29/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 29 May, the European Commission authorised two Italian schemes aimed at allowing national, regional and local authorities to grant aid in 2009 and 2010 to companies facing financing problems due to the credit crunch. The first scheme enables grants of up to €500,000 per company, while the second provides for aid in the form of guarantees. Both schemes are limited in time and only apply to companies that were not in difficulties on 1 July 2008. They thus meet the conditions set by the Commission, which grants member states an additional margin of manoeuvre to facilitate access to financing in the context of the current economic crisis. (H.D./transl.jl)