Brussels, 14/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will this Wednesday announce whether it will authorise a series of royalties and six additional measures enjoyed by Italian public television company RAI under the 1993 order "Salva RAI". The Commission will assess whether the royalties received were higher than the real amounts spent on public service activities: "the question is, does the package exceed the net additional cost of providing the public TV service in Italy, or is it inferior?", said spokesperson Tilman Lueder.
Spain and Portugal are the subject of a similar inquiry. It is worth noting that public television companies, like all companies providing a general-interest service, are allowed to receive State subsidies to set against costs incurred by their public service activities, but these subsidies cannot be used to commercial ends, or they are considered State aid.