On Monday 6 November, the European Commission announced that it had sent the Member States a draft proposal for consultation, aimed at making targeted adjustments to the timetable for phasing out certain provisions of the temporary crisis and transitional framework for State aid, which has enabled Member States to support businesses affected by the economic consequences of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, in particular the unprecedented rise in energy prices.
The Commission is proposing a limited extension of 3 months of the provisions, allowing Member States to continue to grant limited amounts of aid (referred to in section 2.1 of the guidelines) and aid to compensate for high energy prices (referred to in section 2.4 of the guidelines), i.e. an extension until 31 March 2024.
The European Commission is looking ahead to the winter period, when businesses may need support. The European Commissioner for Competition, Didier Reynders, stressed that, despite a degree of stabilisation and the resilience of the European economy, “uncertainty remained over energy prices for the coming winter”.
The Commission also points out that this targeted draft proposal does not affect the provisions of the temporary crisis and transitional framework.
At this stage, the institution is indicating that the other sections of the framework linked to the crisis will not be extended beyond their current expiry date of 31 December 2023.
Furthermore, the sections aimed at accelerating the green transition and reducing dependence on fossil fuels are not covered by this draft proposal.
The Commission states that they will remain available on the basis of the existing framework until 31 December 2025.
The Member States now have the opportunity to comment on the Commission’s draft proposal.
The aim is to adopt these targeted amendments in the coming weeks.
In addition, Commissioner Reynders indicated that the Commission was monitoring economic developments and was ready to react to any eventuality. (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)