State Aid and EU/EEA Law

The rules on state aid are designed to ensure fair competition. At the same time, they enable national and local authorities to support important socio-economic goals – such as regional development, environmental protection, research and innovation – provided competition is not unduly distorted. Striking this balance is complex, particularly for businesses facing subsidised competitors, or for public authorities wishing to use aid as a legitimate policy tool.

At Arntzen Grette, we combine deep legal knowledge with the market insight required to navigate this field. We have acted in some of the most high-profile cases, secured important victories for our clients, and contributed to landmark clarifications with wide significance for business. We advise both public authorities, ensuring that aid is granted lawfully, and market actors, helping them challenge unlawful subsidies.

Selected references include:

• Eviny AS – before the EFTA Court, where the company successfully argued that the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) had wrongly concluded it had received unlawful state aid for street lighting in Bergen
• Three private fitness centres – in litigation against Frogn municipality claiming damages due to unlawful aid to the municipal gym (“the Bølgen case”). The Supreme Court found in favour of the fitness centres on nearly all key legal issues
• Norwegian Environment Agency – on the state aid framework for Klimasats, a grant scheme supporting environmental measures in Norwegian municipalities
• SINTEF Ocean AS – on the state aid aspects of establishing the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre
• The Federation of Norwegian Industries – on the scope for lawful aid measures targeted at the industrial sector