Brussels, 31/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission approved the Austrian regional aid map that was notified to it in August 1999 and that allows the Austrian authorities to grant financial aid to certain parts of the country affected by structural handicaps. The discussion of the map was part of a wider exercise to review regional aid systems in all the Member States. At the end of 1997, the Commission announced its intention to reduce the overall coverage of areas eligible for regional aid granted in the European Union from 2000 onwards.
For Austria, the Commission decided to reduce the overall coverage of areas eligible for regional aid from 35.4% of the national population in 1999 to 27.5% for the period 2000-2006. In approving the Austrian map for this period, the Commission recognises that the Burgenland qualifies for regional aid under Article 87 paragraph 3, point a, of the EC Treaty, its per capita GDP does not exceed 75% of the Community average. Therefore, this region may receive aid up to 30% (in net grant equivalent) in the wealthier north and 35% (in net grant equivalent) elsewhere. As for the regions that are relatively better off, but nevertheless suffer from certain structural disadvantages, the Commission declared, Weinviertel, Osttirol, Niederosterreich Sud, Waldviertel, Ostliche Obersteiermark, lngau and several communes in the regions of Westliche Obersteiermark, Klagenfurt-Viliach, Oberkarnten, Unterkarnten, Mostviertel-Eisenwurzen, Liezen, Oststeiermark, West and Sudsteiermerk, Innviertel, Muhlviertel and Steyr-Kirchdorf as eligible. The maximum aid intensities for these towns and regions vary between 12.5% (in net grant equivalent) and 20% (in net grant equivalent) depending on the seriousness and the intensity of the regional problem in each of the eligible zones.