Competition Policy in Subsidies and State Aid

Many sectors of OECD economies are strongly influenced by government policies, which provide financial support, assistance or aid to individual firms in an industry. Subsidies, like regulations, may be either beneficial or harmful, either promoting welfare or distorting competition, depending on the circumstances. The debate focused on subsidies which arise whenever an enterprise or a consumer receives a benefit whose cost is wholly or partly, directly or indirectly, paid by the state. The roundtable discussed notably the different forms of control, and how they distinguish legitimate from illegitimate subsidies