The European Commission found on Thursday 12 March that a Danish aid scheme worth €12 million to compensate organisers for damages suffered due to the cancellation of major events with more than 1,000 participants because of the coronavirus was in line with state aid rules.
This is the first state aid measure notified by a Member State to the Commission in relation to COVID-19.
The Commission approved the aid scheme 24 hours after receiving the notification.
The Commission stands ready to work with all Member States to ensure that any national support measures to combat the virus can be put in place in a timely manner in accordance with EU rules.
To this end, it has set up a special contact point for the Member States, which will provide guidance on the possibilities offered by Community rules.
The Commission assessed the measure under Article 107(2)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which allows the Commission to approve state aid granted by Member States to compensate certain undertakings for damage directly caused by exceptional occurrences.
The epidemic is an extraordinary, unpredictable event with a significant economic impact. Exceptional intervention by Member States to compensate for the damage is therefore justified. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)