05/05/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 5 May, the European Commission authorised a Swedish aid scheme worth €2.6 billion to support, through direct grants, companies in all sectors - except the financial sector - operating in southern Sweden and help them cope with rising energy costs. The notified aid scheme will be financed through the congestion income, obtained by the transmission system operator from the trade flows of electricity between different electricity price zones. The European Commission concluded that the support measures were compatible with Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and with the Temporary Framework for State Aid adopted by the European Commission on 9 March (see EUROPE 13138/1). (EV)