Brussels, 18/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 18 December, the European Commission adopted a regulation seeking to increase the cap and tighten the definition of small amounts of aid (de minimis aid) that cannot be considered state aid.
Dacian Cioloº, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, announced: “This new regulation will give member states more room for manoeuvre to grant aid without distorting competition, particularly in the event of emergencies, and allow the Commission to simplify dealing with national aid in the agricultural sector”.
At present, under Regulation (EC) No 1535/2007, aid in the agriculture sector that does not exceed €7,500 per beneficiary over a period of three years or 0.75% of the value of agricultural output established for each member state is deemed not to distort or threaten to distort competition.
The new regulation, which will apply from 1 January 2014, will bring the amount per beneficiary to €15,000 over a period of three years, and the ceiling per member state to 1% of the value of agricultural production. Furthermore, it more clearly defines the types of aid that can be covered by its scope.
The new regulation on exemptions per category in the agricultural sector and the new guidelines, however, will not be in force at the beginning of 2014. In November 2013, the Commission extended the current agricultural exemption regulation and the guidelines until 30 June 2014. (LC/transl.fl)