Press Release: State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into proposed EUR 27 million loan to Spanish company ITP for development of aircraft engine Trent 1000

The European Commission has opened an investigation, under the EC Treaty rules on state aid (Article 88(2)), into public funding that Spain intends to give to Industria de Turbo Propulsores (ITP), a producer of aero engines and gas turbines. The aid would finance ITP's participation in the development of the low-pressure turbine for the Trent 1000 aero engine, currently being developed by Rolls-Royce for the Boeing B787. The investigation will allow the Commission to clarify the loan's impact on competition, in particular if the public intervention creates an incentive for the firm to carry out more Research and Development (R&D). The opening of an in-depth investigation gives interested parties the opportunity to comment on the proposed measures. It does not prejudge the outcome of the procedure.