Press Release: State aid: Commission authorises Dutch temporary scheme to grant aid of up to €500 000

The European Commission authorised, under EC Treaty state aid rules, a Dutch measure to help businesses to deal with the current economic crisis. Authorities at national, regional and local level may grant aid of up to €500 000 per firm in 2009 and 2010 to businesses facing funding problems because of the current credit crunch. The aid will be granted in the form of grants, interest rate subsidies, loans and public guarantees. The scheme meets the conditions of the Commission’s Temporary Framework giving Member States additional scope to facilitate access to financing in the present economic and financial crisis. In particular, it is limited in time and scope and concerns only companies that were not in difficulties on 1 July 2008. It is therefore compatible with Article 87(3)(b) of the EC Treaty, which permits aid to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State.