The European Commission announced, on Monday 11 March, that it had authorised a €750 million Italian State aid scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-sized businesses affected by the energy crisis resulting from Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
The aid will be provided to beneficiaries in the form of state guarantees to ensure that these companies have access to sufficient financial liquidity.
This guarantee will not exceed €280,000 per company active in the primary production of agricultural products, €335,000 per beneficiary company in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and €2 million per company in all other sectors. The aid must be granted by 30 June 2024 at the latest.
The Commission concluded that the scheme complied with European State aid rules and, in particular, with the provisions of the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework and Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which allows aid to be authorised in particular to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State. (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)