EU State Aid Control - Law and Economics

EU State Aid Control: Law and Economics thoroughly explores the main rationales of State aid control, the main policy concerns and the various trade-offs that underlie the rules and the decisions taken by the European Commission and the Courts. In recent years, the European Commission has conducted an almost complete overhaul of State aid control in the European Union (EU). This initiative has engendered new secondary legislation, as well as new guidelines covering practically all areas of State aid control, including both horizontal and sector-specific rules. Notable in these developments is an increasingly refined economic approach, both in the design of the rules and in the assessment of individual cases. This book is the first of a kind in its in-depth analysis of the current legal and economic principles of EU State aid control. What’s in this book: This book is split into three parts as follows: The first part covers the hotly disputed conditions of economic advantage, selectivity and distortion of competition and effect on trade. The second part covers the compatibility of aid measures under horizontal rules across industry sectors, including an assessment of the efficiency of the General Block Exemption Regulation and of the new rules on ex post evaluation. The third part deals with the application of State aid rules in specific sectors such as infrastructure, broadband, energy and banking. Distinguished experts – including lawyers, economists, academics, and officials of the European Commission and of Member State authorities – share their legal and economic experience, insight and critique of EU State aid control as it stands. How this will help you: As a critical assessment of the current status of EU State aid control from both legal and economic perspectives, and as an authoritative guide through its complexities and pitfalls of State aid control, this book serves as an invaluable tool, now and in the coming years, to all stakeholders required to understand, interpret and apply rules under the new regime of State aid control.

About the Editors About the Authors Editorial Philipp Werner and Vincent Verouden Chapter 1: Introduction – The Law and Economics of EU State Aid Control Vincent Verouden and Philipp Werner PART I – THE NOTION OF STATE AID Chapter 2: Advantage Giuseppe Conte and James Kavanagh Chapter 3: State Measure Rein Wesseling and Marieke Bredenoord-Spoek Chapter 4: Selectivity Michael Honoré Chapter 5: Distortion of Competition and Effect on Trade Jacques Derenne and Vincent Verouden PART II – COMPATIBILITY OF STATE AID Chapter 6: Compatibility of Aid – General Introduction Leigh Hancher and Phedon Nicolaides Chapter 7: General Block Exemption Regulation Koert van Buiren and Alexander Rose Chapter 8: Ex Post Evaluation of Aid Xavier Boutin and Inkalotta Nuotio-Osazee Chapter 9: Research, Development and Innovation Aid Pascal Belmin and Hans Zenger Chapter 10: Regional Aid Hans W. Friederiszick and Massimo Merola Chapter 11: Risk Finance Aid Isabel Taylor and Albert Bravo-Biosca Chapter 12: Rescue and Restructuring Aid Ulrich Soltész and Bruce Lyons Chapter 13: Services of General Economic Interest Philipp Werner and Vincent Verouden PART III – STATE AID IN SPECIFIC SECTORS Chapter 14: Infrastructure Aid Penelope Papandropoulos and Elisabetta Righini Chapter 15: State Aid in the Broadband Sector Hein Hobbelen and Oliver Stehmann Chapter 16: State Aid in the Postal Services Sector Alessandra Fratini and Khaled Diaw Chapter 17: Transport Aid Udo Woll and Andrew Meaney Chapter 18: Energy and Environmental Aid Kai Struckmann and Geza Sapi Chapter 19: Aid to Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Christine Gerlach and Dimitrios Pikios Chapter 20: Aid in the Banking Sector Stan Maes and Stephen Mavroghenis Chapter 21: State Aid and Privatisation Andreas von Bonin and Elisabeth Häringer Index