Commission Decision (EU) 2016/151Show full title

Article 2

The following State aid, unlawfully put into effect by Germany through the measures listed below, in breach of Article 108(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, is incompatible with the internal market:

• The State aid granted in the form of:

  • Measure 1

    • the capital in the form of transfers to the capital reserve granted by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate to Nürburgring GmbH in the amounts of EUR 2 179 000 on 1 May 2002 and EUR 22 839 241 on 21 December 2004,

    • the capital in the form of increases of own capital provided to Nürburgring GmbH by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate in the amounts of EUR 4 398 300 on 31 August 2004 and EUR 9 000 000 on 4 September 2007 and by the district of Ahrweiler in the amounts of EUR 488 700 on 31 August 2004 and EUR 1 000 000 on 4 September 2007,

  • Part of measure 2

    • the loans granted by Nürburgring GmbH to Erlebnispark Nürburgring GmbH & Co. KG in the total amount of EUR 6 195 170,02 between 1 January 2006 and 29 April 2009,

    • the loans granted by Nürburgring GmbH to Motorsport Akademie Nürburgring GmbH & Co. KG in the amount of EUR 100 000 on 10 December 2002,

    • the loans granted by Nürburgring GmbH to Test & Training International GmbH in the amount of EUR 25 000 on 15 August 2002,

    • the loans granted by Nürburgring GmbH to Camp 4 Fun GmbH & Co. KG in the total amount of EUR 450 000 between 26 May 2009 and 18 December 2009,

    • the loans granted by Nürburgring GmbH to BikeWorld Nürburgring Besitz GmbH in the total amount of EUR 500 000 between 17 October 2003 and 27 October 2004,

    • the loans granted by Nürburgring GmbH to Bike World Nürburgring GmbH in the total amount of EUR 1 660 000 between 4 February 2004 and 22 July 2005,

    • the loans granted by Nürburgring GmbH to BikeWorld Nürburgring GmbH in the total amount of EUR 1 600 000 between 20 September 2005 and 4 April 2007,

  • Measure 3

    • the loans in the total amount of EUR 399 805 370 granted by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate to Nürburgring GmbH from 30 June 2003 to 11 May 2010,

  • Measure 4

    • the loan in the amount of EUR 300 000 granted by Nürburgring GmbH to Motorsport Resort Nürburgring GmbH on 27 December 2007,

  • Part of measure 5

    • the loans in the total amount of EUR 11 032 060 granted by Nürburgring GmbH to Cash Settlement and Ticketing GmbH from 27 August 2008 to 18 April 2011,

    • the letter of comfort provided by NG to CST on 23 December 2009, committing NG until 31 December 2011 to take measures that are necessary for preventing insolvency of CST,

    • the subordination of NG's claims against CST in the amount of EUR 10,4 million declared by NG on 13 December 2010,

  • Measure 6

    • the service fees in the total amount of EUR 640 000 paid by Nürburgring GmbH to IPC Gesellschaft für internationale Projektcoordination mbH for its services consisting in searching for private investors;

    • the loan in the amount of EUR 2 941 000 granted by Nürburgring GmbH to Motorsport Resort Nürburgring GmbH on 15 October 2008

  • Measure 7

    • the consideration in the amount of EUR 1 476 830,88 provided by Nürburgring GmbH to MI-Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs GmbH for the cession of claims of MI-Beteiligungs- und Verwaltungs GmbH, from loans taken by Cash Settlement and Ticketing GmbH as borrower, to Nürburgring GmbH carried out on 17 April 2009,

  • Measure 9

    • the guarantee provided by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate on 28 July 2010, in the amounts of EUR 96 574 200 and EUR 113 590 800 to Nürburgring GmbH, EUR 92 000 000 to Motorsport Resort Nürburgring GmbH and of EUR 23 100 000 to Congress- und Motorsport Hotel Nürburgring GmbH, for the fulfilment of liabilities of Nürburgring GmbH, Motorsport Resort Nürburgring GmbH and Congress- und Motorsport Hotel Nürburgring GmbH from the loans granted as measure 8,

  • Measure 10

    • the fixing of rent below market rate by Nürburgring GmbH resulting in a benefit of EUR 9 million for Nürburgring Automotive GmbH from 1 May 2010 to 31 October 2012,

  • Measure 12

    • the guarantee provided by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate towards Investitions- und Strukturbank Rheinland-Pfalz GmbH, allowing Motorsport Resort Nürburgring GmbH to receive loans in the amount of EUR 85 484 000,

  • Measure 13

    • the grants provided by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate to Nürburgring GmbH from revenues of the Land Rhineland-Palatinate from a tax on gambling in the amounts of EUR 1,6 million on 29 December 2009, EUR 3,2 million on 29 October 2010 and EUR 3,2 million on 29 March 2011,

  • Measure 14

    • the loans granted by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate to Nürburgring GmbH in the amounts of EUR 20 million on 21 August 2007, EUR 10 million on 22 December 2009, EUR 4,65 million on 28 December 2010, EUR 3,2 million on 26 April 2011 and EUR 4,95 million on 9 December 2011,

    • the subordination of its claims from the loan of 29 August 2007 declared by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate towards Nürburgring GmbH in the amount of EUR 20 million,

  • Measure 16

    • the loan in the amount of EUR 40 405 000 granted by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate to Nürburgring GmbH on 11 January 2011,

    • the grant in the amount of EUR 13,5 million provided by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate to Nürburgring GmbH in July 2011,

  • Measure 17

    • the compensation granted by Nürburgring GmbH to Nürburgring Automotive GmbH on the basis of the Formula 1 concession from 13 December 2010 to 27 November 2012,

  • Measure 18

    • the rescheduling of interest payments in the amount of EUR 1,473 million granted by Investitions- und Strukturbank Rheinland-Pfalz GmbH to Nürburgring GmbH on 15 May 2012,

    • the rescheduling of interest payments in the amount of EUR 1,205 million granted by Investitions- und Strukturbank Rheinland-Pfalz GmbH to Motorsport Resort Nürburgring GmbH on 15 May 2012,

    • the rescheduling of interest payments in the amount of EUR 303 000 granted by Investitions- und Strukturbank Rheinland-Pfalz GmbH to Congress- und Motorsport Hotel Nürburgring GmbH on 15 May 2012;

  • Measure 19

    • the debt subordination of its claims from measure 8 declared by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate towards Nürburgring GmbH, Motorsport Resort Nürburgring GmbH and Congress- und Motorsport Hotel Nürburgring GmbH on 15 May 2012, in the outstanding amount of the subordinated claim, up to an amount of EUR 254 million, at the time when the decision for the debt subordination was adopted,

    • the guarantee provided by the Land Rhineland-Palatinate on 15 May 2012 for the fulfilment of liabilities of Nürburgring GmbH, Motorsport Resort Nürburgring GmbH and Congress- und Motorsport Hotel Nürburgring GmbH from the loans granted as measure 8, in the amount of EUR 254 million.