The European Commission is investigating the money disbursed to the Al Mater Olbia Region, the Gallura hospital owned by the Qatar Foundation. The hypothesis of Brussels is that "it cannot be excluded" that public money to the private structure "may constitute state aid pursuant to article 107 of the TFEU", reads a communication sent to Cagliari, inviting the Region to provide clarifications.
The normative reference is to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which in the cited article states: "Aid granted by States, or through State resources, is incompatible with the internal market, to the extent that it affects trade between Member States , in any form which, by favoring certain companies or certain productions, distorts or threatens to distort competition".
From the documents currently available, it is not possible to establish the amount of the disputed sum. Furthermore, the EU Commission asks to "provide information regarding the reference period of the aid", noting that "at the end of 2019, no company had been affected by the economic crisis deriving from the Covid 19 pandemic". In that year, the council the regional authority had authorized expenditure of over 140 million divided over various years.
Responses from Sardinia were expected by the end of January.
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)
