Det fremgår for denne periode, at konkurrencen på det pågældende marked måtte være så hård, at det fik Tirrenia til at indgå en ulovlig aftale, således at det ikke kan antages, at støtten skulle være nødvendig for at sikre en offentlig tjenesteydelse.
During this period, competition on the route was sufficiently keen and specific for Tirrenia to join an unlawful pact, so that the aid cannot be regarded as having been necessary to guarantee a public service.