State Aid Procedures, Enforcement & the SANI System & Introductory Workshop on State Aid Principles (Introductory Workshop 14 April 2010 am)

On 14-16 April, the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) is organizing a new seminar on “State Aid Procedures and Enforcement & the SANI System”. In addition, for those interested, there will be anintroductory workshop on Wednesday morning 14 April 2010. This will present the basic principles involved in the application of state aid rules, and provide an opportunity to work together on a number of cases.

The European Union has developed an elaborate system of procedures to control the granting of state aid by Member State authorities (Council Regulation No. 659/1999). In order to further simplify and modernize its procedures in view of the enlargement, the Commission has adopted Implementing Regulation No. 794/2004 that takes also into account, through modification by Commission Regulation No 271/2008, the introduction of electronic submission of notifications.

The purpose of the seminar is to examine in depth the interpretation and application of these procedural rules. Recovery of aid, which constitutes a weak spot in the enforcement, third parties’ rights and the application of state aid rules by national courts are some of the topics that will be analyzed in detail. The seminar will also provide a forum for comparing national experiences as regards administrative arrangements for notifying and registering aid and the enforcement of recovery decisions. There will also be a working group exercise on how to deal with the assessment of cases that combine state aid with structural funds. Finally, the seminar will also provide, in cooperation with the European Commission, practice oriented training on the notification process. This training will be delivered by Commission official and national representatives. There will be a presentation on SANI which (still) raises practical issues for users. There will be a review of the most frequent problems and issues encountered when receiving/dealing with notifications. Commission will outline the aims in the context of best-practice proposals. Furthermore, representatives of national administrations will present their experiences and views of the process.

Speakers will include officials from EU Institutions and Member State administrations, EIPA personnel and practitioners. The seminar aims to meet the needs of middle managers and senior officials from all levels of government and local authorities, officials from public enterprises, representatives of business and trade associations, as well as lawyers and economists.

EIPA, which is organizing and hosting the workshop, has extensive experience and a well-established track record in professional training activities. The seminar is also a continuation of the Institute’s research and seminars in the broader area of competition policy. The working language of the seminar will be English. Important notice: In view of the strong demand for state aid seminars,

EIPA operates a system of first-come-first-serve. The seminars tend to be fully booked well in advance of the registration deadline. Please send your registration as soon as possible. For further information and registration, please consult: EIPA web site: http://www.eipa.eu

Programme
The Introductory workshop on State Aid Principles will commence on Wednesday morning 14 April at 9.30 hrs. The main seminar will commence on Wednesday afternoon 14 April 2010 at 14.30 hrs and will finish on Friday 16 April 2010 at 12.30 hrs.

Seminar venue
The seminar will take place at the European Institute of Public Administration, O.L. Vrouweplein 22, NL-6211 HE Maastricht, tel.: +31.43.3296222, fax: +31.43.3296296.

Working language
The seminar will be conducted in English.

Fee
€ 225: Participation in the Introductory Workshop on State Aid Principles on 14 April 2010. The participation fee includes documentation distributed during the seminar, one lunch and refreshments.
€ 800: Participation in the main State Aid Seminar on Procedures and Enforcement & The SANI System on 14 April p.m. – 16 April 2010. The participation fee includes documentation distributed during the seminar, two lunches, one reception and refreshments.
Participants will receive a copy of the 2008 edition of our book “State Aid Policy in the European Community: Principles and Practice”, which is published in cooperation with Kluwer.
Accommodation and travel costs are at the expense of the participants or their administration.
EIPA offers its members a reduction of 10% of the registration fee. This reduction is available to all civil servants working for one of EIPA’s member countries (i.e. AT, BE, CY, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, MT, NL, PL, PT, ES, SE, UK) as well as civil servants working for an EU institution or agency. If you are eligible for a discount, please tick the box in the registration form. Please note that reductions cannot be accumulated. For more information, please visit EIPA’s website: www.eipa.eu (FAQ-special discounts).

Hotel reservations
The European Institute of Public Administration will be pleased to make reservations for you at a hotel in Maastricht. We have made a block booking at the following hotel:

Hotel Beaumont**** (www.beaumont.nl) at a rate of € 102 p.p.p.n. (incl. breakfast and tourist)

Should you wish to make use of this possibility, please indicate the name of the hotel and the dates of arrival and departure on the registration form. Payment is to be made directly and personally to the hotel on checking out. Please note that if you register after the closing date, hotel reservations cannot be guaranteed.

Meals
The lunches and reception will be served at the Institute’s restaurant. Should you require a special menu (e.g. vegetarian, diabetic), please inform the Programme Organiser so that this can be arranged.

Registration
Kindly complete the online registration form and return it before Friday 31 March 2010. Please submit your registration as soon as possible. EIPA operates a system of first-come-first-serve.

Your name and address will be part of EIPA’s database for our mailing purpose only. If you do not want to be included in our mailing database, please tick the box on the registration form.

Confirmation
Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants on receipt of the completed registration form.

Payment
Prior payment is a condition for participation. Please indicate the method of payment on the registration form. In any case, the participant or his/her administration will receive an invoice for the payment of the registration fee. For cancellations received after the date indicated on the registration form we will have to charge an administration fee of € 150 unless a replacement participant is found.

Cancellation Policy
EIPA reserves the right to cancel the seminar up to two weeks before the starting date. EIPA accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred (travel, hotel, etc.). For EIPA’s cancellation policy, please visit our website (legal notice).