[nsajko]

Ireland giving special benefits to a private company like Apple conflicts with the principles of a free and fair market.

[mutatio]

Because tax incentives do not exist in the EU, like the German car industry.

[jajko]

Of course it does. Now why EU should finance foreign company trying to circumvent local taxes like some chinese sweatshops vs local massive company that gives work to hundreds of thousands local people?

US does exactly the same, also in car manufacturing. This is normal market behavior, countries protect their companies. Apple has nothing substantial in EU, completely foreign force milking the market and paying nothing in taxes. Now if they opened big factories and research centers, they would be treated very differently but they prefer Foxconn or other chinese companies.

[Nemo_bis]

Tax incentives to businesses are legion. They just need to be notified to the EU and pre-approved to be valid, otherwise they're null and void.

https://competition-policy.ec.europa.eu/state-aid_en