State aid: Commission puts forward initiatives to further facilitate implementation of recovery and coronavirus support measures

The European Commission has published guiding templates to assist Member States in the design of their national recovery and resilience plans in line with EU State aid rules. Second, to further facilitate the implementation of InvestEU and EU and national funds allocated for the recovery, the Commission is consulting Member States on a possible extension of the General Block Exemption Regulation. Finally, the Commission is conducting a survey with all Member States to seek their views on the implementation of the State aid Temporary Framework. In the context of the implementation of the Member States’ recovery and resilience plans, State aid control will help ensure that public spending by Member States does not crowd out private spending, avoid overcompensation and ensure a level playing field in the Single Market. To address potential State aid issues upfront, the Commission will engage early on with Member States on the investments under consideration in their national recovery and resilience plans. For measures that do constitute State aid and require individual approval, the Commission will treat them as a matter of priority. Executive Vice-President Vestager, in charge of competition policy said: “To reap the full benefits of limited public funds, it is crucial that State aid rules continue to do their part to keep our Single Market fair and competitive. We are providing Member States with all the necessary guidance and tools to ensure that their national recovery and resilience plans can be implemented as swiftly as possible, in line with EU State aid rules. We continue to work closely together with Member States to mitigate the economic effects of the ongoing crisis and enable the European economy to bounce back, while preserving the level playing field in the Single Market.” The full press release is available online.