In the EU, the use of state funding for private sector projects is always subject to state aid rules, which aim to ensure that competition is not unduly distorted.

Over four weeks, we are presenting selected case summaries from Cullen International’s new State Aid & Subsidies service, highlighting how the European Commission’s approach to enforcing these state aid rules is evolving together with the EU’s broadband policy objectives.

Our second highlighted case covers the 2021 €2.1bn German aid scheme to support the rollout of passive mobile infrastructure for high-performance 4G, or more advanced mobile voice and data services in the underserved areas of the country.

This was the first large nationwide mobile broadband deployment measure notified to the European Commission.

The clearance decision offers a preview of the Commission’s approach to subsidised mobile network deployments, ahead of formal guidance expected later this year in the revised Broadband State Aid Guidelines.

For access to the case summary and/or a demo of our case database, please "Request Access" or simply on "Access the full content”, in case you are already subscribed to our State Aid & Subsidies service.