The European Commission on Wednesday 21 December authorised €49 billion in German aid to support the economy in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The scheme was authorised under the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework adopted by the Commission on 23 March 2022 and amended on 20 July and 28 October 2022.
The measure will be open to companies, irrespective of their sector of activity or size, which are final consumers of electricity, natural gas and heat produced from natural gas and electricity.
The support will take the form of direct grants. It will be channelled through energy suppliers in monthly payments in the form of reductions in the electricity, natural gas and heating bills of eligible beneficiaries. The energy suppliers will then be reimbursed by the German state for the aid provided.
The measure will be administered by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, with the help of energy suppliers and several other administrative entities to be designated later.
The support includes a clawback mechanism. The total amount of aid granted to each company will be checked at the end of the eligibility period against the amounts of aid allowed under the Temporary Framework. Any payments exceeding the applicable aid ceilings will be recovered by the German authorities. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)