Brussels, 01/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 1 February 2016, the European Commission authorised Hungarian State aid of €133 million to the company Audi Hungaria Motor Ltd for an investment project in Györ.
Audi Hungaria Motor has invested a total of €1.2 billion in a production factory for private cars on its existing site. This is expected to create 2,100 jobs in Györ, West Transdanubia, a disadvantaged region of Hungary with a GDP per capita far below the EU average. The area is therefore entitled to benefit from aid to encourage investments, under the Hungarian regional aid map (see EUROPE 11037).
The Commission's assessment showed that the aid was necessary for the project to go ahead in Györ, as the aid merely compensated the company for extra investment costs incurred by carrying out the project in Györ rather than a different region. The Commission therefore concluded that the positive effect of the project on regional development clearly outweigh any distortion of competition created by the aid. (Original version in French by Elodie Lamer)