State Aid

What is State aid? State aid is an economic advantage that can take many forms, granted by public authorities through state resources on a selective basis, to undertakings or other economic operators. Under certain circumstances, this could potentially distort competition in the markets, against public interest.

The European Commission, through the Directorate-General for Competition (DGCOMP), is in charge of analysing State aid and deciding on its compatibility with the European Single Market. Spain is obliged to notify the European Commission on any State aid granted, unless the scheme is subject to an exemption.

However, the CNMC can provide guidance and assessment to public bodies regarding State aid, in order to preserve the correct functioning of the markets.

Other reports on State aid

The CNMC also reports on individual state aid schemes and addresses proposals and recommendations to public bodies in order to ensure effective competition in the markets (according to article 11.1 of Act 15/2007 on Competition). The CNMC’s analysis can deal with both economic and regulatory aspects (according to article 7 of the Regulation on Competition).

See all reports on State Aid

State aid granted in Spain

A database is updated with information on notified aid and aid covered by a block exemption granted in Spain (according to article 8 of the Regulation on Competition)..

In addition to this information, the European Commission keeps a database containing all the registered State aid in all European Union Member States. At a Spanish level, the National State Aid Database gives detailed information on all state aid procedures in Spain.

Here is a detail of the last State aid measures granted in Spain and published in official journals.