This is a comprehensive work for practitioners on the Law of State Aids in the European Community, and is accessible to practitioners who do not specialise in competition law, as well as being a reference book for competition lawyers. The book discusses the substantive changes taking place under the EC's State Aid Action Plan, including the Regional Aid Guidelines, the creation of a General Block Exemption (consolidating the previous Block Exemptions for Training, SMEs and Employment, as well as extending to R&D, the Environment and Regional aspects) and the adoption of a Decision and Guidelines on the Services of General Economic Interest. Other innovations concern new Guidelines for R&D and Innovation, as well as the environment, Communications on interest rates, short term credit insurance and risk capital, modifications to the transparency directive and a new Framework on State aid to Shipbuilding. It covers the background and development of EC State Aid law, and the concept of State Aid, as well as more practical issues such as procedures for notification to the Commission and the various outcomes of the Commission's investigation, and judicial remedies in the European Courts. It also sets out the role of national courts in the enforcement of State Aid rules, and the actual application of various types of aid, including regional aids, horizontal aids and aids to specific industry sectors.