The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation to examine whether the public financing of a test centre for high-speed trains and related equipment (Centro de Ensayos de Alta Tecnología Ferroviaria, CEATF) near Malaga in Spain is compatible with EU state aid rules. Under Spain’s current plans, the project costs of EUR 358.6 million would be fully financed by the EU Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Spain. At this stage, the Commission has doubts that the project pursues a genuine objective of common interest. The opening of an in-depth investigation gives interested parties an opportunity to submit comments and does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.
Moreover, the information provided by Spain so far is not sufficient to verify if the CEATF infrastructure would be effectively available to all potential users in the EU under open and non-discriminatory terms. The current projections also indicate that the project will remain vastly loss making, and it is doubtful that the public financing of the CEATF project will incentivise the private investors to complement the financing with private funding and share the risks of the project. The lack of any involvement of private investors implies that the maximum aid intensity, i.e. the proportion of the eligible investment costs, under the state aid rules on public support for the research infrastructure may not be respected.
The CEATF would be built in the region of Andalucia in Spain. It would have the purpose of allowing research on high-speed rail technology, approval and tuning of mobile rail equipment, infrastructure and superstructure elements.
Photo: www.euroxpress.es
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