Brussels extends the investigation on the aids in support of the former Tirrenia Group



The EU commission has announced to have in October widened the capacity of the under way investigation 2011 regarding the measures of public support in favor of the societies of the former Group Tirrenia, that is Tirrenia di Navigazione, that it is sold to Italian Company of Navigation (CIN), Siremar, that is yielded to Company of the Islands (CDI), Toremar, sold to Moby, and Caremar, Laziomar and Saremar, that they are under privatization.

Remembering that up to now the investigation has regarded the compensation for the obligations of public service poured to the societies of the group in period 2009-2011 and is lead also in order to ascertain if Tirrenia di Navigazione and Siremar are sold at the price of market, the EU commission has specified that the procedure will continue in order to assess if various measures in favor of these societies or of their purchasers, adopted after the start of investigation in October 2011, are consistent to the norms EU in matter of aids of State.

In particular, Brussels will inquire on the compensations for the obligations of public service granted to the societies of the former Tirrenia Group for the management of determined broken marine in order to verify if the compensations granted from January 2012 until the completion of the privatization of the societies are consistent to the norms EU in matter of services of general economic interest (SIEG).

Moreover the Commission will estimate if the new compensations for the obligations of public service granted by Italy to the purchasers of the societies are consistent to such norms. The Commission will in November estimate also the compatibility with the norms EU in matter of aids of State of the delay of the aid to the rescue for Tirrenia di Navigazione and Siremar, authorized from Commission 2010, beyond the six months previewed from the guidelines EU on the aids of Been about to the rescue and the restructure of enterprises, public financing - it has emphasized the Commission - that however is reimbursed by the societies with a year of delay regarding the authorized term of six months.

The Commission will inquire also on the measures adopted from the Sardinian regional authorities in favor of Saremar after the transfer of the shareholding of Saremar from Tirrenia to the Sardinia Region. The Commission will estimate moreover if "controgaranzia" lend from the Sicily Region it has conferred an undue advantage to the Company of Islands (CDI), the company that has acquired the Siremar.

The Commission will ascertain moreover if Tirrenia di Navigazione is sold to the Italian Company of Navigation (CIN) to an inferior price to the established fair market value as from a named expert independent of the national authorities.

At last the Commission is worried that determined conditions to which the Italian regional authorities they have subjected the privatization of the companies of the former Group tirrenia they have limited the number of the participants to the relative contests. The Commission has specified that, based on the information currently available, it cannot exclude that others offerers would have participated to the contests if these had not been subject to conditions.