10/02/2010 (Agence Europe) - A seminar held in Padua on 4 February under the aegis of the Representation of the European Commission to Italy and organised by the European Observatory on State Aid, with the assistance of the Court of Appeal of Venice, provided the opportunity for around 40 judges to receive information on the rules of the European Union as regards state aid (see http://www.osservatorioaiutidistato.eu ). In the wake of increasing controversy over state aid at national level in recent years, it is vital that the judges are able to apply European standards coherently and that they are aware of the solutions available to them in the event that these standards are violated, particularly since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. (L.G./transl.fl)