State aid: Commission approves €25 million Italian scheme to support audio-visual production companies affected by coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved a €25 million Italian scheme to support audio-visual production companies in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. The aid will take the form of a tax credit that will partly cover the costs incurred by audio-visual production companies to comply with the provisions of the Italian COVID-19 Protocol on the safety of cinematographic workers. The tax credit amounts to 60% of the eligible costs, and may be cumulated with aid granted in the form of tax credit under the scheme previously approved by the Commission in April 2021 (SA. 62007 & SA. 62008), up to maximum of 100% of the eligible costs. The Commission found that the Italian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, the aid i) will not exceed €1.8 million per company and ii) will be granted before the end of December 2021. The Commission concluded that the measure is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State, in line with Article 107(3)(b) TFEU and the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. 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.63138 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website.