On Monday 30 August, the European Commission authorised €520 million of Italian State aid to compensate for the damage suffered by companies in the trade fair and congress sector and their service providers as a result of the restrictive measures put in place by the Italian government to limit the spread of coronavirus.
Beneficiaries will be able to obtain compensation in the form of direct grants for part of the loss suffered between 9 March 2020 and 14 June 2020 and between 24 October 2020 and 14 June 2021, periods during which, due to the restrictive measures in force, the organisation of such events was not permitted.
The Italian authorities will guard against overcompensation by establishing the loss on the basis of the net losses suffered by each beneficiary as a result of the pandemic, thus ensuring that no individual beneficiary will receive compensation in excess of the loss suffered, and that any payment in excess of the actual loss will be reimbursed.
The Commission considered that the Italian measure would make good the damage directly linked to the coronavirus pandemic. It also found that the measure was proportionate, as the compensation envisaged did not go beyond the amount necessary to remedy the damage. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)