Commission approves amendment to Italian state aid scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support investments in photovoltaic panels in agricultural sector

The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, an amendment to an Italian scheme made available through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (‘RRF') to support investments in photovoltaic panels in the agricultural sector.

The scheme was originally approved by the Commission in July 2022, and its amendment in June 2023. The scheme aims to support agricultural, breeding and agro-industrial companies to invest in the use of renewable energy. The scheme will run until 31 December 2026.

Italy notified one amendment to the scheme, namely a budget increase of €785 million, bringing the overall budget of the scheme to €1.6 billion.

The Commission assessed the amended scheme under the EU state aid rules, in particular Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which allows member states to support the development of certain economic activities under certain conditions, and the Guidelines for state aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas. The Commission found that the amended scheme remains necessary, appropriate and proportionate to ensure a sustainable growth of the agricultural sector. On this basis, the Commission approved the scheme under EU state aid rules.

The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.113779 in the state aid register on the Commission's competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.

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