Brussels, 13/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has approved the regional aid maps covering the period 2007-2013 for Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. All the current maps will expire on 31 December 2006 and if any Member State's new map has not been approved by 1st January 2007, that State will not be able to grant regional aid until such time as approval has been given. “The approved regional aid maps support our cohesion objectives and contribute to the State aid Action Plan's focus on less and better targeted aid,” said Neelie Kroes, welcoming these decisions “taken well in time to permit those seven Member States a smooth transition from their current regional aid system towards their regional development strategies for 2007-2013”. The guidelines on regional aid, reviewed in December 2005 (see EUROPE 9095), provide for regional aid to be granted to those regions where GDP is less than 75% of the Community average (Article 87§3a) - this is the case for the majority of the regions approved in these maps. In line with the principles set out in the new guidelines, the entire territory of six of these Member States (the exception is Slovakia) will continue to be eligible for regional investment aid, although the maximum aid intensities are, in general, reduced. In the case of Slovakia, regional investment aid for the Bratislava region will be phased out by the end of 2008.