EStAL 3|2009 Editorial 257 Dating back to its very adoption by the Commission as part of its 2005-2009 State Aid Action plan, the More Economic Approach (MEA) has encountered some criticism in public debate and academic writing. That criticism is however directed less against an emphasis of economic reasoning in State aid decision-making, which is mostly welcomed, but against an alleged inconsistency and intransparency in the conditions and scope for its implementation.