On July 6, the Commission adopted a Proposal for a Council Regulation to exempt from prior notification certain types of aid for transport which are less polluting and more sustainable than exclusively road transport. The objective of this proposal is to simplify procedures regarding public support to rail, inland waterway and multimodal transport.
The proposal is in line with the EU Green Deal and the Union's Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and follows on the State aid Fitness Check carried out in 2020.
The proposal, which is made in the context of the revision of the State aid Railway Guidelines, shall empower the Commission to adopt block exemption regulations declaring that aid for the coordination of transport or reimbursement for the discharge of certain obligations inherent in the concept of a public service as referred to in Article 93 TFEU is compatible with the internal market and is exempted from the notification requirements of Article 108(3) TFEU.
Link to Commission’s press release