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 maybe either beneficial or harmful, either promoting welfare or distorting competition, depending on the circumstances. A roundtable discussion held in the Competition Committee in February 2001 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 it explored as well the nature of these controls, and in particular to what extent they are part of a broader system of ...