Our State Aid and Structural Funds Capabilities
Our State aid & EU funds practice provides advice to domestic and international companies on a wide range of State aid and structural funds matters. Our substantial experience in providing advice to both State-owned entities and private undertakings on issues related to State aid has been built on regular successes in investigations, obtaining various grants for our clients and assisting in state aid compliance. We represent State aid beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries and national authorities in all phases of state aid procedures, being frequently involved during the “design phases”.
The team consists of well acknowledged State aid experts, with longstanding experience in dealing with the European Commission and an excellent network in Brussels, via our collaboration with the State-aid White & Case team, which gives us a strong international exposure with respect to the aspects expected to benefit from non-Romanian law insight.
Our team has been involved in a large number of significant transactions covering a broad range of industries, which in the recent past have included assistance to:
| ■ | a major Romanian producer in the chemical industry in the Central and Eastern Europe in challenging the European Commission’s decision regarding an allegedly illegal State aid before the European General Court. |
| ■ | an association in the agriculture sector on matters related to specific support schemes for the agricultural sector in the context of the ongoing European Common Agricultural Policy reform. |
| ■ | an association in the agriculture sector, in drafting a proposed State aid support scheme for certain investments in the agricultural sector within the Temporary Framework issued by the European Commission in the context of the COVID-19 pandemics. |
| ■ | a major Romanian producer in the chemical industry in Central and Eastern Europe in connection with the development of key criteria to ensure discontinuity between the company and the buyer, in consideration of an ongoing EC investigation into illegal state aid; analysis of possible transaction structures, with specific consideration of EU state aid aspects, with a view to the suggested transaction structure ensuring economic discontinuity. |
| ■ | a large Swiss corporate group active in the biofuels industry in connection with the construction of a new sugar plant in Romania, including via partial financing through State aid. |
| ■ | a worldwide pharmaceutical giant in connection with the available state aid possibilities and structural funds in the pharma industry. |
| ■ | a major steel manufacturer in connection with the possibilities available under the existing legal framework to access structural funds in the programming period 2014-2020 for energy efficiency and environmental protection investments. |
| ■ | the project company, in all aspects related to the pre-project phase for the development, construction and operation of units 3 and 4 of Cernavoda nuclear power plant. |
| ■ | a large US investor in the automotive field in connection with a state aid application and, subsequently, its amendment under Government Decision 1680/2008. |
| ■ | the Romanian subsidiary of a major global manufacturer active in the automotive industry, with three financing applications for state aid within calls for proposals open in the SOP Development of Human Resources. |
| ■ | the world largest FMCG in connection with the procurement procedures carried out for the implementation of a structural funds project within the Operational Programme Increase of Economic Competitiveness for the period 2007-2014. |
| ■ | a major Romanian power producer in connection with potential State aid legal issues related to certain ongoing supply contracts. |
| ■ | an international financial institution, as lender, in connection with a EUR 400 million term loan facility to the local subsidiary of the automotive industry giant, for the refurbishment and expansion of its plant in Romania. |
| ■ | an international company in relation to an investigation by the Romanian Competition Council in connection with the public procurement market for activities financed through structural funds, down-raids and other competition aspects. |
| ■ | various players in the pharma industry in connection with the potential financing possibilities under existing state aid schemes adopted in Romania pursuant to the General Block Exemption Regulation and under the new legal framework of structural funds for the programming period 2014-2020. |
| ■ | a US investor in the energy equipment field in connection with a USD 120mn Greenfield project and state aid aspects. |
| ■ | a major steel manufacturer in connection with the possibility to implement a state aid scheme under Romanian law, based on the ETS Directive for the recovery of indirect costs of CO2. |
| ■ | a manufacturer of automotive components in connection with EU structural funds in the HR and R&D field. |
| ■ | a major player on the energy market in connection with the organization of public procurement procedures (and related litigation) for three structural funds projects financing the development of the gas distribution infrastructure. |
CONTACTS
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Lucian Bondoc
Managing Partner
+40 31 224 8400
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Simona Petrisor
Partner
+40 31 224 8400
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CONTACTS
|
Lucian Bondoc
Managing Partner
+40 31 224 8400
|
Simona Petrisor
Partner
+40 31 224 8400
|