State aid: Commission approves €7 million Irish scheme to support commercial venues, promoters, and producers of live performances in the context of the coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved a €7 million Irish scheme to support commercial venues, promoters, and producers of live performances in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The measure was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. The public support will take the form of direct grants of €10,000 minimum or €800,000 maximum per beneficiary. The grants aim to support employment opportunities in the culture sector. In particular, they will allow commercial organisers of live performances to start preparing productions and for productions to go ahead in the near future while complying with public health protection measures. The purpose of the measure is to mitigate the sudden liquidity shortages that these companies are facing due to the restrictive measures that the Irish government had to impose to limit the spread of the virus and to ensure continuity of their economic activity. The Commission found that the Irish measure is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, the support (i) will not exceed €800,000 per company; and (ii) will be granted no later than 30 June 2021. On this basis, the Commission approved the measure under EU State aid rules. More information on the Temporary Framework and other 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.58562 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.