102As regards the conditions relating to the effect of the scheme to guarantee the shares of recognised cooperatives operating in the financial sector at issue in the main proceedings on trade between Member States and the distortion of competition capable of being caused by that scheme, it should be noted that, for the purpose of categorising a national measure as State aid, it is not necessary to establish that the aid has a real effect on trade between Member States and that competition is actually being distorted, it being necessary only to examine whether that aid is liable to affect such trade and distort competition (judgments of 29 April 2004, Italy v Commission, C‑372/97, EU:C:2004:234, paragraph 44; of 15 December 2005, Unicredito Italiano, C‑148/04, EU:C:2005:774, paragraph 54; and of 19 March 2015, OTP Bank, C‑672/13, EU:C:2015:185, paragraph 54).
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