Brussels, 02/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 1 October, the European Commission decided to open an in-depth investigation in order to verify whether specific financing measures for deficits granted by the public authorities of Brussels only to IRIS public hospitals of the Brussels Capital Region, and not to private hospitals in the region, comply with EU rules on state aid.
In 2005, a complaint was brought before the Commission by two private hospital associations in Brussels, which stated that the public hospitals of the Region had benefited from illegal state aid since 1995. In 2009, the Commission concluded that these measures were compatible with EU rules, but one of the plaintiffs brought an appeal before the General Court, which overturned the Commission's decision in November 2012, as it felt that the Commission should have opened an in-depth investigation. Belgium argues that, in addition to their basic hospital mission, IRIS hospitals are responsible for carrying out additional services of general economic interest (SGEI) which are not entrusted to private hospitals and that the SGEIs bring about additional costs which should be compensated by funding the deficits of the hospitals in question.
The Commission will now verify whether the specific deficit funding measures meet the conditions laid down by EU rules on SGEIs. (EL)