State Aid Uncovered Blog

Introduction After pre-notification contacts, Croatia notified, in March 2023, State aid amounting to a EUR 179.5 million for an R&D project regarding the development of an innovative autonomous electric vehicle [a “robo-taxi”]. The aid, in the form of a grant, was to be provided to Project 3 Mobility LLC [P3M]. The Commission approved it in decision SA.101759.1 The aid beneficiary, […]

The new RDI Framework provides continuity with clarity. On Monday, 19 April 2021, the European Commission published the new Regional Aid Guidelines for the period 2022-2027. They can be accessed at: https://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/regional_aid/RAG_2021_adopted_communication.zip Introduction On 8 April 2021, the European Commission published the text of the draft new RDI Framework and launched public consultation.[1] The draft RDI Framework is accompanied by […]

State aid for important R&D projects of common European interest can cover different costs than the RDI Framework and at different rates of intensity. Introduction Several Member States have demanded a more active industrial policy to counteract perceived unfair foreign competition. The Commission’s response has partly been that current rules do allow cross-border cooperation for the development of innovative products. […]

A large amount of State aid can still be compatible with the internal market if it meets all of the requirements of the RDI Framework.   Introduction   Since the coming into force of the GBER, only very few cases of R&D have been notified to the Commission. This means that it is not so obvious how the State aid […]

Adapting know-how for the needs of clients is not research. Aid for projects for which there is no demand is not in the common interest.   Introduction The purpose of research is to discover something new. But what is often difficult to define for public authorities that wish to stimulate more research activities is how new must be the outcome […]

Operators of research infrastructure do not benefit from State aid, if they fully pass on the aid to the users of the infrastructure. The amount of aid must be quantified. Introduction The beneficiaries of State aid to support R&D are normally those who carry out research. However, in the case of aid to research infrastructure there may be two categories […]

Control of State aid by national authorities needs to be strengthened. Typical mistake is to grant aid after a project has started or to subsidise ineligible costs. Aid measures for risk capital, SGEI and R&D appear to be particularly prone to error.    Introduction   On 4 October 2016, the European Court of Auditors [ECA] published a special report 24/2016 […]

Ex post monitoring will be pursued vigorously by the Commission. Irregularities in the implementation of State aid measures may lead to the opening of the formal investigation procedure.   Introduction This article examines Commission decision concerning a UK risk capital scheme entitled Enterprise Capital Funds [SA.15373 and SA.33186]. The decision is the outcome of an investigation that was initiated after […]