Guidelines for State aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas

Summary:

Communication adopted by the European Commission on 14 December 2022, setting out revised guidelines concerning State aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors, as well as in rural areas.

Further information:

The revised guidelines introduced a new, simplified procedure for the authorisation of State aid for measures co-financed under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It also establishes an enlarged scope of measures targeting animal diseases and plant pests, allowing for aid to be granted or emerging animal diseases and certain invasive alien species. There are also new incentives for farmers to commit to schemes under which they respect stricter environmental standards than what is required by law.

In May 2021, the European Commission published the outcome of the assessment on the State aid rules for the agriculture and forestry sectors and for rural areas. The evaluation showed that, while the rules were fit for purpose, some targeted adjustments were necessary to align them with the the latest priorities of the European Union (EU). The Commission launched an impact assessment to gather further evidence, including through an open public consultation in January 2022. This Communication was adopted on 14 December 2022 alongside the results of that consultation. The Guidelines were published in the Official Journal on 21 December 2022.

Due to a number of errors in the different language versions of these Guidelines, a Communication correcting the text was published by the European Commission on 5 March 2024.

Official

European Commission: DG Competition: Agriculture https://competition-policy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/agriculture/agriculture_en

European Commission: DG Competition: Public consultation on revised State aid rules for the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas (2022) https://competition-policy.ec.europa.eu/public-consultations/2022-agri_en

European Commission: Press Release, 11/01/2022: State aid: Commission invites comments on proposed revision of EU State aid rules for agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_241

European Commission: Press Release, 14/12/2022: State aid: Commission adopts new rules for agriculture, forestry and fishery and aquaculture sectors https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_7670

---