Commission Regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty

Summary:

Regulation adopted by the European Commission on 23 July 2021, introducing amendments to Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107-108 TFEU. This is a text with EEA relevance.

Further information:

As a general rule, State aid must be notified to and cleared by the European Commission before it is granted under Article 107 and 108 TFEU. Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 - also known as the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) - seeks to exempt Member States of the European Union (EU) from this obligation to certain companies, as long as the criteria are fulfilled.

The revised rules under this Regulation concern:

• aid granted by national authorities for projects funded via certain EU centrally managed programmes under the latest Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF);
• certain State aid measures that to support the green and digital transition and are, at the same time, relevant for the recovery from the economic effects of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Exempting such aid from prior notification constitutes a major simplification, which facilitates a quick implementation of such measures by Member States, where conditions limiting the distortion of competition in the EU Single Market are met.

This Regulation was adopted by the European Commission on 23 July 2021. It was published in the Official Journal on 29 July 2021.

Official

European Commission: Competition Policy: State Aid https://ec.europa.eu/competition-policy/state-aid_en

European Commission: Press Release, 23/07/2021: State aid: Commission simplifies rules for aid combined with EU support and introduces new possibilities to implement aid measures supporting the twin transition and the recovery from coronavirus pandemic https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_3804

European Commission: State aid: Commission widens scope of General Block Exemption Regulation – frequently asked questions (23 July 2021) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_21_3805

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