Press Release: State aid: Commission approves additional aid measures from Belgium and Luxemburg for Fortis

The European Commission approved, under EC Treaty state aid rules, additional aid measures from the Belgian and Luxembourg States stemming from amendments of the agreement between Fortis Holding, BNP Paribas, Fortis Bank and the Belgian and Luxemburg authorities. The Commission found that the measures in favour of Fortis Bank and Fortis Holding were limited to the minimum necessary to reach their goal and were, as such, compatible with Article 87.3.b of the EC Treaty, that allows aid to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State.