State aid case SA.49935 | Greek Superfast broadband project

Summary:

State aid investigation conducted by the European Commission regarding a voucher scheme set up by Greece to support the take-up of broadband services with download speeds of at least 100 Megabit per second.

Further information:

The Greek authorities aimed to increase the number of consumers using 'Superfast Broadband Services', which are defined by Greece as broadband services ensuring download speeds of at least 100 Megabits per second (Mbps), readily upgradable to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps). Greece notified the support measure for assessment by the Commission under State aid rules. The Commission found that even though the scheme was mainly aimed at consumers, it amounted to State aid in favour of telecommunication services providers.

The Commission concluded that the scheme was in line with State aid rules and would contribute to the strategic objectives set out by the European Union in the Digital Agenda for Europe and in the Commission's Communication 'Towards a European Gigabit Society'. The Commission ensured that Greece would take adequate steps to avoid any undue distortion of competition and would monitor that the scheme was not used to merely replace existing subscriptions to other high speed broadband services. A detailed evaluation to assess its impact would be conducted and the results should be submitted by Greece to the Commission by December 2021.

Official

European Commission: Press Release, 07.01.19: State aid: Commission approves €50 million voucher scheme for faster broadband services in Greece http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-162_en.htm

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