State Aids to the Press: The EU’s Perspective

The purpose of this article is to examine the European Commission’s practice with respect to the enforcement of the EU State aid rules and explore its effects for Member States’ press support policies. What is the approach followed by the European Commission when domestic aid schemes seek to sustain the press and promote pluralism in information? How is the European Commission confronted with Member States’ efforts to foster democratic debate through the press and what are the implications of the European Commission’s State aid evaluation for Member States’ policy strategies targeting newspapers, magazines and periodicals? The analysis will seek to respond to such questions, invest...