On Tuesday 8 February, the European Commission approved Portugal’s map for granting regional aid, valid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027, within the framework of the revised Regional aid Guidelines.
Portugal’s regional aid map defines the Portuguese regions eligible for regional investment aid.
The map also establishes the maximum aid intensities available to the eligible regions.
Under the revised guidelines, regions covering 70.23% of the population of Portugal will be eligible for regional investment aid. In Portugal, two outermost regions (the Autonomous Region of the Azores and the Autonomous Region of Madeira) will remain eligible for aid as “a” areas.
The regions of Norte, Centro and Alentejo are among the most disadvantaged in the EU, with a GDP per capita below 75% of the EU average. These regions are also eligible for aid under Article 107(3)(a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, with maximum aid intensities for large enterprises of 30%.
Portugal has designated parts of the Lisbon metropolitan area and of Algarve as non-predefined “c” areas. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)