Brussels, 11/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 11 February, the European Commission ordered Poland to recover around €22 million in unlawful state aid for Gdynia-Kosakowo Airport, the amount already paid of aid of €50 million granted by the local authorities of Gdynia and Kosakowo to the company responsible for building and running the airport to cover its investment and running costs in the new airport's first few years.
The European Commission found that the public funding, notified in September 2012 but begun before the Commission delivered its opinion, gives the beneficiary an undue economic advantage over its competitors, in particular Gdansk Airport, which is only 25 kilometres away and which is not operating at full capacity. Indeed, Gdansk Airport is currently operating at 60% capacity. EU state aid rules do not allow member states to grant state aid to projects which duplicate airport infrastructure where there is not enough demand, since this would distort competition between airports and waste taxpayers' money. Poland has been given four months in which to comply. (FG/transl.fl)