Press Release: State aid: Commission clears French aid worth €18.9 million for the GAYA motor biofuels research programme

The European Commission authorised on 24 March 2010 French aid worth €18.9 million for the GAYA research programme, a programme aimed at developing production technologies for second‑generation motor biofuels. The GDF SUEZ group is to coordinate the project, which will involve SMEs and public research bodies. The Commission has concluded that the project satisfies the criteria for state aid for research, development and innovation. It will compensate for market failure and generate benefits for the European Union, in particular in terms of dissemination of scientific knowledge and protection of the environment, without changing competitive conditions significantly.