Press Release: State Aid: Commission proposes to reform state aid procedures and exempt certain categories of aid from prior notification

In the context of its State Aid Modernisation (SAM) initiative, the European Commission has adopted proposals to amend two Council Regulations governing EU state aid control. The reform of the Procedural Regulation of 1999 is aimed at focussing state aid enforcement on the most significant distortions of competition in the internal market and to speed up decision making.

The proposed amendments to the Enabling Regulation of 1998 would allow the Commission to adopt more block exemptions for aid with limited impact on the internal market, for example in the field of culture or innovation. The Commission proposals will now be discussed in Council and in the European Parliament.

European Commission: Memo/12/942: State aid: Proposed reform of state aid procedures - frequently asked questions http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-12-942_en.htm

European Commission: Memo/12/936: State Aid: Proposed review of Enabling Regulation to allow for exemptions from prior notification of aid to the Commission - frequently asked questions http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-12-936_en.htm

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