Commission approves €256 million Austrian scheme to support the purchase of zero-emission buses and related infrastructure

The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, a €256 million Austrian scheme to support the purchase of zero-emission buses (battery electric/trolleybuses/hydrogen fuel cells), as well as related recharging and refuelling infrastructures and overhead contact lines, for the public passenger road transport sector in Austria. The measure will be funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility (‘RRF'), following the Commission's positive assessment of the Austrian recovery and resilience plan and its adoption by Council. The scheme consists of two parts, which respectively support (i) the purchase of zero-emission buses; and (ii) the installation or upgrade of related recharging or refuelling infrastructures and overhead contact lines. Under the scheme, the support will take the form of non-repayable grants.

The beneficiaries will be selected through an open and transparent competitive bidding process. The Commission assessed the measure under EU state aid rules, and in particular Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows Member States to support the development of certain economic activities under certain conditions, as well as under the 2014 Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy, as prolonged by the Commission's Communication of 2 July 2020. The Commission considers that the measure will encourage the uptake of emission-free public passenger buses, thus contributing to the reduction of CO₂ and pollutant emissions, in line with the EU's climate and environmental objectives and the goals set by European Green Deal.

Furthermore, the Commission found that the aid will be limited to the minimum necessary as it will be granted through a competitive bidding process and that the necessary safeguards will be in place. The Commission concluded that the positive effects of the scheme on EU environmental and climate goals outweigh any potential distortions of competition and trade brought about by the support. On this basis, the Commission approved the measure under EU state aid rules. The Commission assesses measures entailing state aid contained in the national recovery plans presented in the context of the RRF as a matter of priority and has provided guidance and support to member states in the preparatory phases of the national plans, to facilitate the rapid deployment of the RRF. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.63278 in the state aid register on the Commission's competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.

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