Italy: State aid to Fiat Sicily
Description
On 15 December 2008, the Italian authorities notified to the EC aid for a large investment project by Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. in Termini Imerese in Sicily. The Italian authorities intend to promote regional development by providing regional aid to Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. The beneficiary is a 100% subsidiary of Fiat Group.
The investment will consist in the introduction of a new product – a new passenger car under the Lancia brand which is to replace the existing production of the old Lancia Ypsilon. It will include the extension of the existing plant and a significant change in the production process. The project comprises also the extension of the existing plant of Ergom Automobiles S.p.A. (Ergom), located at the Termini Imerese site. Ergom is a 100% subsidiary of Fiat Group and supplies plastic components which will be fully used in the production of the new car.
The total cost of planned investment in this project comes to EUR 379.758 million, of which EUR 319.086 million in nominal terms are eligible under regional aid rules. The Italian authorities intend to grant total aid for the project in Termini Imerese in the form of direct cash grant amounting to EUR 46 301 000.
The commission found that the measure constitutes State aid within the meaning of Article 87(1) of the EC Treaty and gave the following assessment:
“The financial support from the Italian authorities will be given for investments resulting in the production of vehicles. Since these products are subject to trade between Member States, the support given is likely to affect trade between Member States.” (par. 38 of the letter from the EC to Italy - Brussels, 29.04.2009 C(2009) 3051 final)
The Commission has decided that the aid in favour of Fiat Automobiles is compatible with the EC Treaty.
A state measure in the GTA database is assessed solely in terms of the extent to which its implementation affects the extent of discrimination against foreign commercial interests. On this metric, the state aid proposed here is discriminatory.
Any Evidence-Based Deliberation:
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Is there anything in the public record to suggest that evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed measure was considered during official deliberations? | |
| Is there any evidence that alternatives to the proposed measure were considered? | |
| Is there anything in the public record that suggests that empirical evidence informed the comparison across the alternatives available to government? | |
| Was such evidence identified? | |
| Is such evidence publicly available? | |
| Did the official decision-maker in question provide an explanation as to why a chosen measure was favoured over alternatives? | |
| Is there any evidence to suggest that potentially affected trading partners were consulted before the measures were taken? | |
| Is there any evidence that safeguards have been put in place to ensure that implementation of the initiative is transparent and non-discriminatory? | |
| Did the government state its intention to review the measure within one year of implementation? |
Date Discovered:
Implemented: No
Date of inception: 15 Mar 2008
Duration: 44 months
GTA Evaluation: Red
Source:
the letter from the EC to Italy - Brussels, 29.04.2009 C(2009) 3051 final. Available from : < http://ec.europa.eu/competition/elojade/isef/case_details.cfm?proc_code=... >
Government Response:
- 306 reads
