enforcement in the European Court and national courts. It offers extensive coverage of specific sectors, including transport and shipbuilding, media and communications, energy and environmental protection, culture and heritage, and agriculture. The third edition is fully updated to cover the extensive legislative changes in this area, including the new General Block Exemption Regulation and De Minimis Regulation, horizontal aid guidelines, and sectoral guidelines for aviation, cinemas, agriculture, and fisheries; as well as State aid cases in the national courts, particularly the UK, and recent European Court jurisprudence. Accessible to competition lawyers and non-specialists, the book's clarity and concision make it an invaluable reference to this area of law.

This book analyses the recent modernisation of EU State aid law from various perspectives, and considers both substantive and procedural aspects. It also discusses the reasons for, and the goals and future implications of the modernisation programme, including the evolution of the concept of State aid. The ambitious reform programme was launched in 2012 and has now been almost fully implemented by virtue of the adoption of new rules of procedure in July 2013, and exemption in June 2014. The book highlights the main aspects of this sector reform, which include the Commission’s change of attitude towards so-called positive aid, i.e. those able to promote economic growth, and the intention to focus on matters of greater systematic extent. These objectives also imply a third aspect: increasing the intensity of the control powers conferred on the Commission with regard to that aid that prove to be harmful to competition and the internal market. The book also examines the greater responsibility given to States for self-assessment of their economic policy measures, and explores the resulting impact on, and challenges posed to the administrations of the Member States. The book’s second part is devoted to the application State aid rules in the area of services of general economic interest, with a special focus on aid in the field of social health and infrastructure.

This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing. With the adoption of its 2005 Action Plan, the European Commission has launched a major reform of its State Aid policy. New Rules on research and development and innovation, risk capital, regional policy and services of general economic interest have recently been adopted. This book explains in detail the substance and procedure established by the EU Treaty rules on State Aid, as well as covering these major changes. It also provides an exhaustive guide to the major upheaval of the Commission's State Aid policy that has taken place in recent years. This second edition of the State aid volumes constitutes a state of the art description and analysis of all aspects of the State aid discipline. Above all, it sets out all the novelties of the State Aid Modernisation programme which was launched in 2012 and completed in summer 2014. The new edition reviews all major guidelines, frameworks and legislation, including the Procedural Regulation, the Enabling Regulation, the General block exemption Regulation and the de minimis Regulation. The book explains the Commission's overall approach to compatibility of State aid, describes the new common principles for assessment and discusses the new requirements for evaluation and transparency. It gives a detailed account of the new rules on research, development and innovation, energy and environment (including the ETS), risk capital and risk finance, regional development, and rescue and restructuring of firms in difficulty. The book also explains the first rules ever adopted by the Commission on important projects of common European interest. It discusses the relationship between State aid and the Structural Funds, in particular in light of the new use of those funds via financial instruments. All the main economic sectors affected by the modernisation programme are discussed, including broadband, cinema, public service broadcasting, aviation, maritime and land transport, agriculture and fisheries. A special section is dedicated to services of general economic interest, introducing the new SGEI package and explaining how it has been applied. The section on banking provides a full account of how the rules and enforcement practice have evolved since the start of the financial crisis and discusses the issues which arise with the introduction of the new regulatory framework for a European Banking Union. The notion of aid section takes account of the most recent jurisprudence of the Union Courts and the Commission's decisional practice, thereby addressing issues frequently faced by practitioners and public authorities. Above all, the new edition builds on the hands-on expertise of many authors who have been dealing with State aid cases in the recent past.

Am 19. Juni 2003 veranstaltete das European State Aid Law Institute (EStALI) eine Expertentagung zu aktuellen Entwicklungen im Europaischen Beihilferecht.