On Tuesday 23 July, the European Commission announced that it had authorised changes to an existing German State aid scheme designed to enable all households, businesses and public institutions in Germany to have access to a “gigabit network” of very high-speed internet transmission technology by 2030.
The scheme, initially authorised in November 2020, was due to expire on 31 December 2025.
The changes include extending the scheme until 31 December 2028 and increasing the budget for this measure by a further €26 billion.
The total budget for the measure will therefore be €38 billion. This increase will be financed by the German federal budget to the tune of €13 billion and by the budgets of the Länder (German regions) and local authorities, also to the tune of €13 billion.
Other changes are also being made to the scheme, the Commission said, to bring it into line with the 2023 Broadband Guidelines.
The Commission found the amended scheme to be in line with European State aid rules, in particular its Broadband Guidelines and Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. (Original version in French by Émilie Vanderhulst)