Commissie vindt steun aan Tsjechische kabelbaan geen staatssteun (en)

The European Commission has concluded that financial support of CZK 250 million (€10 million) for the reconstruction of a cableway on Mount Snežka, a mountain situated on the border between the Czech Republic with Poland, does not constitute state aid in the sense of European Union rules. It also concluded to the absence of distortions of competition. The planned support had been notified to the Commission for reasons of legal certainty.

The support will be granted to the municipality Pec pod Snežkou, as owner and main shareholder of the cableway operator that connects the town with the summit of Mount Snežka. Mount Snežka is situated on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland, in the protected area of the Krkonoše / Karkonosze National Park and thus subject to strict regulations (e.g. limitation on capacity, prohibition of sport / tourism facilities, etc.).

The cableway represents the most environmentally-friendly means of transport in this protected area, de facto replacing the need for a main access road. Besides satisfying general transport needs, the cableway enables to carry goods to and from the mountain top and provides access to the area for mountain rescue purposes. The only alternative means of access to the summit available to the general public are pedestrian paths.

Due to restrictions imposed by the national parks, it is excluded for economic, legal and environmental reasons that a cableway or any alternative means of transport to the summit could be newly constructed and operated on either side of the mountain. The service provided by the cableway is therefore not subject to competition and trade between Member States which consequently, exempts the funding provided by the State from EU state aid control.

The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number N 702/2009 in the State Aid Register on the DG Competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. New publications of state aid decisions on the internet and in the Official Journal are listed in the State Aid Weekly e-News.