This master’s thesis, titled The Impact of Links Between Entities on the Granting of State Aid, examines the effect of various links, including those between companies as well as between natural persons, on the granting of state aid. The thesis presents a complex system of rules, the case law of the EU courts, and the practice of the European Commission, which together provide an answer to the question of whether such links influence the granting of state aid and what their consequences are. Links between entities do not, in fact, determine who is eligible to receive aid, however they do affect the intensity and type of aid to which a company is entitled, and in certain cases may prevent the receipt of aid altogether. The thesis also addresses the application of these rules to state aid schemes applicable in the Republic of Slovenia. In this regard, a deviation from the discussed rules is highlighted, although it is not entirely clear whether this is actually a deviation or merely the result of ambiguously worded provisions in the schemes. The presented framework is complex and requires a comprehensive assessment of links in every case, as only such an assessment enables the lawful granting of state aid while simultaneously limiting the abuse of state aid rules to the greatest extent possible.
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