Public funding of the Ciudad de la Luz film studios in Alicante is under scrutiny by the European Commission, who have announced an in-depth investigation to determine if funding from the Generalitat de Valencia, the regional government, could have distorted competition between European studios. It follows complaints from two film companies in Europe, and there are concerns that the Generalitat’s investment could have violated European regulations on state aid. Brussels said the Ciudad de la Luz complex is wholly owned by a company which is itself owned by the Valencia government through the Sociedad de Proyectos Temáticos de la Comunitat Valencia.
The European Commissioner for Competition, Neelie Kroes, said in a statement released to the press that the studios have so far received 200 million € of public money, and pointed out that the final amount could be higher once construction is complete. The EC said the Spanish authorities’ argument is that the public support was not state aid as a private investor would have invested on the same terms: the statement adds that the Commission, ‘doubts that a private investor would have provided 100% funding for such a new large-scale entrant in a competitive market.’
The latest Asterix movie, Asterix at the Olympic Games, was shot at the Ciudad de la Luz, and premiered in Spain earlier this month.
1 comments:
Interestingly after hundreds of millions of EU money being pumped into this project, and all the politicians accused of embezzlement (surely not!), I was up there today and it now employs 25 people - some security people and half a dozen gardeners and maintenance people. This is 2014, six years after the scandal broke. Has anyone gone to prison? Has any of the stolen funds been returned?I doubt it.
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