The prompt EU commission Italy to recover from Tirrenia 15 million euros of incompatible aids with the norms EU



The EU commission has asked Italy to recover 15 million euros of aids granted to the company of incompatible Tirrenia navigation as with the norms of the EU in matter of aids of State. If Brussels, in fact, has established that great part of the compensations of the obligations of public service granted to Tirrenia and successively to its purchaser Italian Company of Navigation (CIN) for the development of services of marine actions to guarantee the territorial continuity is consistent to the norms of the EU in matter of aids of State, the Commission considers that other measures granted to Tirrenia it are not.

In particular, relatively to the measures adopted in favor of Tirrenia and CIN beginning from the 2009, Commission has estimated that the compensations of the obligations of public service, pairs to about 265 million euros, granted to Tirrenia for the management of twelve marine routes from first January 2009 on July 18, 2012 are compatible with discipline SIEG of 2011 for some routes and with decision SIEG of 2005 regarding the other routes, as they have gone to satisfy a real necessity of public service, guaranteeing connections with regular frequency during all the year. Moreover - it has specified Brussels - the granted aid has not involved a sovracompensazione in favor of Tirrenia.

Moreover the Commission has considered that the compensations of the obligations of public service, pairs to about 581 million euros, granted to CIN for the period from on July 18, 2012 on July 18, 2020 and the contest of contract for the sale to CIN of the branch of company of Tirrenia do not shape as aids of State as the criteria of which to the cause C-280/00 Altmark Trans they turn out satisfied.

The Commission has instead deemed incompatible with the guidelines on the aids of Been about to the rescue and the restructure of the enterprises of the 2004 delay of a year, beyond the period of six months previewed, of the aid to the rescue granted to Tirrenia. Deep Brussels has found moreover that I use it to fine of liquidity of the destined ones to the restructure the ships constitutes an aid to the operation, from the moment that Tirrenia has not reimbursed such deep to the State neither has used them for their original scope (the improvement of the fleet) and that therefore such aid is incompatible with the guidelines on the aids of State. At last the Commission has specified that the exemptions from the payment of some taxes of which has benefitted Tirrenia in the context of the privatization process, that have reduced the costs that Tirrenia would otherwise have had to support, constitute an incompatible aid with the treaty on the operation of the European Union.

The total figure that the EU commission has asked Italy to recover piles to about 14 million euros enclosed interests and, since the Commission has concluded that not there is some economic continuity between Tirrenia and its purchaser CIN, the recovery of the incompatible aid will regard only Tirrenia that is already in state of liquidation.

Relatively to the compensations of the obligations of public service 1992 and 2008 granted between to the societies of the former Tirrenia group (Adriatic, Caremar, Saremar, Siremar and Toremar), these are considered consistent to the norms of the EU except those granted to Adriatic of Navigation for the exercise of a route from and towards the Greece in the period from January 1992 to July 1994 as - it has explained the EU commission - to the Adriatic age it had taken part to a trust in which the prices of the rates applicable to the commercial vehicles came fixed on such route. This incompatible aid with the norms EU, that it piles to about million euro included interests, will have to be recovered and, since Adriatic it has been acquired from Tirrenia in 2004 and the Commission has concluded that not there is some economic continuity between Tirrenia and CIN, Italy will have to recover the incompatible aid near Tirrenia.