On Thursday 7 May, the European Commission authorised a German scheme worth €5 billion to help companies in sectors covered by the ETS - chemicals, metallurgy, paper and ceramics - to decarbonise their production processes, under the ‘CEEAG’ guidelines on State aid for climate and energy, applicable from 2022 (see EUROPE 12858/2).
Selected on the basis of calls for tender, the projects will contribute to the replacement of fossil fuels by lower-carbon alternatives (electrification, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, biomethane, etc.), and they will have to achieve substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions (at least 50% in the first four years and at least 85% over 15 years) compared with conventional systems in the sectors concerned.
Public aid will only cover the additional costs associated with cleaner production processes.
In its analysis, the Commission found that the German scheme is appropriate, incentive-based and proportionate, and that its impact on competition is limited. This scheme replaces a previous German public aid scheme approved in March 2025 (see EUROPE 13606/16). (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)