The Commission's Guidelines for assessing national environmental aid measures; Article 92(6) of the EC Treaty and the prohibition on aid which distorts competition; the case law on the meaning of "aid"; distortion of competition under Article 92 (1); the "adverse effect on trade" criterion in Article 92(1); the exemptions in Article 92(2) and (3) - aid to make good damage caused by natural disasters, the "European interest" exemption, aid for investment, aid to increase general environmental awareness, aid to provide training and consultancy, and operating aid; conclusion that the Commission's new Guidelines make a fair attempt to provide a framework for balancing the market forces arising from the "polluter pays" principle against the restriction of competition.
European Energy and Environmental Law Review