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Är det ett otillåtet statsstöd? - Undantag för offentliga aktörer att ställa ekonomisk säkerhet för deponier

Simonsson, Johanna LU (2020) LAGF03 20201
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Regleringen av statsstöd är ett EU-rättsligt instrument för att styra förutsättningarna för konkurrensen på EU:s inre marknad. För att det ska vara ett otillåtet statsstöd krävs att det ska vara en åtgärd som genomförs av en medlemsstat eller genom statliga medel, av vilket slag som helst, som medför hot om eller snedvridning av konkurrens som gynnar vissa företag eller viss produktion och påverkar handeln mellan medlemsstaterna. Ett otillåtet statsstöd kan genom den här definitionen inkludera många typer av situationer och EU-domstolen har gjort en vid tolkning av vad som kan inräknas. Därav kan det bli oklart var gränsen går för vad som kan innefattas i detta begrepp. Det är en oklarhet som blir intressant i förhållande till vad som... (More)
Regleringen av statsstöd är ett EU-rättsligt instrument för att styra förutsättningarna för konkurrensen på EU:s inre marknad. För att det ska vara ett otillåtet statsstöd krävs att det ska vara en åtgärd som genomförs av en medlemsstat eller genom statliga medel, av vilket slag som helst, som medför hot om eller snedvridning av konkurrens som gynnar vissa företag eller viss produktion och påverkar handeln mellan medlemsstaterna. Ett otillåtet statsstöd kan genom den här definitionen inkludera många typer av situationer och EU-domstolen har gjort en vid tolkning av vad som kan inräknas. Därav kan det bli oklart var gränsen går för vad som kan innefattas i detta begrepp. Det är en oklarhet som blir intressant i förhållande till vad som fastställs om ställande av ekonomisk säkerhet i rådets direktiv 1999/31/EG om deponering av avfall. Den ekonomiska säkerheten ska garantera att en verksamhetsutövare har möjlighet att utföra åtgärder som kan krävas vid hanteringen av en deponi. I Sverige uppkom frågan om direktivet tillåter ett undantag för offentliga verksamhetsutövare att inte behöva ställa ekonomisk säkerhet. Men är en sådan särbehandling förenlig med regleringen av statsstöd? Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om ett undantag för offentliga verksamhetsutövare att ställa ekonomisk säkerhet för deponier i Sverige är ett otillåtet statsstöd. Undersökningen utgår ifrån en EU-rättslig metod och grundas på hur statsstöd har bedömts i EU-domstolen.

Resultatet av studien visar på att en befrielse ifrån en ekonomisk säkerhet kan inkluderas i begreppet stöd så som det definierats av EU-domstolen. För att det ska vara fråga om ett otillåtet statsstöd krävs dock att åtgärden inneburit ett gynnande. Ju mer ingripande den ekonomiska säkerheten är, desto större risk att det innebär ett gynnande. I Sverige förekommer allt från separata konton för säkerheter till borgensåtaganden för deponier.
För att det ska vara fråga om ett gynnande krävs en ekonomisk fördel, en befrielse från en ekonomisk säkerhet kan vara en sådan fördel. Dock krävs också att fördelen är icke marknadsmässig. I studien kan det inte påvisas att det är ett icke- marknadsmässigt beteende eftersom staten, oavsett vem som är verksamhetsutövare, ändå är slutligt ansvarig. Vilket minskar behovet av ekonomisk säkerhet. Ett undantag för offentliga verksamhetsutövare att ställa ekonomisk säkerhet kan vara hänförligt till både statligt medel och statligt agerande och eftersom avfallshantering sker på EU:s interna marknad kan undantaget få en potentiell påverkan på konkurrensen och samhandeln. Eftersom studien inte kan påvisa att alla villkoren är uppfyllda är det därmed inte bevisat att agerandet är ett otillåtet statsstöd. Dock lämnar alla kriterierna öppet för argumentation, vilket gör att utgången inte är fastställd. (Less)
Abstract
The state aid rules are tools for maintaining competition at the internal market of the European Union. To constitute a state aid a measure must: be granted by a state or through resources of the state, the aid can be in any form, the measure shall distort or threaten to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods, and the state aid shall affect the trade between Member states. By this definition, various types of situations are included. In the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) the concept of state aid has been broadly interpreted. This can lead to uncertainty whether a certain situation is to be regarded as a state aid or not. The uncertainty can be interesting in relation to the... (More)
The state aid rules are tools for maintaining competition at the internal market of the European Union. To constitute a state aid a measure must: be granted by a state or through resources of the state, the aid can be in any form, the measure shall distort or threaten to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods, and the state aid shall affect the trade between Member states. By this definition, various types of situations are included. In the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) the concept of state aid has been broadly interpreted. This can lead to uncertainty whether a certain situation is to be regarded as a state aid or not. The uncertainty can be interesting in relation to the financial security being stipulated in the Council Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste. The purpose of the financial security is to guarantee that holders of landfills have the economic possibility to handle their landfill in accordance with the requirements. In Sweden, a discussion was raised whether the directive on landfill of waste allowed exceptions to the financial security for landfills handled by public holders. But is such an exception compliant with the regulation of state aid? The aim of this thesis is to investigate if an exception for public holders to provide financial security is constituting a state aid. The analysis is based on a European legal method. Judgements from the CJEU is used to analyse the applicability of state aid.

