The European Commission opened an in-depth investigation on Monday 28 July to determine whether the investment aid granted by Poland to MAN Trucks to expand the capacity of its Niepołomice plant complies with EU state aid rules, according to a press release.
MAN Trucks is a manufacturer of light, medium and heavy trucks, part of the MAN Group and the Volkswagen Group. In 2024, the Polish authorities notified the Commission of aid of around €26 million (a direct grant of around €2.4 million and a corporate tax exemption of around €23.7 million) for the capacity expansion of the MAN Trucks plant in Niepołomice, an area eligible for EU regional state aid. This investment is expected to create around 1,400 new jobs in the region. Poland has decided to grant the aid, but has suspended it pending approval by the Commission.
At this stage, on the basis of a preliminary assessment, the Commission has concluded that the investment project promotes economic development and employment in a less-favoured region of the EU. However, it doubts whether the measure complies with the applicable EU rules on state aid, in particular the guidelines on national regional aid.
The investigation will have to determine whether the aid is proportionate (limited to what is necessary to attract the investment) and whether it has an incentive effect (whether the decision to expand the plant’s capacity was directly triggered by the Polish aid or whether it would have been implemented even without the aid). (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)