Search results : 1348

The Commission has closed its investigation into the financing of the Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep (Flemish Radio and Television Broadcasting – VRT). After complaints from several private competitors were received in 2004, a preliminary investigation on behalf of the Commission had found the VRT financing regime to be in breach of EC Treaty state aid rules. These rules declare subsidies liable to distort competition to be incompatible with the common market (Article 87). The VRT’s funding measures pre-existed the entry into force of the EC Treaty and, therefore, amounted to “existing aid”...

Against the background of a procedure for a preliminary ruling requested by the Koblenz District Court (see IRIS 2006-9: 5), the Court of Justice of the European Communities (ECJ) has decided that Article 28 of the EC Treaty does not stand in the way of domestic provisions that prohibit the sale and delivery of picture storage media that have not been examined and classified for youth protection purposes by the relevant body. However, this does not apply when the legal procedure for examining, classifying and labelling picture storage media is difficult to access, or is not concluded within a reasonable...

T-Systems Media & Broadcast GmbH, owned by the Telekom group, has been sold for EUR 850 million to French network operator Télédiffusion de France (TDF). After the takeover was approved by the European Commission on 8 January 2008, both companies announced that the sale had been completed on 15 January 2008. The sale of the 100% subsidiary of T-Systems Business Services GmbH is part of the group’s “concentration and targeted growth” strategy, presented on 1 March 2007, under which Deutsche Telekom intends to sell its holdings in companies which no longer belong to its core areas of business. Media...

A number of changes to the ownership structure of German media companies have recently taken place, requiring the approval of the cartel and media concentration authorities. At the beginning of January 2008, it was announced that the acquisition by Axel Springer AG of the shares owned by Deutsche Telekom AGin the jointly run Internet portal bild.t-online.de had been approved and completed (case no. B 6-237/07). The online portal is accessible at the address bild.de and the publishing company’s related activities will be carried out by the firm Bild digital AG & Co. KG. After Axel Springer’s takeover...

The European Commission has concluded that German tax regulations for non-resident taxpayers introduced in April 2007 are incompatible with the freedom to provide services. The Commission announced its decision in a press release on 31 January 2008. In a Supplementary Reasoned Opinion under Article 226 of the EC Treaty, it therefore requested Germany to modify the system. In contrast to resident taxpayers who have to declare their income annually, certain categories of non-residents (mainly artists, sportsmen and journalists) have to pay a withholding tax at source of a maximum of 25% on their...