TO BE PUBLISHED November 2026
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This conference will examine next steps for subsidy control in the UK. Areas for discussion include regime effectiveness and the further development of the framework, streamlined routes and support for public authorities, referral thresholds and appeals, transparency and the subsidy database, implications for businesses and investors, and international considerations, including UK-EU cooperation.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers following the Subsidy Advice Unit’s first monitoring report on the effectiveness of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and its impact on competition and investment. While the report found the regime to be operating effectively overall, we expect discussion to focus on areas it identifies for further attention, including guidance and support, streamlined routes, transparency and the limited evidence currently available on impacts.
Delegates will also consider the new streamlined routes for housing, arts and culture, and community and regeneration, the higher £25m mandatory referral threshold for subsidies in non-sensitive sectors, and recent Competition Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal judgments on the interpretation and application of the Act.
The agenda also looks at questions around support for public authorities, and practical implications for those awarding, receiving, advising on or affected by subsidies. Areas for discussion include legal certainty, the timeliness and cost of subsidy processes, implications for commercial and investment decisions, and confidence among competitors and other affected parties that potential distortions can be identified and addressed. The international context will also be considered, including the five-year review of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, developments in UK and EU subsidy policy, and the relationship between subsidy control, investment and wider industrial strategy objectives.
Regime effectiveness & further development
Delegates will consider options for building on the regime and addressing the implementation issues identified in the SAU’s report, including taking account of the experience of public authorities, businesses and other affected organisations.
Areas for discussion include:
- regime effectiveness:
- timing of subsidy assessments - quality of economic analysis - monitoring outcomes of awards - the wider framework for authorities, recipients, competitors and investors
- administrative burden:
- impact of changes to referral thresholds, streamlined routes and transparency arrangements - scrutiny of high-risk subsidies
- compliance, evidence and monitoring costs - implications for the timing and predictability of investment decisions
- evidence base:
- assessing impacts on competition and business investment - public authority, regional and sectoral trends in awards
- improving the use of subsidy data - evaluating whether interventions are achieving their intended objectives and their effects on recipients, competitors and markets
- policy coherence:
- alignment with the Modern Industrial Strategy and net zero objectives - assessing the benefits of subsidies alongside risks of distortion, displacement and disadvantage to competitors
Streamlined routes & supporting public authorities
Looking at streamlined routes, attendees will assess options for practical support to help public authorities apply the regime and deliver policy objectives, including for housing and regeneration, while providing clear and workable processes for applicants, recipients and other affected businesses.
Areas for discussion include:
- streamlined routes:
- new provision for housing, arts and culture, and community and regeneration - take-up by public authorities - experience of applicants and recipients
- implications for speed, accessibility and certainty - evaluating how arrangements work - potential additional routes
- public authorities:
- government engagement on how the regime is working in practice - demonstrating compliance - flexibility in subsidy design
- capacity to undertake impact assessments - clarifying elements of the Statutory Guidance - providing greater certainty for businesses and advisers
- transparency:
- improving information on subsidies and where authorities conclude that a measure is not a subsidy
- clarity and practical value of published information for recipients, competitors and potential challengers - developing the functionality of the subsidy database
- data and digital tools:
- strategic use of data and digital tools - improving the efficiency of subsidy delivery - reducing administrative demands on authorities and applicants
Referrals, litigation & appeals
The operation of referrals and appeals will also be considered, alongside the respective roles of the SAU and the CAT and the practical effectiveness of the challenge process for affected parties.
Areas for discussion include:
- referrals and thresholds:
- potential improvements to SAU referral and reporting processes
- effects of the higher mandatory referral threshold in non-sensitive sectors on scrutiny, burdens and certainty for authorities and businesses
- case law:
- potential effect of recent CAT and Court of Appeal judgments, including on what constitutes a subsidy and on the commercial market operator principle
- implications for scheme design, commercial funding arrangements and compliance
- appeals and support:
- effectiveness of the challenge mechanism - frequency of CAT appeals
- access to information, commercial confidentiality, costs and time limits - practical support for affected parties
International approaches & future policy direction
Further sessions will consider implications of EU concerns about the UK regime and wider developments in EU state aid policy, including for UK-EU coordination and the future direction of policy in the context of the five-year review of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Areas for discussion include:
- Trade and Cooperation Agreement:
- implications for UK-EU cooperation and the five-year review of the TCA - evolving EU state aid policy - effects on UK businesses, investment and competition
- regulatory divergence:
- considerations for transparency, enforcement and competition - effects on businesses operating, investing or competing across the UK and EU
- industrial strategy:
- the role of subsidy frameworks in supporting investment - alignment with wider Modern Industrial Strategy objectives
- providing clarity for investors and businesses while identifying and addressing effects on competitors and markets
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; Department for the Economy, NI; Department for Transport; Intellectual Property Office; National Wealth Fund; the Welsh Government; and The Scottish Government.
