On Thursday 14 July the European Commission authorised €5 billion in German aid to support energy-intensive and trade-intensive companies active in the industrial sectors in the context of the war in Ukraine triggered by Russia.
This scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted by the Commission on 23 March 2022.
The aid will take the form of direct grants for the extra costs caused by the sharp increases in natural gas and electricity prices.
The measure will be open to energy- and trade-intensive companies in all industrial sectors that are exposed to a risk of carbon leakage and are listed in Annex I of the State Aid Guidelines on Climate, Environmental Protection and Energy. The eligibility period for which aid applications can be submitted is from February to September 2022. The aid will be granted in the form of advances. The final amount will then be verified and corrected by 30 June 2023.
The measure is deemed to be in line with the rules: large energy consumers who suffer business losses can receive additional aid of up to €25 million and, if they operate in particularly affected sectors and sub-sectors, up to €50 million. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)