Brussels, 10/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 10 September, the European Commission launched an in-depth investigation to establish whether €37.5 million aid (PLN 130.5 million), which Poland intends to grant for the restructuring of PZL Hydral, is in line with the EU Guidelines on state aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty. The Commission has doubts whether the company is eligible for new restructuring aid, as it seems that it has already received state support in the past. The Commission also needs to verify that the notified restructuring plan is sufficient to restore the company's long term viability and whether the envisaged aid is limited to the minimum necessary to enable the restructuring to be undertaken. It also has to ensure that the aid would not create an undue distortion of competition within the EU. Commenting on the decision, European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes pointed out that the Commission had to “make sure that public resources … are not simply used to keep a company afloat artificially”. (O.L./transl.rt)