Brussels, 10/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 10 June, the Commission found that the retroactive public service compensation of €1.29 million granted by the Region of Piedmont to the Italian bus company Arfea for the provision of regional public transport services gave the company a selective advantage over its competitors, in breach of EU rules on State aid.
In February 2015, the European Commission launched an in-depth investigation into this market. The investigation showed that the public service obligation was not imposed upon Arfea by the Italian authorities. Furthermore, the necessary parameters to determine the level of the public service compensation were not determined in advance and Arfea failed to implement a proper separation of accounts between its public service activities and its commercial activities, in order to avoid overcompensation.
The Commission therefore concluded that the compensation paid by Italy to Arfea ran counter to EU rules on State aid for the compensation of public transport services and ordered Italy to recover the unjustified advantage from the beneficiary. (Original version in French by Maëlle Didion)