The Master's thesis analyses the admissibility and presence of state aid for ski resorts located in the Alpine region of the European Union (EU). The aim of the master's thesis is to examine the phenomenon of admissible state funding for the ski industry in the EU Member States of the Alpine region. The ski industry is a capital-intensive sector which, in the face of climate change, will need more and more investment. At the same time, the Alpine region is one of the most visited areas for winter tourism. The two research questions of the Master's thesis are in which cases state funding of ski resorts is justified and whether the modalities and extent of state aid differ between individual EU Member States of the Alpine region. In order to find answers, the thesis analyses industrial policy, cohesion policy, the EU tourism strategy and competition policy. The Master's thesis also provides an overview of the funding modalities by selected Alpine countries and a case study of notified State aid cases before the European Commission in the field of ski resorts and their infrastructure. The thesis concludes that the methods and extent of funding vary between EU Member States. Furthermore, state funding of ski resorts is present and allowed due to the current state aid legislation, which provides for a number of exemptions and is sometimes very broad in meaning, and due to the political interest of the EU and of individual countries.
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