Press Release: State aid: Commission turns state aid modernisation into action and calls for better cooperation with Member States to boost growth

The European Commission had for the first time approved on the 18 December 2014 state aid evaluation plans for two different aid schemes in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. It would enable both countries to provide aid of more than €6 billion in total to spur investment and development. The aid schemes could run until 2020 without requiring further Commission approval. This was made possible by the new General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), which as part of the Commission's State Aid Modernisation (SAM) Initiative, greatly extended the scope of aid exempted from prior notification to the Commission.

ESO: Background information: State aid: Commission exempts more aid measures from prior notification http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-state-aid-commission-exempts-more-aid-measures-from-prior-notification/

European Commission: DG Competition: State aid http://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/modernisation/index_en.html

European Commission: DG Competition: State aid: State Aid Scoreboard 2013 http://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/scoreboard/index_en.html

European Commission: Competition: State Aid: Cases http://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/register/

European Commission: DG The Commissioners: Margrethe Vestager: Announcements: Speech at High Level Forum of Member States by Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, 18 December 2014 http://ec.europa.eu/commission/2014-2019/vestager/announcements/speech-high-level-forum-member-states-margrethe-vestager-commissioner-competition-18-december-2014_en

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