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General Block Exemption Regulation and State Aid Guidelines
NEW TRANSPORT GUIDELINES AND BLOCK EXEMPTION REGULATION
The European Commission adopted the State aid Land and Multimodal Transport Guidelines and the State aid Transport Block Exemption Regulation on 16 March 2026 and they enter into force on 30 March 2026. These instruments support more sustainable transport modes for both passengers and freight and update the EU State aid framework for land and multimodal transport.
CONSULTATION ON REVISED GENERAL BLOCK EXEMPTION REGULATION
The European Commission is consulting until 23 April 2026 on the draft of a simpler and more streamlined General Block Exemption Regulation. It is intended to align the new version with current social, market and technological conditions.
State aid approvals
DANISH SCHEME TO SUPPORT OFFSHORE WIND ENERGY
The European Commission approved a €5 billion Danish scheme to support offshore wind energy in line with the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal. The scheme will support the construction and operation of two offshore wind farms.
FRENCH SCHEME FOR PRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE AND LOW-CARBON HYDROGEN
The European Commission approved a French scheme to support the production of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen in line with the objectives of the EU Hydrogen Strategy and the Clean Industrial Deal. The scheme will support the construction of 1GW of hydrogen electrolysis capacity. The aid will be awarded through a competitive bidding process planned over three tender rounds.
BELGIAN AID FOR CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE PROJECT
The European Commission approved a €260 million Belgian measure in favour of Air Liquide Large Industry NV and BASF Antwerpen NV for a carbon capture and storage project. The project aims to capture greenhouse gas emissions from the companies' existing plants, which produce hydrogen, ammonia and ethylene oxide. The measure will contribute to Belgium's climate targets by decarbonising the industry through an integrated cross-border carbon capture and storage value chain.
ROMANIAN SCHEME FOR ELECTRICITY STORAGE
The European Commission approved a €150 million Romanian scheme to support electricity storage. The purpose is to facilitate the smooth integration of variable renewable energy sources in the electricity system, in line with the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal. Under the scheme, the aid will take the form of investment aid through direct grants for new standalone battery energy storage systems. The aid will be granted before 31 December 2030.
CLEANTECH MANUFACTURING
The European Commission has approved the following State aids.
- A €200 million Spanish State aid scheme to support strategic investments that add manufacturing capacity for the production (including with secondary raw materials) of battery and energy storage technologies and hydrogen technologies, for use in electric vehicles.
- A €3 billion German State aid scheme to support strategic investments that add clean technology manufacturing capacity. Under the scheme, the aid will take the form of grants and tax advantages, interest subsidies for new loans or guarantees for new loans. The measure will be open to companies in the whole territory of Germany and may be granted until 31 December 2030.
- A €400 million Greek State aid scheme to support strategic investments that add clean technology manufacturing capacity. The measure will contribute to the transition towards a net-zero economy. The scheme was approved under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework adopted by the Commission on 25 June 2025.
- A €1.1 billion French scheme to support strategic investments that add clean technology manufacturing capacity in line with the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal. This is the eighth cleantech manufacturing capacity scheme approved since the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework was adopted, unlocking over €10 billion in support for investments in such capacity.
ITALIAN RESCUE LOAN
The European Commission approved a rescue loan of up to €390 million to Acciaierie d'Italia ("ADI"), Italy's main integrated steel producer. The measure aims to ensure that ADI can cover its operating costs until the business is transferred to a new operator that will be selected through a tender procedure that is currently ongoing.
DANISH SCHEME TO SUPPORT LANDOWNER CLIMATE PROJECTS
The European Commission approved a €1.04 billion (DKK 7.8 billion) Danish State aid scheme to support landowners committing to voluntarily remove agricultural or forestry land from production to reduce agricultural emissions. Under the scheme, the aid will take the form of direct grants or benefits in kind, such as technical consultancy or the purchase of goods and services.
State aid investigations
AMENDED RESTRUCTURING PLAN FOR CE OLTENIA
The European Commission opened an in-depth investigation to assess whether Romania's proposed amendments to power company CE Oltenia's restructuring plan are in line with EU state aid rules. In January 2022, the Commission conditionally approved Romanian restructuring aid of €2.66 billion (RON 13.15 billion) for CE Oltenia, supporting its restructuring plan for the period 2021-2026. The Commission approved the restructuring aid under the Guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring non-financial undertakings in difficulty.
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