Dutch National State aid network launched

On September 30, 2013 a seminar was held in the Paushuize Utrecht on the occasion of the establishment of the Dutch National State aid network. With over 250 applications for the seminar interest was extremely high. The European Commission also showed great interest and was well represented.

Central theme of the afternoon was the increasing juridification and complexity of state aid. The participants could draw inspiration from the keynote speech by Arjen Meij (former judge at the Court of the European Union) and from contributions from Titus Livius (Director of Administration, Democracy and Finance of the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations) and Auke van der Goot (First Secretary at the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the EU). After that the afternoon fell apart in breakout sessions on SGEI’s (Service of General Economic Interest), area development, sports, energy, sustainability, housing corporations and agriculture.

After the breakout sessions Koen of Vandecasteele, head of the state-modernization program of the European Commission, outlined the future of state aid law. The afternoon ended with the inauguration of the National State aid network by Fenna Beekmans (Director of Europa decentraal knowledge centre) and Allard Knook (state aid lawyer, CMS).

During the afternoon the need for exchange of knowledge and practice clearly showed, as well as the interest of the various parties that are involved in state aid to better find each other. The State aid network hopes to meet this need. Initiators of the network are Robert-Jan van Lotringen (Dutch Ministry of the Interior), Lisanne Boer (Europa decentraal knowledge centre), Bart Hessel (Utrecht University), Allard Knook (CMS) and Maarten Aalbers and Paul Adriaanse (Leiden University, Leiden Expert Group on State Aid - LEGSA).

Interested parties can register via: www.staatssteunnetwerk.nl