State aid: Commission approves €19.7 million Danish scheme to support cultural institutions affected by coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an approximately €19.7 million (DKK 148 million) Danish scheme to support 15 Danish cultural institutions affected by the coronavirus outbreak. This scheme complements a previous measure approved  by the Commission on 20 March 2021 (SA.62035) and concerns only the 15 beneficiaries which requested more than €800,000, compensating them for their operational losses, up to a reasonable profit. The Commission assessed the scheme under EU State aid rules, and in particular Article 107(3)(d) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which enables the Commission to approve State aid granted to promote culture and heritage conservation. The Commission found that the Danish scheme had a genuine cultural objective, was necessary, appropriate, proportionate and did not create excessive negative effects on the proper functioning of the internal market. Therefore, the Commission concluded that the measure is in line with Article 107(3)(d) TFEU. On this basis, the Commission approved the measure under EU State aid rules. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.62217 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.