Brussels, 05/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 30 April, the European Commission prohibited regional investment aid of €9.56 million that Hungary was planning to grant to IBIDEN Hungary Gyártó Kft. IBIDEN produces substrates for diesel particulate filters. The indepth inquiry launched by the Commission in July 2007 revealed that the project was not in line with the requirements of EU rules on regional aid and in particular with the 2002 multisectoral framework (MSF) on regional aid. Notably, IBIDEN's market share was found to exceed the relevant 25% threshold. The MSF 2002 sets out the conditions for granting aid for very large regional investment projects. It restricts the amount of aid that can be given to companies with a market share of over 25% because of concerns that aid in these circumstances would reinforce the market power of the beneficiary at the expense of its competitors. In any case, as aid to IBIDEN has not yet been granted, it does not need to be recovered. (O.L.)