State aid: Commission approves €84 million Austrian regional aid schemes to support companies and investment in research, development, testing and production of coronavirus relevant products

he European Commission has approved several regional aid schemes by the Austrian States (Länder) of Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol, Upper Austria and Vienna to (i) support companies in the context of the coronavirus outbreak and/or (ii) support investment in research and development (R&D), testing and production of products that are relevant to the coronavirus outbreak, including vaccines, ventilators and personal protective equipment. The measures were approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on 19 March 2020, as amended on 3 April and 8 May 2020. Under the schemes notified by Austria, the support will take the form of direct grants, equity contributions and advance payments. The purpose of the schemes is to help companies tackle the liquidity shortages they face as a result of the outbreak. Furthermore, some of the measures aim at enhancing and accelerating both the development and the production of products directly relevant to the coronavirus outbreak. The Commission concluded that: (i) the measures to support companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak are 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 that the measures to support investment in coronavirus-related products,are necessary, appropriate and proportionate to fight the health crisis, in line with Article 107(3)(c) TFEU. All measures are in line with the conditions of the Temporary Framework. On this basis, the Commission approved the measures under EU State aid rules. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.57148 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.