During February 2018, the European Commission decided twice on the public aid for the Czech Post, state enterprise. In both cases, the decisions were positive for the recipient of the grants. First, on 2 February 2018, the European Commission approved subsidy of financing of the operation of data boxes system for 2018 – 2022; subsequently, on 19 February 2018, the Commission also approved aid of financing of the so-called universal service obligation in 2013 – 2017.
Both decisions were preceded by a procedure lasting several years (the European Commission first heard from the applicant in the summer of 2015). Both decisions are essential for the society as a whole far exceeding the matter of public aid. During the investigations carried out by the European Commission, it was also necessary to assess and deal with two complaints regarding similar measures. According to a release of the Office for the Protection of Competition (available at http://www.uohs.cz/cs/informacni-centrum/tiskove-zpravy/verejna-podpora/2391-evropska-komise-schvalila-dve-opatreni-ve-prospech-ceske-posty.html), the scope of the aid is in the billions of crowns in both cases. The state should pay more than 2 billion crowns for the operation of the data box system over the five years from 2018 to 2022. In case of the so-called universal service obligation from the entire period from 2013 – 2017, this concerns the sum of up to 2.6 billion crowns.
Public versions of the decisions of the European Commission have not yet been published. They will, however, be available at http://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/register/.