Press Release: State aid: Commission proposes cutting red tape for small state subsidies

The European Commission on 9 March 2006 proposed to exempt more small subsidies from the notification obligation under EC Treaty state aid rules. This was part of a wider initiative, the State Aid Action Plan, designed to simplify the state aid rules and refine the economic analysis of subsidies. The Commission proposed raising the ceiling of the current 'de minimis' Regulation from €100,000 to €150,000. Subsidies which do not exceed this threshold are not state aid and do not require prior notification to the Commission. The proposal also contains a number of safeguards to prevent abusive use of the provisions.

European Commission: Memo: MEMO/06/111, State aid: Proposal to extend scope of 'de minimis' rule– frequently asked questions, 9.3.06 http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/06/111&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=fr

European Commission: SCADplus: Competition: Rules applicable to state aid: De minimis aid http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/competition/state_aid/l26121_en.htm

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