Brussels, 10/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has authorised subsidies to Solvay Soda GmbH (SSD) in Germany, a subsidiary of sodium carbonate producer Solvay Soda Deutschland GmbH. To reduce pollution of the Rhine, SSD presented an environmental project to produce sodium carbonate using a raw material that pollutes less and an associated research plan. SSD is due to receive a total of € 5.7 million in aid from the German authorities for the project, which will cost a total of € 29.6 million. The Commission decided that SSD's investment fulfils all the conditions laid down in the research and development and in the environmental guidelines and that the project is fully in line with the EU endorsed goal to reduce environmental pollution. The approval is subject to a commitment by the German authorities to report to the Commission regularly on implementation of the project. If the project is amended over the next 20 years, all subsidies will have to be repaid.