Press Release: State aid: Commission approves Danish subsidy for purchase and operation of electric cars

The European Commission authorised in March 2011, under EU state aid rules, DKK 15 million (approximately €2 million) of public funding for a pilot program incentivising the purchase of electric cars.

The scheme supports projects aimed at testing and test-running electric vehicles under realistic conditions and is expected to increase the number of wholly electrically propelled cars in Denmark, thereby decreasing the dependency on fossil fuel and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The Commission concluded that the aid is unlikely to lead to significant distortions of competition in the internal market and is therefore compatible with the EU Treaty rules in view of the environmental benefits it will bring about.