Brussels authorizes the distribution of public funds for 100 million euros to the port of Augusta

The EU commission has authorized today the distribution of an Italian public aid of 100 million euros to the port of Augusta within a plan of investment of 145,33 million euros in infrastructures of the Sicilian port. Brussels has explained that the aid is considered with the norms of the EU in matter of aids of State "as - it has explained the EU commission - pursues a objective of common interest, that is the adaptation of existing infrastructures to the intermodal transport compatible. Moreover, the plan would not be realizable in lack of a public financing and the aid is limited to closely necessary how much for the attainment of such objective. At last, the potential distortions of the competition relatively are limited".

The EU commission has specified that, "regarding the plan of investment in infrastructures of the port of Augusta, Italy has lead a deepened analysis of the relationship between costs and economic and financial benefits from which turns out that the returns for the generated Harbour Authority from I use it of the infrastructure they would not be sufficient to cover the costs of the investments. The rate gap financial for the plan is estimated to 68,87%. The public financing of 100 million euros is therefore indispensable in order to realize the plan and is limited to how much necessary one in order to satisfy the financing deficit".

Moreover Brussels has emphasized that "the additional ability to traffic of goods and container that will be generated by the plan in the port of Augusta from 2015, year in which is previewed the completion of the plan, is not such to provoke to meaningful distortions of the competition and on the exchanges between Member States".

The EU commission instead has ordered the restitution of aids of Been about to 360 million euros that, according to Brussels, illegally are granted between 2002 and 2010 from SEA Spa, the public group that manages the Milanese airport system, to its branch SEA Handling, that it supplies activity of handling to the airlines in the airports of Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate. The Commission has specified that own investigation "has revealed that the contributions of capital carried out from the shareholders publics of SEA Handling have procured an undue economic advantage to SEA Handling regarding the competitors who operate without subsidies from the State".

The Commission has announced that in the course of the investigation "it is emerged that, because of a situation extremely difficult financial institution, SEA Handling would not have been able to obtain such financings on the market in period 2002-2010. No operating investor in market conditions would have accepted to grant such vital to the enterprise".

"SEA Handling - it has concluded the Commission - must therefore give back the amount that has procured them such undue advantage with the interests".