Competition Commissioner Karel van Miert has expressed concern about an increase in subsidies in the EU

Date: 23/01/1997

and says the Commission will “try to be even tougher than we have been” in handling state aid cases. Van Miert's comments came as he released provisional figures indicating that state support in the EU increased to at least 97 billion ecu on average per year in 1993-94, up from 94 billion ecu in the previous three years. “We are concerned about it,” said Van Miert. “We are moving in the wrong direction.” The figures show that Germany remains the biggest payer of state aid.