Press Release: State aid: Commission extends formal investigation procedure regarding Belgian coordination centres

The European Commission has decided to extend the procedure opened in 2002 under the EC Treaty’s rules on state aid in respect of the tax scheme for coordination centres (see IP/02/325). It is thereby allowing Belgium and interested parties to submit their observations following the European Court of Justice’s judgment of 22 June 2006. This judgment partly annuls the transitional measures laid down by the Commission in its decision of 17 February 2003 finding the coordination centres scheme to be incompatible with the Treaty (see IP/03/242). In the light of the observations received, the Commission will decide what transitional measures it should have applied from 17 February 2003.