Press Release: State aid: Commission approves EUR 15.2 million in aid to ALSTOM and the RATP for the development of a new generation of automatic metros

The European Commission on 20 November decided that aid granted by France to ALSTOM and the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) – through their joint subsidiary METROLAB – for the implementation of the research and development (R&D) project Métro du Futur ('Metro of the Future') was in line with EU State aid rules. The project aims to develop a fourth-generation automated metro system, i.e. one which is 'fully automatic' and driverless. The aid addresses a genuine market failure without giving rise to an undue distortion of competition.