Press Release: State aid: Commission authorises EUR 26.5 million in aid from the French Industrial Innovation Agency for the NeoVal R&D programme

The European Commission has decided not to raise any objections under Community state aid rules to the financial aid granted by France to the NeoVal research and development (R&D) programme. This is the first individual aid measure decision taken by the Commission on the basis of the in-depth assessment procedure provided for by the new R&D&I Framework (see IP/06/1600). The aid programme brings together Siemens Transportation Systems SAS, a subsidiary of Siemens AG, and LOHR Industrie, a French company specialised in designing and developing freight and passenger transport systems. The aim of the programme is to develop a new generation of metro train featuring eight new innovative functions, in particular power optimisation and on-board power supply. The aid amounts to €26.5 million.