Competition Weekly e-news

The European Commission has found Hungary's €24 million investment aid to Volta Energy Solutions for the extension of a battery copper foil plant in the Hungarian region of Közép-Dunántúl (Central Transdanubia) to be in line with EU State aid rules. The aid will contribute to the development of the region, whilst preserving competition.

The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Greece's map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027 within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines (‘RAG').

Today, the European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €71.4 million Portuguese aid measure to further support TAP Air Portugal in the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

The European Commission has found a €88 million German support measure in favour of Deutsche Bahn AG to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure, which will take the form of an equity injection, aims at compensating Deutsche Bahn for the damages suffered by its subsidiary DB Cargo due to the coronavirus outbreak between 16 March and 17 May 2020.

The European Commission has approved Belgian plans to grant up to €19.2 million for the recapitalisation of the Brussels South Charleroi Airport SA (“BSCA”). The measure was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, Croatia's plans to grant mechanical engineering company Ðuro Ðaković d.d. (‘Đuro Đaković) restructuring aid to the for a total amount of €57.4 million (HRK 430.6 million). The measure will enable the company to finance its restructuring plan and restore its long-term viability with the support of a private investor, the consortium of Czech companies DD Acquisition.

The European Commission has launched today a public consultation on EU Survey inviting all interested parties to comment on a proposed revision of the 2008 Guidelines on State aid for railway undertakings (the ‘Railway Guidelines'). Interested parties can respond to the consultation until 16 March 2022.

The College of Commissioners today endorsed the new Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy (‘CEEAG'). The CEEAG will be formally adopted in January 2022 and will be applicable from that moment. The new rules involve an alignment with the important EU objectives and targets set out in the European Green Deal and with other recent regulatory changes in the energy and environmental areas and cater for the increased importance of climate protection. The new rules create a flexible, fit-for-purpose enabling framework to help Member States provide the necessary support to reach the European Green Deal objectives in a targeted and cost-effective manner.

See also Remarks by Executive Vice-President Vestager on the new Guidelines on State aid for Climate, Environmental protection and Energy.

Today, the European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules: (i) €2.55 billion of restructuring aid to enable the Group Transportes Aéreos Portugueses SGPS S.A. (‘TAP SGPS') and the airline TAP Air Portugal return to viability; and (ii) €107.1 million aid to compensate TAP Air Portugal for damages suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic between 1 July 2020 and 30 December 2020.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, an Austrian aid scheme to support electricity production from renewable sources. The measure will help Austria reach its target of 100% renewable energy in 2030, in line with its Recovery and Resilience Plan as endorsed by the Commission and approved by Council, and will contribute to the European objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, without unduly distorting competition in the Single market.

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €900 million German scheme to support investments in the production of renewable hydrogen in non-EU countries, which will be then imported and sold in the EU. The scheme, called ‘H2Global', aims at meeting the EU demand for renewable hydrogen that is expected to significantly increase in the coming years, by supporting the development of the unexploited renewable resource potential outside the EU. It will contribute to the EU environmental objectives, in line with the European Green Deal, without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market.

The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules Romania's map for granting regional aid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines ('RAG').

The European Commission has approved unconditionally, under the EU Merger Regulation, the proposed acquisition of Nuance Communications, Inc. by Microsoft Corporation. The Commission concluded that the transaction would raise no competition concerns in the European Economic Area.

The Commission takes note of the judgments of the General Court upholding a 2015 Commission State aid decision. In its decision, the Commission found that Polish public financing of Gdynia airport amounted to illegal and incompatible State aid.
In its judgments, the General Court confirmed the Commission’s finding that the common investment of the two local authorities Gdynia and Kosakowo would not have been made by a private operator and thus constituted State aid, which the Commission had found to be incompatible with the internal market.
See also Judgment of the General Court in Case T-263/15 RENV.

Registration is open for Taking Competition Policy into the Future. DG Competition organised this conference to give a platform to the experts and scholars of tomorrow to debate what competition policy will look like in ten years’ time.
This half-day, hybrid conference will take place online and in the Berlaymont building in Brussels in the afternoon of 3 February, 2022. Executive Vice-President Vestager will give introductory remarks and Director-General Guersent will close the event.
Click here to register.