30/11/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 30 November, the European Commission approved an Irish measure put at €10 million to support the restructuring of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in financial difficulties. A public agency will be authorised to provide restructuring aid to the companies, by acquiring stakes in SMEs active in all sectors of the economy, with the exception of coal, steel and finance. In exchange, the beneficiaries must have long-term viability and contribute to the costs of the restructuring, at a level of up to 40% for medium-sized enterprises and up to 25% for small enterprises. The Commission examined the scheme with regard to the 2014 guidelines on rescue and restructuring and concluded that the measure was in line with state aid rules. (LT)