Press Release: State aid: Commission issues guidance to speed up implementation of state aid recovery decisions

The European Commission has adopted a Notice on the implementation of decisions ordering Member States to recover unlawful and incompatible state aid. The notice provides guidance to Member States as to how to achieve a more immediate and effective execution of recovery decisions. Effective and prompt recovery is essential to ensure that distortions of competition resulting from illegal and incompatible aid are put to an end. The Notice emphasises that improving the enforcement of state aid decisions is a shared responsibility between the Commission and the Member States. It recalls the principles applying to the recovery of state aid as confirmed by the Community Courts' case law and defines the respective roles of the Commission and of the Member States in the recovery procedures.