On Wednesday 6 October, the European Commission invited Member States and all other interested parties to submit their comments on certain proposals to amend the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).
In the field of energy and the environment, the Commission proposes, among other things, to extend the possibilities for Member States to provide support for various types of ‘green’ projects (the reduction of CO2 emissions, natural habitats, zero-emission vehicles, etc.). It also intends to introduce new ‘green’ conditions that need to be fulfilled for large energy-intensive businesses to receive block-exempted aid in the form reduced tax rates under the Energy Taxation Directive.
The Commission also suggests: - taking into account the increased role of storage for the integration of renewable energy in the electricity system; - facilitating investment in green hydrogen; - encouraging ambitious building renovation projects.
In addition, it proposes clarifying and streamlining the rules on risk finance aid, and broadening the scope of aid for startups, to include aid in the form of the transfer of intellectual property rights (IPR).
Other proposed improvements: - simplifying the conditions for granting research, development and innovation aid without prior notification and approval, for example by including the possibility to calculate indirect costs of R&D projects through a simplified cost approach, and the introduction of new compatibility rules for support to testing and experimentation infrastructures; - aligning the conditions the new Regional Aid Guidelines, by, for example, extending the possibility to grant operating aid to prevent or reduce depopulation also in sparsely populated areas (until now only possible for very sparsely populated areas).
The adoption of the revised GBER is scheduled for the first half of 2022.
Link to the consultation and relevant documents: https://bit.ly/3AfVFxT (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)