Commission publishes results of evaluation of EU state aid rules

The European Commission has published a Commission Staff Working Document summarizing the results of an evaluation of the state aid rules adopted as part of the State Aid Modernization package. The evaluation concludes that, overall, the state aid control system and rules are fit for purpose. However, individual rules will need some adaptation, also in the light of the recent European Green Deal and the EU's Industrial and Digital Strategies.

As part of the Commission's ongoing review of competition rules to ensure they are fit for the changing market environment, the evaluation of these State aid rules was launched in January 2019. The assessment took the form of a ‘fitness check', involving internal analyses by the Commission and public consultations as well as, in some cases, studies prepared by external consultants or targeted consultations of specific stakeholders.

As state aid rules are a vital part of the green transition, in line with the Commission Communication on the European Green Deal and the results of the ‘fitness check', the Commission plans to anticipate the review of the relevant State aid guidelines to the end of 2021. These include the Regional aid Guidelines, IPCEI Communication, RDI Framework, Risk Finance Guidelines, Environmental and Energy Guidelines and relevant provisions of GBER. The other rules that were part of the “fitness check” will be revised in the medium term. Public consultations on these rules are taking place between the second half of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. The press release is available online.

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