Press Release: State aid: Commission endorses EUR 2 million restructuring aid to Polish energy company; opens investigation into restructuring aid to Polish metal producer

The European Commission has authorised under EC Treaty state aid rules a €2 million aid aimed at restructuring the local Polish energy company Energetyka Wis³osan. The aid will help the company to restore its long-term viability inter alia by financing the switch to a more efficient production technology. The Commission has also launched an in-depth probe under EC Treaty state aid rules to verify whether €5.5 million of restructuring aid in favour of Huta Cynku Miasteczko Œl¹skie (HCM), a Polish company producing non-ferrous metals, is compatible with the Single Market. The Commission already approved €2.9 million of rescue aid for HCM in September 2005. The initiation of an in-depth inquiry into the restructuring aid gives interested parties the opportunity to comment on the envisaged measures. It does not prejudge the Commission’s final decision.