On June 8, 2023, Advocate General Kokott delivered her opinion on the Commission’s appeal of the General Court’s judgment annulling the Commission’s decision finding that Luxembourg had granted unauthorized State aid to Amazon in the form of a tax advantage. [1]  Advocate General  Kokott’s opinion endorsed the recent Court of Justice’s findings in Fiat,[2] which confirmed that there is no EU-wide arm’s length principle that the Commission can use as a standard of review for Member States’ tax decisions under EU State aid rules.  This opinion signals that the Fiat judgement will likely be the guide for ongoing and future tax ruling cases and investigations. 

On 30 June 2022, the EU institutions reached political agreement on a new regulation which will allow the European Commission to control non-EU government subsidies given to businesses active in the EU (the “Regulation”).

On May 5, 2021, the European Commission proposed a new draft regulation that, if adopted, would introduce sweeping measures aimed at controlling the impact of foreign subsidies on the EU single market.  The Proposed Regulation reflects the EU’s policy priority to pursue an “open strategic autonomy” and fits into the EU Industrial Strategy, updated on the same date.

Background

On May 5, 2021, the Commission proposed a draft regulation to tackle potential distortions in the internal market caused by foreign subsidies (“Draft Regulation”).[1]