About: State aid
Portugal pushes ahead with plans for state-owned development bank
Portugal's government approved on Thursday (18 June) plans to create a state-owned development bank to channel funds into certain companies and sectors to bolster the economy.
Lufthansa board baulks at EU bailout terms
The board of German airline Lufthansa refused to accept the conditions of a €9 billion aid package on Wednesday (27 May), citing the European Commission's reported requirement that the carrier give up some airport slots at two of its major hubs.
Ryanair challenges Lufthansa’s bailout package
Low-cost carrier Ryanair challenged Germany's €9 billion rescue package for Lufthansa on Tuesday (26 May), saying it distorted competition, while the German carrier moves towards finalising the deal next month.
Germany still hesitating to link stimulus packages with climate targets
France, the Netherlands and Austria want to put environmentally friendly conditions on aid for corporations. In Germany, companies themselves are calling for a climate stimulus package, yet Economy Minister Peter Altmaier is hesitating. EURACTIV Germany reports.
The EU’s state aid regime is upside down
The European Commission’s approach to state aid is contradicting green recovery ambitions. While the EU recovery programme is focused on the Green Deal, national subsidy schemes are pouring money all across the economy without clear ecological focus, writes Claude Turmes.
Vestager: Discrepancy in state aid distorts single market, hampers recovery
The European Union's competition chief Margrethe Vestager has expressed concern about the "huge differences" in coronavirus state aid among member states, saying they were starting to distort the bloc's single market.
Beware of jobs vs. climate clash in virus aftermath, EU warned
Governments in Europe and beyond should pay “utmost attention” to avoid a “jobs versus climate” confrontation in the recovery phase from the COVID-19 crisis, said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Environmental NGOs launch appeal for green reconstruction
An association of ten major European environmental organisations today (14 May) launched an appeal to the European Union to come up with a green and fair reconstruction plan. Today, the EU Parliament will vote on its position on this issue. EURACTIV Germany reports.
CAP budget increase, state aid, no mandatory labelling in F2F
Welcome to EURACTIV’s AgriFood Brief, your weekly update on all things Agriculture & Food in the EU. You can subscribe here if you haven’t done so yet. Agriculture Commissioner backs Poland’s plan to hike CAP spending The EU’s Agriculture Commissioner,...
EU agri chief warns against risks of state aid overuse in farming sector
Excessive use of state aid to bail out struggling farmers during the COVID-19 crisis could be a cause for concern for the single market and fair competition in the member states, according to the European Commissioner for agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski.
EU urges national governments to take the lead on ‘green’ state aid
The European Union's top climate official encouraged governments on Monday to attach green conditions to public support for coronavirus-hit companies, after the bloc's executive opted not to do so at the EU level.
EU eyes green conditions on state aid to virus-hit firms
An imminent revision of EU state aid rules for troubled firms during the COVID-19 outbreak could either uphold the bloc's climate goals or descend into “greenwashing”, a senior EU lawmaker has warned.
Vestager urges EU member states not to backtrack on 5G
The European Commission's Vice-President for Digital, Margrethe Vestager, has urged EU telecoms ministers to "limit as much as possible" any delays to their 5G spectrum assignments, amid the current challenges to the industry brought on by the coronavirus crisis.
Germany gains most from relaxed EU state aid rules
Germany accounts for more than half of the emergency coronavirus state aid approved by the EU executive, prompting concerns that countries with the deepest pockets might be getting an unfair advantage in the bloc's single market.
Questions remain over green aspects of EU recovery plan
EU leaders on Thursday (23 April) tasked the European Commission with drafting a trillion-euro “recovery fund” linked to the EU budget but didn’t specify how it will support the green transition they claim to be committed to.
Austria demands ‘greater flexibility’ of EU state aid law in letter to Vestager
While EU member states are hardly allowed to support their companies financially in normal times, the coronavirus crisis has made state aid essential for the survival of most businesses. In a letter to Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, Austria's government called for the suspension of state aid law in sensitive areas. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Ministers press Commission to trigger private storage against food price shocks
In a joint statement agreed last Friday (17 April), all EU-27 farm ministers called for activating the private storage aid (PSA) to support those agri-food sectors where significant market disturbances and price impacts have been assessed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Bulgarian Deputy PM: Eastern Europe could replace China in sectors critical to the EU
The countries of Central and Eastern Europe do not have the huge human resources of China, but they do have plenty of advantages that must be used after the end of the pandemic, said Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev in an exclusive interview with EURACTIV Bulgaria.
Lufthansa super-jumbos fall victim to virus as airline bailouts loom
German flag-carrier Lufthansa will send six of its 14 A380s - the world’s largest commercial airliner - into early retirement, due to massive disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The decision comes just as airlines gear up to request bailouts from governments.
EU countries use looser state aid rules to uphold troubled firms
Member states are making use of the new flexibility within EU state rules mainly to guarantee liquidity for all companies heavily affected by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak. EURACTIV has looked into the different schemes that have been approved so far.
EU farm chief: Post-coronavirus recovery should be green and sustainable
The Green Deal remains a flagship policy of von der Leyen Commission and the EU should aim for a post-COVID-19 recovery that is green and sustainable, Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski told EURACTIV.com in an exclusive interview.
Danish corona-hit firms get state aid to pay 75% of salaries
Denmark’s government told private companies struggling with drastic measures to curb the spread of coronavirus that it would cover 75% of employees’ salaries, if they promised not to cut staff.
EU plans ditching carbon cost refund for seven industrial sectors
The European Commission has proposed removing mining activities and fertiliser manufacturing from a list of heavy industries eligible for state aid, arguing EU climate policies no longer puts them at risk of relocating production outside Europe.