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I. Introduction
The purpose of this article is to present different approaches to establishing authorities responsible for State aid control in Central and Eastern European countries (the "Region") associated with the European Union. The association agreements that these countries have signed with the EU include the requirement to ensure that the State aid control authority is independent. The laws of associated countries should guarantee this independence.
Knowledge of which forms of State aid authorities have most frequently been established by such laws and what kind of risks to their independence arose not only has a cognitive value but also a practical importance. This knowledge can help countries involved in the EU integration process, such as Ukraine, Moldova and others to choose adequate solutions when they implement reforms of their State aid systems.
II. Types of State aid authorities
Different types of State aid authorities of the Region are presented in Table 1, which contains data, listed in alphabetical order, concerning 16 countries of the Region during their association periods. This table allows for a comparison of the institutional solutions used in ten countries of the Region before their accessions to the EU in the last decade and the solutions used in six currently associated countries. Table 1 also includes data related to population, years when association agreements entered into force, adoption of State aid laws (as well as changes of the laws and major amendments), and the current status of the country (whether it is now an associated country or a Member State).
Table 1 does not include countries in the Region which signed association agreements with the EU but did not adopt State aid laws, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also does include countries which established regulations on State aid but did not yet sign association agreements, such as Armenia and Georgia. Finally, Table 1 does not include State aid laws implemented by the countries in the Region at the time of their accessions to the EU. The reason is that upon a country's accession, the competence of State aid control is moved from the national level to the European Commission. The role of a national State aid authority in the Member States is limited to duties such as advising national State...