Biofuels
State aid: Commission approves prolonged Czech support for biofuels
The European Commission has approved the prolongation of a Czech scheme benefitting certain biofuels under EU state aid rules, in particular its 2014 Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy. The Commission concluded that the scheme would further EU energy and environmental objectives without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market.
The Czech scheme was originally approved by the Commission in 2008. Today's decision approves a prolongation for the period from 1 July 2015 until 31 December 2020. The scheme provides for excise duty reductions or refunds in favour of pure or highly concentrated biofuel placed on the Czech market, provided that it meets the required sustainability criteria. The Commission found that the measure would contribute to reaching the Czech Republic's 2020 targets for renewable energy and for biofuels in transport, while limiting potential distortions of competition. In particular, the Commission verified that aid is limited to sustainable biofuels, provides an incentive to use more environmentally friendly fuel and is limited to the minimum necessary to compensate for the additional costs of biofuels.
The non-confidential version of the decision will be published in the State aid register on the competition website under case number SA.39654 once eventual confidentiality issues have been resolved. The State Aid Weekly e-News lists new publications of state aid decisions on the internet and in the EU Official Journal.
Share this article:
EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter. Please see EU Reporter’s full Terms and Conditions of publication for more information EU Reporter embraces artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance journalistic quality, efficiency, and accessibility, while maintaining strict human editorial oversight, ethical standards, and transparency in all AI-assisted content. Please see EU Reporter’s full A.I. Policy for more information.
Stepping out...to get the UK back in European Union
Improving energy efficiency of buildings to reduce bills and save energy
Energy use in the industry sector continues to decline
DG Translation in a city near you: June events
Europe must not turn its back on rural women’s empowerment
The role of quality assurance in advancing inclusive upper secondary VET in Slovenia
Commission accelerates transition away from animal testing in chemical safety assessments
Counterfeit cigarettes drive illicit tobacco trade to highest level in a decade, new study claims
Inconvenient questions about Andorra and San Marino that Brussels should be asking
How digital wallets are changing the way Welsh consumers pay for online services
Impasse in European Union Tobacco Tax Reform: The Swedish veto
EU Cybersecurity Act could expose member states to costly investment treaty claims, legal opinion warns
Várhelyi says unilateral measures by the US against the EU ‘would not be justified’
Libya’s fuel crisis offers lessons for energy security on both sides of the Mediterranean
490+ experts call for €10 billion ring-fenced health allocation in EU budget
ENVI opinion signals early resistance to Biotech Act SPC extension
Kazakhstan reforms under scrutiny at Brussels Press Club round table
Japan should face up to history and contribute more to regional peace
Ambassador calls for 'speeding up' of co-operation between EU and Kazakhstan
Timur Turlov at Smart Moves Summit 2025: How chess can transform global education
Shevtsova’s case: Out-of-court sanctions dismantling trust in Ukrainian cause
The future of European transport
Trump Vs Trueman
