Press Release: State aid: Commission to propose to the Council simplification of exemption procedures for certain types of state aid

The Commission has invited interested parties to comment on its draft proposal to the Council that greater use be made of the scope provided for in Article 89 of the EC Treaty to exempt certain categories of state aid from the prior notification requirement, so as to include culture, heritage conservation and damage caused by natural disasters. Similar and more targeted arrangements will be proposed for the production, processing and marketing of agricultural products and for aid having a social character in the transport sector. The proposals should make it possible to eliminate some notifications and speed up decision making. The proposals are in line with the State Aid Action Plan (see IP/05/680 and MEMO/05/195), the Commission's Lisbon strategy and its goal of better regulation. Interested parties are invited to submit their comments to the Commission by the deadline of 9 November 2006.