EC: Italian ferry operator must repay unfair subsidy

JANUARY 22, 2014 — The European Commission says Italian ferry operator Saremar must repay €10.8 million of state aid paid it by the region of Sardinia.

After an in-depth investigation, the Commission has concluded that part of the support measures that Sardinia granted Saremar in 2011 and 2012 was incompatible with EU state aid rules. In particular, a capital injection not approved on market conditions and the compensation for carrying out certain maritime services have provided an undue economic advantage to Saremar that its competitors did not have.

“Saremar needs to pay back this undue advantage of around €10.8 million in total, to remedy the distortion of competition this has created,” says the Commission.