State Aid Control in the Modernisation Era: Moving Towards a Differentiated Administrative Integration?

Carlo Colombo*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Despite contentions that state aid control is an instance of direct execution, the State Aid Modernisation (SAM) package has largely dispersed responsibility for giving effect to the common legal framework across national administrations. In this setup, the effectiveness of state aid law is confronted with asymmetric capacities, diffuse application of complex rules and difficulty in keeping dispersed powers under control. This article combines selected evidence on the operation of state aid control with a multidisciplinary analysis of the functioning of integration mechanisms in the European administrative space. The aim is to examine the potential effects of SAM. It contends that, while the reform has strengthened the Commission's dominance, the instruments of administrative integration might fail to secure adequate capacities and implementation performances at national level, due to constitutional constraints and opposing forces. This effect, it is argued, could be divisive, and risks undermining the integrity of the internal market.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)292-316
Number of pages25
JournalEuropean Law Journal
Volume25
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2019

Keywords

  • COURTS
  • LAW

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