The European Commission has opened an investigation under Article 93(2) of the Treaty into the State aid granted by the Italian authorities to restructure the road sector and develop inter-modal transport. While the Common European Transport Policy specifically promotes combined transport and restructuring in the interest of an efficient, safe, competitive transport system, the Commission has identified a disturbing number of elements of the proposed Italian package which are clearly incompatible with the Treaty and in some cases seem to even constitute operating aid. The Italian authorities have, accordingly, been given a month to answer the Commission's concerns which are particularly serious given that the Italian authorities have introduced legislation benefiting road transport on two previous occasions that the Commission has already ruled to be inadmissible aid. The Commission has reminded the Italian authorities that aid payments must be suspended during the investigation and that the Commission, in recovering incompatible aid already paid, charges interest on the sums owed.

Source:
MIDDAY EXPRESS
News from the Spokesman's midday briefing
25 / 03 / 98