On Friday 19 July, the Commission announced that it had authorised a Greek State aid scheme worth €80 million. This scheme aims to promote the take-up of broadband services by consumers and SMEs in Greece (“Gigabit Voucher Scheme”).
The aid will be partly financed under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, one of the main instruments of the NextGenerationEU European recovery package. It will be provided in the form of connectivity vouchers, which will cover up to 50% of eligible costs. The maximum amount per voucher is set at €200.
The scheme will run for two years.
The Commission found that the measure complied with EU State aid rules, in particular the 2023 Guidelines on broadband connections, and with Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which allows aid to facilitate the development of certain economic activities or of certain economic areas to be authorised under certain conditions. (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)