Brussels, 24/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - The Wallonian Region plans to give formal notice to the Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, unless it provides the missing information on the illegal aid it has received, announced the Wallonian Minister for the Economy, Serge Kubla.
In February, the Commission ruled that some of the aid granted to Ryanair by the Region of Wallonia and Charleroi airport were incompatible with Community rules, and called for them to be paid back (EUROPE of 4 February, p.7). The Region was supposed to have notified the measures taken to execute this decision by 13 April, which it has not done. On 14 June, the Commission wrote to it complaining about the delay, and instructing it to provide it with information about the amount it intends to claim back from Ryanair, within the next 15 working days (EUROPE of 23 June, p.9).
Mr Kubla explained the delay, indicating that certain aspects of the Commission's decision called for "clarifications", and that Ryanair itself had provided some of the information "late". The fact that it is up to the Region of Wallonia, and not the Commission as would usually be the case, to set the total amount to be paid back, "is an added difficulty", he said. Mr Kubla is asking the Commission for extra time to provide the information. In the meantime, Mr Kubla is putting pressure on the Irish airline, asking it to send in the missing information as soon as possible, or the Region could start legal proceedings and claim back all the aid received by Ryanair (some 15 million EUR), rather than just the 2.28 million EUR it owes, according to initial estimates by the Region.