EU commission, illicit 44 million the aids granted from the State to the Harbour Authority of Naples for the dry docks of CAMED



To conclusion of a under way investigation two years ago(on 28 June 2016), the EU commission has established that the public subsidies for 44,1 million euros granted to the Harbour Authority of Naples in order to restructure the dry docks n. 1, 2 and 3 of the partenopeo harbour port of call that is managed by the Yards of the Mediterranean (CAMED) violates the norms EU in matter of aids of State.

Remembering that the participations publics in favor of the enterprises according to do not constitute aids of State of the norm of the European Union when they are carried out to conditions that an operating private investor in market conditions would have accepted, the EU commission has specified that instead the Harbour Authority of Naples, agency that now are met in the Authority of Harbour System of the Tyrrhenian Sea Central, have benefitted of state subsidies, therefore of not repayable financial aid and deprive of financing costs, instrument financial that on the market would not be put on of of the Campania agency.

The EU commission has specified that also Yards of the Mediterranean have benefitted of such subsidies through a contract of regarding concession the dry docks that are dated 29 July 2004 and have a duration of thirty years. Therefore, according to Brussels, the navalmeccanica society has been able to use the restructured dry docks to an inferior price to those of market, without having to participate to an open contest of contract in order to obtain such right. The Commission has evidenced that, moreover, the canon paid from the shipbuilding society to the Harbour Authority of Naples is calculated based on fixed parameters, established for law, than they did not reflect the increase of economic value of the restructured systems granted leasehold.

The EU commission therefore has concluded that the direct subsidies of the Italian State have granted are to the Harbour Authority of Naples are to the Yards of the Mediterranean an undue economic advantage regarding their competitors and that for this reason they were shaped according to as an aid of State of the norm of the EU, also as such measures they do not satisfy the relative criteria to the performance of obligation of public service.

The EU commission has assumed another relative deliberation to the port of Naples having established that the late collection of the canons of concession by the partenopea Harbour Authority does not involve instead aids of State. The decision follows the second examination of denunciations which the harbour agency, not riscuotendo such canons at an appropriate time, would have granted to an illegal aid to seven concessionaires of the port activity in the fields of the naval repairs, the management of terminal and the activities of transport.

To such purpose, the Commission has concluded that the Harbour Authority has not renounced to assert own rights in confronts of the concessionaires, having adopted numerous measures to the aim to collect the canons, as it would have made any operator of market. In particular, the payment of the default interest has tax, has set up timepianopayment plans (that they comprised the interests for the restructure of the debit) and has started procedures in order to cancel contracts of concession in case of huge sums of canons not paid.

The Commission has remembered that, today, four concessionaires have integrally reimbursed the debits and the others three are respecting the terms of the agreements of restructure of the debit concluded with the Harbour Authority. Therefore the Commission has established that the harbour authority has churns as an creditor of diligent market that has tried to maximize own perspectives of collection of the due amounts and that for this reason these measures are not shaped as aids of State.

While yesterday and today to Lisbon the Authority of Harbour System of the Tyrrhenian Sea Central has introduced the perspectives for the Mediterranean crocieristico market for the ports of Naples and Salerno, a segment that anticipates elevated rates of growth with an increment for the Campania of +15% in 2018 and with ulterior an analogous waited for increase for 2019. The AdSP has remembered that in this field initiatives of development of the activity are on, between which that of the Society Naples Terminal that is studying the extension of the docks of the marine station of the cruises in the partenopeo port of call, project that will be introduced in the next few months to the AdSP, while to Salerno, with the realization of the dredgings, the marine station of Zara Hadid will be able to begin to receive the great ships beginning from the spring of 2020.

"We have found - the president of the AdSP has announced, Pietro Spirito - a great interest of the main companies of cruise to continue the distance of increase in the ports of the Campania, also in the next few years. We are in the presence of a segment of the marine tourist offer destined to know an important season of consolidation and development. The launch of the aerial connection between Newark and Naples, beginning from the next month of May of 2019 - it has evidenced Spirit - constitutes an opportunity in order to construct also, with the marine companies and the terminalista, a positioning in the segment home port, than sure it determines in greater added value for the territory".