The European Commission concluded on Friday 10 September that an internal capital contribution of €314.6 million by PostNord to Post Danmark does not constitute State aid under EU rules.
At the same time, the European Commission decided that two capital injections by Denmark and Sweden into PostNord, totalling €66 million, constituted State aid incompatible with the internal market: Denmark and Sweden must recover €26.4 million and €39.6 million respectively from PostNord.
According to Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for Competition Policy, with the decisions taken, “we help restore a level playing field in the Danish and Swedish postal services markets, while ensuring that Post Danmark can transform itself to be ready for an increasingly digital future”.
Post Danmark, the national postal operator in Denmark, is a wholly owned subsidiary of PostNord, which is incorporated in Sweden. PostNord is owned by the Danish state (40%) and the Swedish state (60%).
In October 2017, the Danish and Swedish authorities agreed to make capital contributions to PostNord and to Post Danmark through PostNord.
On 14 June 2019, the European Commission opened an in-depth investigation to examine whether the capital injections were in line with EU State aid rules (€314.6 million, €26.4 million and €39.6 million).
The European Commission therefore concluded that:
- PostNord’s capital contribution to Post Danmark does not constitute State aid within the meaning of the EU State aid rules;
- the €66 million capital injections by Denmark and Sweden into PostNord gave that company an unfair economic advantage over its competitors, constituting State aid incompatible with the internal market. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)