Commission prolongs EU State aid rules and launches evaluation

Summary:

The European Commission announced on 7 January 2019 the intention to prolong for two years a group of seven sets of State aid rules. It also launched an assessment of those rules and of other State aid rules.

Further information:

Since May 2012, the Commission implemented a major reform of EU State aid rules, the State Aid Modernisation. A number of the State aid rules adopted as part of this reform were due to expire by the end of 2020. The intention was therefore announced to prolong the following for a further two years:

•         General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER)
•         De minimis Regulation
•         Guidelines on regional State aid
•         Guidelines on State aid to promote risk finance investments
•         Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy
•         Guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring
•         Communication on important projects of common European interest (IPCEI).

A 'fitness check' was also launched by the Commission to assess whether to further prolong them or possibly update them in the future. The assessment would also consider those rules without expiry date.