Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 18 Examination of public service obligations

1. Member States shall take all necessary measures to ensure that any decision taken under Articles 16 and 17 can be reviewed effectively and, in particular, as soon as possible on the grounds that such decisions have infringed Community law or national rules implementing Community law.

In particular, at a request of a Member State or on its own initiative, the Commission may request Member States to communicate, within two months:

(a) a document justifying the need for the public service obligation and its compliance with the criteria mentioned in Article 16;

(b) an analysis of the economy of the region;

(c) an analysis of the proportionality between the envisaged obligations and the economic development objectives;

(d) an analysis of the existing air services, if any, and of the other modes of transport available which could be considered a substitute for the envisaged imposition.

2. At the request of a Member State which considers that the development of a route is being unduly restricted by the terms of Articles 16 and 17, or on its own initiative, the Commission shall carry out an investigation and, within six months of receipt of the request and in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 25(2), shall take a decision on the basis of all relevant factors on whether Articles 16 and 17 shall continue to apply in respect of the route concerned.