2012 Framework on Public Compensation for SGEIs: Application in the Postal Sector
27 Pages Posted: 25 Mar 2013
Date Written: March 24, 2013
Abstract
The legal rules applicable to State compensation for services of general economic interest (“SGEIs”) were recently revised by the European Commission. This led to the adoption of the “2012 SGEI Package”. The most contentious document of this Package, the “2012 Framework”, sets out the conditions for the compatibility of SGEI compensation with the internal market. Against this background, the Commission has recently shown an increased interest in the application of the State aid rules to the postal sector and seems determined to continue scrutinizing the sector in the future. This paper aims to analyse the specific rules of the Framework and look closer at the way they (could) apply to the postal sector, with references to the decisional practice of the Commission.
Keywords: State aid, European union, competition, SGEI, services of general economic interest, compensation, universal service
JEL Classification: K21, L1, L43, L97
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation