Short Course on State Aid and Subsidies Regulation (Jan/Feb 2025)

Aims

• To engage in a systematic, in-depth, overview of the fundamentals of EU State aid law and UK subsidies regulation.
• To provide public and private bodies with the instruments to adjust to a new legal landscape following the adoption of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
• To offer a toolkit for the analysis of legal matters and the assessment of the risk and opportunities deriving from certain strategies. 

Target audience

• Legal practitioners and civil servants (in local, regional or national bodies) who deal with or may be exposed to EU State aid law and/or UK subsidies regulation.
• In-house lawyers who would benefit from an understanding of the implications of the award by public authorities of grants, subsidies, tax exemptions and similar measures to their firms and/or their rivals.
• Professionals, scholars and post-graduate students with an interest in the matter and who want to develop an expertise in a field of growing relevance in the UK and the EU.

Structure and delivery

• Four 4-hour sessions to be delivered over four Thursdays in November.
• Capacity: the short course will be capped at 25 participants to maximise interaction.
• Timing: 2pm to 6pm London time.
• Location: the executive course will be delivered online.

Topics

• The scope of EU Treaty provisions and the subsidies chapter in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
• Main features of the UK subsidy control regime.
• The operation of public services and the interaction with EU State aid law and equivalent provisions in other regimes.
• State aid, subsidies and taxation, including digital taxes.
• Principles for the evaluation of the compatibility of measures in the EU and UK systems.
• The enforcement of the relevant provisions at the national and supranational levels: the role of authorities and courts.
• Remedies and dispute settlement in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Pablo Ibáñez Colomo  is Professor of Law and Jean Monnet Chair in Competition and Regulation at London School of Economics and Political Science. He is also a Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Bruges), Joint General Editor of the Journal of European Competition Law & Practice (Oxford University Press) and co-editor of the Chillin’ Competition Blog. He received a PhD from the European University Institute in June 2010 (Jacques Lassier Prize). Before joining the EUI as a Researcher in 2007, he taught for three years at the Law Department of the College of Europe (Bruges), where he also completed an LLM in 2004. He has been a Visiting Professor at several institutions around the world, including Aix-Marseille University, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Kobe University and Torcuato di Tella University.

Day 1: Scope of provisions on subsidies and State aid (16 January 2025, 2pm-6pm)

• The role, purpose and operation of State aid and subsidies provisions.
• The definitions in EU law and the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
• The role of State resources in the definition of the scope of the provisions.
• The practical criteria to identify when a measure is imputable to a public authority.

Day 2: Advantage and selectivity/specificity (23 January 2025, 2pm-6pm)

• The difference between, and role of, advantage and selectivity/specificity.
• Advantage and the provision of public services.
• Advantage and public investments, including in infrastructure.
• Approaches to the notion of selectivity/specificity.

Day 3: Special focus on tax measures (30 January 2025, 2pm-6pm)

• The distinct complexity of the application of the rules to tax measures.
• Trends in the case law and practical issues.
• The lawfulness of tax rulings with EU State aid provisions and beyond.
• The legal status of digital taxes and similar measures.

Day 4: Procedure and enforcement (6 February 2025, 2pm-6pm)

• The enforcement of EU State aid rules by the European Commission.
• The application of EU State aid law at the national level and the role of courts.
• The UK system for the enforcement of subsidies provisions.
• Remedies and dispute settlement in the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

• For further information, including registration and fees, please contact Amanda Tinnams, Course Manager. Email: A.Tinnams@lse.ac.uk.
• On completion of registration and payment received in full, you will receive a Zoom link and a set of pre-course readings.
• Fees: £1,500. If you have any special requirements, please contact Amanda Tinnams. 
• Once full payment is received, confirmation of your place will be sent by the Course Manager.

Click here for our registration form

• A course certificate will be provided on completion of the course. 
• CPD points can be applied for.

If you need to make a cancellation, please contact the Course Manager and your place will be moved to the next available course. Please note: the price of future editions may increase.