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State Aid to Promote Culture and Heritage Conservation: Museums and Other Cultural Institutions as Recipients of EU State Aid

Data publikacji: 13.12.2023

Santander Art and Culture Law Review, 2023, 2/2023 (9), s. 191 - 214

https://doi.org/10.4467/2450050XSNR.23.028.18648

Autorzy

Łukasz Stępkowski
Uniwersytet Opolski, pl. Kopernika 11a, 45-040 Opole, Polska
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5324-4218 Orcid
Wszystkie publikacje autora →

Tytuły

State Aid to Promote Culture and Heritage Conservation: Museums and Other Cultural Institutions as Recipients of EU State Aid

Abstrakt

This article addresses the issue of whether EU State aid granted for the purposes of promoting culture and heritage conservation is subject to the prohibition of Article 107(1) TFEU and its derogations. Specifically, the article outlines the problem of “economic activity”, and hence being an “undertaking” insofar as regards bodies operating in the field of culture and heritage conservation (e.g. museums). It covers the European Commission’s approach thereto, together with its decisions made in the field of State aid, as well as the relevant case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (particularly examining the impact of the MOTOE decision for the topic at issue). The article offers a critical assessment of the Commission’s approach, positing that it is not in line with Article 107(1) TFEU as it is currently interpreted by the Court, and is at odds with the Commission’s own 2016 Notice on the notion of State aid.

Bibliografia

Bacon K., European Union Law of State Aid, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2017. Commission Decision (EU) 2021/1757 of 4 December 2020 on the aid scheme SA.38399 – 2019/C (ex 2018/E) which Italy implemented – Corporate Taxation of Ports in Italy, OJ L 354, 6.10.2021, p. 1.

Commission Notice on the notion of State aid as referred to in Article 107(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, OJ C 262, 19.07.2016, p. 1.

Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty, OJ L 187, 26.06.2014, p. 1, as amended; consolidated English text: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02014R0651-20210801 [accessed: 11.10.2022].

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Decisions of the Commission on State aid:

European Commission, Case SA.34462 (2012/NN) – Latvia: Programme “Culture”, 2 May 2013, C(2013) 2379 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/246755/246755_1428594_85_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European  Commission,  SA.34357  (2012/NN)  –  Netherlands:  Multiplier  Giftenaftrek,

20 March 2013, C(2013) 1502 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/246177/246177_1418793_56_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, SA.38122(2014/N) – Poland: Aid to Promote Heritage Conservation in the “Guido” and “Królowa Luiza” Coal Mines, 10 June 2014, C(2014) 3910 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/251375/251375_1575089_99_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, SA.38391 (2014/N) – Estonia: State Compensation of Damage Incurred by an Owner of an International Exhibition, 28 July 2014, C(2014) 5398 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/252919/252919_1575478_57_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid No N 542/05 – Slovak Republic: Vydavetel’stvo spolku slovenských spisovatel’ov s.r.o. (Publishing Company of the Group of Slovak Writers). Individual Aid in Favour of Weekly Literature Magazine, 21 December 2005, C(2005) 5047, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/201938/201938_605475_17_1.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid N-SA.33433 – Czech Republic: Green Knowledge Centre/ Open-Air Museum, Town of Bystřice nad Pernštejnem, 22 December 2011, C(2011) 9912 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/241540/241540_1283816_79_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.36361 (2013/N) – Czech Republic: Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Art, 19 December 2013, C(2013) 9670 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/248052/248052_1518409_105_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.100581 (2021/N) – Germany. Amendment and Prolongation of the Bavarian Game Support Measure SA.46572 (2017/N), 7 January 2022, C(2022) 85 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases1/202204/SA_100581_90EA6D7E-0100-C04D-AE83-D195DAB9C7F3_61_1.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.101365 (2021/N) – Poland: Compensation of Costs Incurred for the Provision of Services Statutorily Exempted from Postage Fees (2022-2025),

29 July 2022, C(2022) 5578 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases1/202238/SA_101365_50FA3A83-0100-C062-8F64-E19671CC2460_38_1.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.36581 (2013/NN) – Greece: Construction of Archaeological Museum Messara Crete, 6 November 2013, C(2013) 7038 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/250254/250254_1484489_76_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.42545 (2015/N) – Germany: Revitalisation of the Hamburg Congress Centre (CCH), 7 April 2017, C(2017) 2202 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/259545/259545_1894651_204_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.45512 (2016/N) – Spain: Aid to Support the Valencian Language in the Press, 1 August 2016, C(2016) 4865 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/264487/264487_1783453_87_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.47448 (2017/N) – Spain: Promotion of the Basque Language in Digital News Media, 17 May 2017, C(2017) 3161 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/267998/267998_1907403_128_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.49411 (2017/N) Netherlands: Multiplied Gift Deduction Prolongation, 12 December 2017, C(2017) 8591 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/271681/271681_1955136_63_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.51820 (2018/N) – Germany: North Rhine-Westphalian Games Support Measure, 10 December 2018, C(2018) 8662 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/277019/277019_2042144_125_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.60697 (2020/N) – Slovakia: State Aid Scheme to Support the Culture of National Minorities in Slovakia, 16 April 2021, C(2021) 2634 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases1/202121/291083_2274256_130_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

European Commission, State Aid SA.63373 (2021/N) Italy: Tax Credit for the Production of Video Games of ‘Italian Nationality’ with Cultural Value, 26 October 2021, C(2021) 7852 final, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases1/202149/SA_63373_203A687D-0000-C26A-BEF0-E81CBFEB8F4A_63_1.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

Komisja Europejska, Pomoc Państwa NN 55/2005 (ex N 595/2004) – Polska: Zachowanie dziedzictwa kulturowego, 20 July 2005, K(2005)2714 wersja ostateczna, https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/cases/199545/199545_516648_24_2.pdf [accessed: 11.10.2022].

