Brussels updates state aid guidance for green transition
Solar panels - Photo by AleSpa
(BRUSSELS) - The European Commission updated state aid guiding templates to assist EU states in designing measures to be included in their recovery and resilience plans, in line with EU State aid rules.
The updated technical documents are specifically updated to help Member States design measures that contribute to implementation of the European Green Deal, help end dependence on Russian fossil fuels and speed up the green transition.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility ('RRF'), the key instrument at the heart of the €800 billion NextGenerationEU recovery plan for Europe, supports coordinated planning and financing of cross-border and national infrastructure, as well as energy projects and reforms, to mitigate the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic, fast-forward the green and digital transitions and increase the Union's overall resilience.
In February 2023, the RRF Regulation was amended to integrate dedicated REPowerEU chapters in Member States' existing RRPs. In order to ensure a swift roll-out of the REPowerEU measures, the Commission encourages Member States to submit their modified RRPs by 30 April 2023 at the latest.
In December 2020, the Commission published guiding templates to assist Member States in designing State aid measures forming part of their RRPs covering numerous types of investments projects in line with the "European flagships" of the Commission's Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy 2021. To help Member States modify their plans in the context of REPowerEU, the Commission has now introduced targeted updates to the templates that are most relevant for the design of new measures under REPowerEU chapters.
In particular, several templates have been adjusted to the new 2022 Guidelines on State aid for Climate, Environmental protection and Energy, the revised State aid Framework for Research, Development and Innovation, the new Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, and the endorsed amendment to the General Block Exemption Regulation.
The Commission amended the following templates:
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Flagship |
Guiding template |
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Power up |
Energy and hydrogen infrastructure |
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Energy from renewable sources, including renewably sourced hydrogen production, as well as investment/operating aid for the reduction and removal of greenhouse gas emissions including through support for renewable energy and energy efficiency |
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District heating and/or cooling, generation and distribution infrastructure |
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Renovate |
District heating and/or cooling, generation and distribution infrastructure |
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Energy efficiency in buildings |
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Recharge and refuel |
Electric recharging stations and hydrogen stations for road vehicles |
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Acquisition of zero and low-emission road vehicles |
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Other low emission transport modes |
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Scale up |
Innovative processors and semiconductor technologies |
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Cloud capabilities |