Empowering Growth: State Aid and Industrial Policy in the European Union

The project Empowering Growth: State Aid and Industrial Policy in the European Union co-led by Lena Hornkohl and Dionysios Pelekis from Utrecht University brings together leading voices to explore the tensions and synergies between EU competition and state aid law, industrial strategy, and global economic shifts. The project will culminate in an edited volume published in 2026 in Kluwer's International Competition Law Series. First ideas are laid down in a working paper accessible here.

Outline & Planned Contributions

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Contextualisation – The Foundations of EU State Aid and Industrial Policy

The Goals and Telos of State Aid Control in the Context of Industrial Policy: Wout De Cock (VUB)
State Aid Prohibition and Compatibility: Lukas Reiter (University of Klagenfurt)
The Balancing Exercise in EU State aid law: Juan Jorge Piernas Lopez (Universidad de Murcia)
EU Industrial Policy – Past, Present, Future: Pim Jansen (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam)
The Funding of EU Industrial Policy: Joris Gruyters (KU Leuven)
EU v National Industrial Policy: Monika Papp (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences)
The Global Context of EU Industrial Policy: Nikolas Vander Vennet (VUB)

Part 3: The Fundamental Structure of the Interconnections and Interdependencies of EU State Aid and Industrial Policy

The Theoretical Foundations of the Interrelation Between State Aid Compatibility and EU Industrial Policy: Dionysios Pelekis (Utrecht University)
A Legal Analysis on the Interrelation Between State Aid Compatibility and EU Industrial Policy: Phedon Nicolaides (Maastricht University)

Part 4: A Sectoral Objective Perspective on State Aid and EU Industrial Policy

Environmental Protection and Energy Aid: Liegh Hancher (University of Tilburg)
R&D&I Aid: Jan Blockx (University of Antwerp)
IPCEIs: Aurelien Boronat (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Comparative Exercise: Caroline Buts and Robin Vandendriessche (VUB)

Part 5: State Aid as a Crisis Response Mechanism in Context of Industrial Policy

2008 Banking Crisis: Malgorzata Cyndecka (University of Bergen)
Covid-19 Pandemic: Irene Agnolucci (Bocconi University)
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Nicole Deneka (University of the National Education Commission of Krakow)
Comparative Exercise: Christopher Vollert (Clayton & Segura)

Part 6: EU Industrial Policy Beyond but Intertwined with State Aid Law

Foreign Subsidies Regulation: Pierfrancesco Mattiolo (University of Antwerp)
CBAM: Vincent Piegsa (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft)
Public Procurement: Pinelopi Giosa (Reading University)
Defence Procurement and Policy: Aris Georgopoulos (University of Nottingham)
Comparative Exercise: Wolfgang Weiß (University of Speyer)

Part 7: Synthesis and Analysis

The “new” State Aid Compatibility Regime as a Lever of EU Industrial Policy: Dionysios Pelekis (Utrecht University) and Lena Hornkohl (University of Vienna)
Conflict of Goals and Their Effects: Massimo Merola (Bonelli Erede)
A Conflicted System: Luca Rubini (Università di Torino)
Future Outlook: Dionysios Pelekis (Utrecht University) and Lena Hornkohl (University of Vienna)