On Monday 19 April, the European Commission announced that it had approved a Czech aid scheme worth around €718 million (CZK 17 billion) for companies affected by the rising cost of thermal energy.
The aid will be calculated on the basis of the increase in production costs recorded between 1 February 2022 and 31 December 2023, compared with the period between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021.
Eligible companies producing thermal energy will access the aid in the form of reduced payments for thermal energy, not exceeding €2 million per beneficiary company.
Aid will be granted to eligible companies no later than 31 December 2023. It will be subject to compliance with provisions designed to limit distortions of competition between suppliers and to provisions guaranteeing that the benefits of the measure are passed on to the final beneficiaries.
The aid scheme was notified by the Czech Republic to the European Commission under the Temporary Framework for State Aid during crisis and transition periods (see EUROPE 13138/1). The Commission also found that the measure complied with Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)