EU companies have long bemoaned the fact that foreign competitors often benefit from unfair advantages in the form of state support when operating in the EU market. Similarly, Member States have voiced complaints about their companies being vulnerable to state-backed take-overs from groups outside the EU. These and other uncompetitive practices from third countries, mainly China, in the EU market are main drivers behind the new mechanisms envisaged by the European Commission in its White Paper on Levelling the Playing Field as Regards Foreign Subsidies.

The paper launches a discussion on possible policy measures to address the distortion of competition in the EU through foreign subsidies. It outlines a framework to address regulatory gaps in relation to foreign subsidies distorting the internal market through:

• the general market operation of economic operators active in the EU (module 1);
• acquisitions of EU undertakings (module 2);
• public procurement procedures (module 3).

Download Nove’s note to learn more.