Research Seminar on Mónika Papp's paper: "European State aid rules in pandemic times. Distortion of competition between European airlines?"

Due to the outbreak of the pandemic, its immediate and profound impact on mobility and air passenger transport, airlines have been stranded very quickly, and the Member States granted aid to air carriers subject to specific eligibility criteria. The Commission has reacted swiftly to the challenges posed by the epidemic and adopted its Temporary Framework under which vast amounts could be disbursed to market operators. The most controversial eligibility condition set by the Member States is holding a national licence.

This paper’s driving questions are, first, to explore the conditions under which the Member States can grant large amounts of State aid to airlines, and second, whether the requirement to hold a national licence is compatible with EU law. The present paper seeks to improve our understanding of EU law’s capacity to tackle distortions of competition.

Discussant: Francesco De Cecco

• Working Language: English
• Date& Time: 2021. Jun 17. 10:00 - 12:00
• Venue: On-line
• Contact: Sára Hungler