The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €998 million Dutch scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen. The measure aims to contribute to the development of renewable hydrogen in line with the objectives of the EU Hydrogen Strategy and the European Green Deal. The scheme will also contribute to the objectives of the REPowerEU Plan to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the green transition.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €80 million Dutch measure to support Djewels B.V., a subsidiary of the hydrogen company HyCC B.V., in the demonstration of an innovative renewable hydrogen production technology. The measure will contribute to the development of renewable hydrogen production in line with the objectives of the EU Hydrogen Strategy and the European Green Deal.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €2 billion Dutch measure to support the PALLAS project aimed at producing medical radioisotopes for cancer diagnosis and treatment. The measure contributes to ensuring security of supply of essential and live-saving medicines in line with the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe.

The European Commission has approved a €1.2 billion Spanish scheme to support investments in the production of renewable hydrogen to foster the transition to a net-zero economy. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (‘TCTF'), adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023 and amended on 20 November 2023 and on 2 May 2024.

The European Commission has approved a €1.5 billion French scheme to support the production of sustainable biomethane to foster the transition towards a net-zero economy. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (‘TCTF') adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023 and amended on 20 November 2023 and on 2 May 2024.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, amendments to a State aid scheme to support the deployment of very high capacity broadband networks offering Gigabit speeds in Germany.

The European Commission has made commitments offered by Vifor legally binding under EU antitrust rules. The commitments address the Commission's competition concerns relating to Vifor's potential disparagement of Monofer, the closest - and potentially only – competitor of Vifor's flagship intravenous iron medicine in Europe, Ferinject.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €122 million Lithuanian measure to support AB Achema in decarbonising its fertiliser production processes. The measure will contribute to the achievement of the EU Hydrogen Strategy, the  European Green Deal and the Green Deal Industrial Plan  targets, while helping to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels in line with the REPowerEU Plan.

The European Commission has made commitments offered by Apple legally binding under EU antitrust rules. The commitments address the Commission's competition concerns relating to Apple's refusal to grant rivals access to a standard technology used for contactless payments with iPhones in stores (‘Near-Field-Communication (NFC)' or ‘tap and go').
See also Remarks by Executive Vice-President Vestager, as well as the corresponding COMP Flash.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Dutch and French support measures of €10.4 billion in favour of the Air France-KLM Group. The two measures were initially approved on 4 May 2020 and on 13 July 2020 by the Commission under the State aid COVID Temporary Framework, but these Commission decisions were subsequently annulled by the General Court on 20 December 2023 and 7 February 2024.

The European Commission has concluded that the public service compensation granted from 1 January 2009 to 31 July 2012 to Caremar SpA for the operation of ferry services in Italy is in line with EU State aid rules. The same applies to the compensation granted to Caremar under the public service contract concluded for the period between 16 July 2015 and 15 July 2024, after Caremar was acquired by the temporary association of companies SNAV/Rifim Srl.

On 29 April 2019, the Commission made commitments offered by Mastercard and Visa legally binding under EU antitrust rules. The companies committed to significantly reduce (on average by around 40%) their multilateral interchange fees for payments in the European Economic Area with consumer cards issued elsewhere (inter-regional interchange fees). These commitments are set to be in place until November 2024.

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of joint control of ITA Airways by Deutsche Lufthansa AG and the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (‘MEF'). The approval is conditional upon full compliance with the remedies offered by Lufthansa and the MEF.

The European Commission has approved a €10.82 billion French scheme to support the deployment of offshore wind energy, which will help foster the transition towards a net-zero economy. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (‘TCTF') adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023 and amended on 20 November 2023 and on 2 May 2024.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Bulgaria's plans to grant postal operator Bulgarian Posts restructuring aid for up to €25.51 million (BGN 50 million). The measure will enable the company to restore its long-term viability while minimising competition distortions.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €3 billion (SEK 36 billion) Swedish scheme to support carbon capture and storage (‘CCS') aimed at reducing carbon dioxide (‘CO₂') released during the combustion or processing of biomass (‘biogenic CO₂'). The measure will contribute to the achievement of Sweden's climate targets and the EU's strategic objectives under the European Green Deal, in particular the 2050 climate neutrality goal.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Denmark and Sweden's plans to grant Scandinavian Airlines System AB (‘SAS') restructuring aid for up to €1.3 billion (SEK 15 billion). The measure will enable the company to restore its long-term viability while minimising competition distortions.

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of the European over the counter (‘OTC') business of Viatris Inc. by Cooper Consumer Health S.A.S. The approval is conditional upon full compliance with the commitments offered by the parties.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €265 million Swedish measure made available in part through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (‘RRF') to support H2GS AB in setting up a large-scale green steel plant. The measure will contribute to the achievement of the EU Hydrogen Strategy, the  European Green Deal and the Green Deal Industrial Plan  targets, while helping to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels and accelerate the green transition, in line with the REPowerEU Plan.

The European Commission has fined International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. and International Flavors & Fragrances IFF France SAS (together ‘IFF') €15.9 million for obstructing a Commission inspection in 2023. The Commission found that during the inspection, a senior employee of IFF intentionally deleted WhatsApp messages exchanged with a competitor.
See also Questions and answers on the Commission's decision to fine IFF for obstructing an EU antitrust inspection.