Status SNCF: France is opposed to Brussels
The European Commission, guardian of competition in the European Union, is very interested in the station, according to Les Echos published on Monday. As for La Poste, it requires that France put an end to the "unlimited state guarantee" that the company enjoys as a public industrial and commercial (EPIC). This does not mean a change of status into a limited company, which is the sole responsibility of the French state, but this would pave the way for a reform in this direction.
The European Commission had made the same request to all Member States in July 2008 with the ambition of a Complies to share its requirements in two years, ie by July 2010.According to the newspaper, France, Portugal, Italy and the United Kingdom is problematic, one month maturity.
The guarantee unlimited public is considered a "state aid incompatible" with EU competition law by the Commission. With this guarantee, the company is in fact not subject to the law on bankruptcy and insolvency. The state covers all the group's commitments and repay debts if the company can do itself. In the case of La Poste, the transformation of the public enterprise into a limited company had solved the problem of the unlimited guarantee.
The situation is repeated Does the station? According to Les Echos, the French government sent an absolute bar to the Commission in early April, saying that "France rejects the view expressed by the European Commission will present its legal arguments because the government 's will not change the status of Epic SNCF.
On Monday, the Secretary of State for Transport Dominique Bussereau said in a statement it was "no question of changing the status of EPIC SNCF, which does not entitle its holder a competitive advantage." The statement said that France had asked the Court of Justice against the EU Commission.