 

Case-law of the CJEU:

Case C111/10, European Commission v. Council of the European Union, Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 4 December 2013, ECLI:EU:C:2013:785.

Case C-150/16, Fondul Proprietatea SA v. Complexul Energetic Oltenia SA, Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 18 May 2017, ECLI:EU:C:2017:388.

Case C-382/99, Kingdom of the Netherlands v. Commission of the European Communities, Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 13 June 2002, ECLI:EU:C:2002:363.

Case C-410/13, ‘Baltlanta’ UAB v. Lietuvos valstybė, Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 3 September 2014, ECLI:EU:C:2014:2134.

Case C-49/07, Motosykletistiki Omospondia Ellados NPID (MOTOE) v. Elliniko Dimosio, Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 1 July 2008, ECLI:EU:C:2008:376.

Case C-518/13, Eventech Ltd v. The Parking Adjudicator, Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 14 January 2015, ECLI:EU:C:2015:9.

Case C-654/17 P, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Freistaat Sachsen v. European Commission, Judgment of the Court (Fifth Chamber) of 29 July 2019, ECLI:EU:C:2019:634.

Case C-71/04, Administración del Estado v. Xunta de Galicia, Judgment of the Court (Third Chamber) of 21 July 2005, ECLI:EU:C:2005:493.

Case C74/16, Congregación de Escuelas Pías Provincia Betania v. Ayuntamiento de Getafe, Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 27 June 2017, ECLI:EU:C:2017:496.

Case C-899/19 P, Romania v. European Commission, Judgment of the Court (Fourth Chamber) of 20 January 2020, ECLI:EU:C:2022:41.

Case T-155/98, Société internationale de diffusion et d’édition (SIDE) v. Commission of the Eur pean Communities, Judgment of the Court of First Instance (Fourth Chamber, extended composition) of 28 February 2002, ECLI:EU:T:2002:53.

Case T-348/04, Société internationale de diffusion et d’édition (SIDE) v. Commission of the European Communities, Judgment of the Court of First Instance (Third Chamber) of 15 April 2008, ECLI:EU:T:2008:109.

Case T-391/17, Romania v. European Commission, Judgment of the General Court (Second Chamber) of 24 September 2019, ECLI:EU:T:2019:672.

Case T-8/06, FAB Fernsehen aus Berlin GmbH v. Commission of the European Communities, Judgment of the Court of First Instance (Seventh Chamber) of 6 October 2009, ECLI:EU:T:2009:386.

Cases T-778/16 and T-892/16, Ireland and Others v. European Commission, Judgment of the General Court (Seventh Chamber, Extended Composition) of 15 July 2020, ECLI:EU:T:2020:338.

Joined Cases C-189/02 P, C-202/02 P, C-205/02 P to C-208/02 P and C-213/02 P, Dansk Rørindustri A/S (C-189/02 P), Isoplus Fernwärmetechnik Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH and Others (C-202/02 P), KE KELIT Kunststoffwerk GmbH (C-205/02 P), LR af 1998 A/S (C-206/02 P), Brugg Rohrsysteme GmbH (C-207/02 P), LR af 1998 (Deutschland) GmbH (C-208/02 P) and ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd (C-213/02 P) v. Commission of the European Communities, Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 28 June 2005, ECLI:EU:C:2005:408.

Joined Cases C-262/18 P and C-271/18 P, European Commission and Slovak Republic v. Dôvera zdravotná poistʼovňa, a.s., Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 11 June 2020, ECLI:EU:C:2020:450.

Joined Cases C-622/16 P to C-624/16 P, Scuola Elementare Maria Montessori Srl v. European Commission, European Commission v. Scuola Elementare Maria Montessori Srl and European Commission v. Pietro Ferracci, Judgment of the Court (Grand Chamber) of 6 November 2018, ECLI:EU:C:2018:873.

Informacje

Informacje: Santander Art and Culture Law Review, 2023, 2/2023 (9), s. 191 - 214

Typ artykułu: Oryginalny artykuł naukowy

Tytuły:

Polski:

State Aid to Promote Culture and Heritage Conservation: Museums and Other Cultural Institutions as Recipients of EU State Aid

Angielski:

State Aid to Promote Culture and Heritage Conservation: Museums and Other Cultural Institutions as Recipients of EU State Aid

Autorzy

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5324-4218

Łukasz Stępkowski
Uniwersytet Opolski, pl. Kopernika 11a, 45-040 Opole, Polska
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5324-4218 Orcid
Wszystkie publikacje autora →

Uniwersytet Opolski, pl. Kopernika 11a, 45-040 Opole, Polska

Publikacja: 13.12.2023

Status artykułu: Otwarte __T_UNLOCK

Licencja: CC BY  ikona licencji

Finansowanie artykułu:

* The author wishes to acknowledge that this article uses the effects of research grant no. 2015/17/N/HS5/02575 (“Sytuacja prawna przedsiębiorstwa w prawie Unii Europejskiej dotyczącym pomocy państwa [Legal position of an undertaking in the law of the European Union on State aid]”), funded by the National Science Centre (Narodowe Centrum Nauki – NCN, Poland), with the author as the Principal Investigator.

Udział procentowy autorów:

Łukasz Stępkowski (Autor) - 100%

Korekty artykułu:

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Języki publikacji:

Angielski