Examples
Examples of what isn't considered to be State Aid
Any public
assistance provided to an organisation (public, private and not for profit)
engaged in economic activities needs to comply with the European State aid
rules.
However, not
all public assistance will be classed as State aid because one or more of the 5
tests is not met.
Some examples of support that would not be classed as
State aid are:
-
Support for non- economic activities
-
Funding for regulatory action and public
functions of public authorities and the exercise of state prerogatives;
-
Support for primary activities of research
organisations relating to the provision of teaching and research;
-
Support for state education;
-
Support for health services operated as a
public function of the state.
-
Support where there is no advantage conferred
-
Support for general infrastructure projects
that do not benefit specific users e.g. streets, water-ways, coastal
paths, cycle trails, improvement of public transport infrastructure or
road networks, public amenities, sewage collection;
-
Support for the renewal or upgrading of
residential areas or properties where funding is made available to
individual residents, who are the owner/occupiers of the new or renewed
dwellings in question;
-
Support where the beneficiary is an
individual;
-
full market value purchases of goods and
services (most effectively demonstrated by a competitive tender that
accords with EU public procurement rules);
-
Support that satisfies the market economy
investor principle (MEIP), broadly, support that a private sector investor
would provide in like circumstances (with an equal share of both risk and
reward).
-
Activities that are not considered as selective
-
General training schemes such as Modern
apprenticeships;
-
General awareness raising activities and
promotion of best practice through information and guidance available to
all;
-
General tax measures available for all
undertakings throughout the Member State.
The above
list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all the activities that could
not be State aid; there may be other activities which do not meet one or more
of the tests.