The notion and regulation of SOEs in the EU: on State aid, mergers and foreign subsidies control (Webinar)

Webinar Series on State-owned enterprises in global trade: time for refreshing studies?

“The notion and regulation of SOEs in the EU: on State aid, mergers and foreign subsidies control”

In the European Union, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) mostly operate in key network sectors like energy, transports, and telecommunication. Governmental control and the increasing number of foreign SOEs operating in the single market have given rise to a lively debate on the governance of such entities under EU law. Issues have also been exacerbated by the global raising of public financing levels in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This webinar aims to explore the regulation of Member States’ and third countries’ (‘foreign’) SOEs in the single market from the perspectives of EU competition and common commercial policies. In this regard, the following questions will be discussed: what are the current legal implications of public financing of SOEs in terms of EU State aid law? Is the EU Merger Regulation able to tackle the issues arising from acquisitions of European undertakings by foreign SOEs? How to assess the legal solutions that the EC has put forth to address foreign subsidies granted to third countries’ SOEs having an impact on the EU single market?

Speakers:

Prof. Malgorzata Cyndecka, Associate professor at the University of Bergen, will provide insights on the regulation of SOEs in EU State aid law, with a particular focus on the application of the Market Economy Operator Principle (MEOP) when State ownership is involved.

Prof. Alexandr Svetlicinii, Associate professor at the University of Macau will discuss the application of EU merger control rules to SOEs in the light of his recently published book Chinese State Owned Enterprises and EU Merger Control (Routledge, 2020).

Prof. Andrea Biondi, Professor of European Union Law and Director of the Centre of European Law at the King’s College of London, will provide insights on the challenges posed by foreign subsidies in the European single market, also from a British perspective.

Chair:
Prof. Francesco Costamagna, Associate professor of European Union law at the University of Turin and Fellow at Collegio Carlo Alberto

Info:
Anna Panarella, PhD Candidate, University of Turin
anna.panarella@unito.it

Zoom link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvce2spjIrHNPshbbNwQK3jnnIA1PcLafI