State aid: Commission approves €385 million Dutch scheme to support organisers of events affected by coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved a €385 million Dutch scheme to support organisers of events in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The aim of the scheme is to compensate them for the costs of organising events, scheduled to take place between 1 July 2021 and 31 December 2021, should they be cancelled as a result of restrictive measures implemented by the Dutch government to limit the spread of the virus.  The measure is open to event organisers of all sizes active in the Netherlands. The compensation is limited to actual net costs of the cancelled events, that is the costs minus any event-related revenue and any amount obtained from insurance, litigation, arbitration or any other source. The aid will take the form of direct grants for up to 80% of the eligible costs and of repayable advance, beyond that and up to 100% of the eligible costs. The Commission found that the scheme is in line with Article 107(2)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). In particular, (i) the scheme will compensate damages that are directly linked to the coronavirus outbreak and to the restrictive measures implemented by the Dutch government, and (ii) the envisaged compensation will not exceed what is necessary to make good the damage. The Commission therefore concluded that the scheme is in line with EU State aid rules. More information on the actions taken by the Commission to address the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic can be found here. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.62743 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.