ZWeR 2004, 354
Public Service Compensation under EC State Aid Law: Altmark Trans, the Commission's Modernisation Package and the Example of Public Broadcasting
The EU member States' systems of funding undertakings entrusted with public service obligations – such as a regional bus company, an electricity firm, or a public broadcaster – are subject to controversial discussions: The question is, if these systems are compatible with the EC state aid rules provided by Art. 87 EC Treaty. The following article will describe the highly sophisticated evaluation -system created by the ECJ in its landmark judgement in Altmark Trans and the Commission's modernisation package published in February 2004 and will analyse how the Commission has already started to apply this system in its -recent state aid decisions dealing with the funding of public broadcasters.
Contents
- I. Introduction – the Legal Framework
- II. Public Service Compensation as an “Advantage” under Art. 87 (1) EC Treaty
- 1. The discussion before Altmark Trans
- 1.1 Basic Concepts of “Advantage”
- 1.2 The Ferring Judgement
- 1.3 The Application of the Concept of “Advantage” by the Advocate Generals subsequent to Ferring and before Altmark Trans
ZWeR 2004, 355
- 2. The Altmark Trans Judgement
- 2.1 Facts and Findings
- 2.2 The Underlying Rationale of Altmark Trans
- III. Justification of Public Service Compensation under Art. 86 (2) EC Treaty
- 1. Justification without Notification in De-minimis-Cases – The Draft Group Exemption -Decision
- 2. Justification following Notification – The Draft Community Framework
- IV. Altmark Trans and the Commission's Approach applied to Public Broadcasting
- 1. Belgium
- 2. United Kingdom
- 3. Italy
- 4. Portugal
- 5. Spain
- 6. Denmark
- 7. France
- 8. Netherlands
- 9. Germany
- V. Final Conclusions
- *
- *)Dr. iur., Rechtsanwalt, Partner of the international law firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP; Director of the Centre for European Law at the University of Passau (CEP), Frankfurt/M./Brussels
- **
- **)Dr. iur., Rechtsanwalt, Director of the Centre for European Law at the University of Passau (CEP), Brussels/Passau; Head of the Bertelsmann office in Brussels. The opinions held in this article are entirely personal.
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