Brussels, 08/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 8 March, the European Commission authorised a Danish subsidy of around €2 million for a pilot programme to give incentives for purchasing electric cars. The scheme, aimed at environmental protection, will be in effect until 31 December 2012. It allows subsidies to be granted to buyers of electric vehicles or to companies that lease out such vehicles. Aid must cover the additional expenses entailed by the purchase of electric vehicles compared to the purchase of equivalent conventional vehicles, as well as the costs relating to trials and to the equipment needed for recharging the electric vehicles. Given the reduced amount and the limited duration of this scheme, the subsidy is not expected to cause significant competition distortion to the advantage of automobile makers or dealers. Furthermore, the scheme is expected to contribute to the distribution of non-polluting vehicles and allow fossil fuel dependency to be reduced, to the benefit of the environment. (F.G./transl.jl)