Brussels, 21/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 21 November, the European Commission authorised two compensation payments of a total of €1.56 billion paid in Italy between 2009 and 2011 to Poste Italiane for the provision of public services, judging that these comply with EU State aid rules. The payments include compensation of €1.1 billion for the universal postal service and compensation of €458 million for the postal rates made available over the same period to publishers, non-profit organisations and electoral candidates. The Commission takes the view that this aid did not constitute overcompensation with regard to the public services provided and that it respects the standards for such public service compensation laid down in the European framework on services of general economic interest (SGEI), which was adopted in December 2011.
Also under the heading of state aid rules, the Commission on 20 November authorised aid in three other countries. In the United Kingdom, the “BDUK” framework regime is designed to promote investment in new-generation broadband networks (“NGA networks”) to allow generalised public access to high-speed broadband infrastructure in poorly-served rural and remote areas, in line with the objectives of the EU's digital strategy. With aid totalling nearly EUR 1.8 billion, this system will enable some 140 local projects to get off the ground in areas where small projects like this are unlikely to be carried out by commercial operators. The system has been accepted because it incorporates good practices to make more efficient use of state aid with less negative impact on competition and also because it includes a binding audit process. In Bavaria (Germany) a similar scheme includes total aid of €2 billion to help meet the EU's digital targets of very high-speed broadband access throughout the EU by 2020. The scheme will ensure that no aid is granted in areas where a commercial NGA is planned in the near future. It will be assessed and audited by the German authorities to ensure it does not hinder competition. In Spain, a new system of early depreciation for assets required through leasing finance means that some leased assets become tax-deductible immediately rather than from the time they enter commercial use. This meets state aid rules because it is not of benefit to any restricted range of companies, but applies across the board to all types of tangible capital assets acquired through leasing, provided they are manufactured according to the purchaser's technical requirements and it takes at least a year to produce them (mass-produced assets are not covered by the scheme). (FG/transl.fl)