The result of the thesis shows that a release for public holders of landfills from the requirement to provide a financial security can be included in the concept of state aid according to the interpretation by the CJEU. To fulfil the requirements of a state aid, the measure taken by the state must be favouring certain undertakings. The more interference that the requirement for financial security result in for an undertaking, the higher the risk that an exception from financial security for public holders results in a favouring of such operators. In Sweden, several different types of financial securities exist for landfills, from separate bank accounts to collaterals. A favouring of a certain undertaking requires the existence of an economic advantage, the study shows that an exception from financial security can be such an economic advantage. However, another requirement is that the advantage is not given under normal market conditions. The study cannot show that the measure is given under market conditions that are not normal since public actors, regardless of who is the operator of the landfill, is finally responsible. This fact deteriorates the incentive to demand financial security from public holders. The study shows that an exception for public holders to provide financial security imply that the measure is granted by the state and that it is taken with resources from the state. Since waste trade is regulated at the internal market, the measure can possibly distort competition and affect the trade between the Member states. But since the criterion of normal market conditions has not been shown to be fulfilled, it is not proven that the measure of exempting public operators from financial security is a state aid. Every criterion of the existence of state aid is open to argumentation and that implicate that the final determination of whether the exemption from financial security is or is not a state aid is not undisputable. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Simonsson, Johanna LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Constituting state aid? - Exemption for public holders from providing financial security for landfills
course
LAGF03 20201
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
EU-rätt, konkurrensrätt, statsstöd
language
Swedish
id
9010070
date added to LUP
2020-09-21 13:56:44
date last changed
2020-09-21 13:56:44
@misc{9010070,
  abstract     = {{The state aid rules are tools for maintaining competition at the internal market of the European Union. To constitute a state aid a measure must: be granted by a state or through resources of the state, the aid can be in any form, the measure shall distort or threaten to distort competition by favouring certain undertakings or the production of certain goods, and the state aid shall affect the trade between Member states. By this definition, various types of situations are included. In the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) the concept of state aid has been broadly interpreted. This can lead to uncertainty whether a certain situation is to be regarded as a state aid or not. The uncertainty can be interesting in relation to the financial security being stipulated in the Council Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste. The purpose of the financial security is to guarantee that holders of landfills have the economic possibility to handle their landfill in accordance with the requirements. In Sweden, a discussion was raised whether the directive on landfill of waste allowed exceptions to the financial security for landfills handled by public holders. But is such an exception compliant with the regulation of state aid? The aim of this thesis is to investigate if an exception for public holders to provide financial security is constituting a state aid. The analysis is based on a European legal method. Judgements from the CJEU is used to analyse the applicability of state aid.

The result of the thesis shows that a release for public holders of landfills from the requirement to provide a financial security can be included in the concept of state aid according to the interpretation by the CJEU. To fulfil the requirements of a state aid, the measure taken by the state must be favouring certain undertakings. The more interference that the requirement for financial security result in for an undertaking, the higher the risk that an exception from financial security for public holders results in a favouring of such operators. In Sweden, several different types of financial securities exist for landfills, from separate bank accounts to collaterals. A favouring of a certain undertaking requires the existence of an economic advantage, the study shows that an exception from financial security can be such an economic advantage. However, another requirement is that the advantage is not given under normal market conditions. The study cannot show that the measure is given under market conditions that are not normal since public actors, regardless of who is the operator of the landfill, is finally responsible. This fact deteriorates the incentive to demand financial security from public holders. The study shows that an exception for public holders to provide financial security imply that the measure is granted by the state and that it is taken with resources from the state. Since waste trade is regulated at the internal market, the measure can possibly distort competition and affect the trade between the Member states. But since the criterion of normal market conditions has not been shown to be fulfilled, it is not proven that the measure of exempting public operators from financial security is a state aid. Every criterion of the existence of state aid is open to argumentation and that implicate that the final determination of whether the exemption from financial security is or is not a state aid is not undisputable.}},
  author       = {{Simonsson, Johanna}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Är det ett otillåtet statsstöd? - Undantag för offentliga aktörer att ställa ekonomisk säkerhet för deponier}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}