On 9 March 2023, the Commission has approved a targeted amendment to the General Block Exemption Regulation (“GBER”), which conditionally declares specific categories of state aid compatible without notification, in order to further facilitate and speed up green and digital transition.
Several new categories of aid were introduced in the areas of environmental protection and energy such as green mobility, biodiversity and energy efficiency. Aid measures to regulate prices for energy have also been added.
The new amendments also intend to align the GBER with the recent changes in various State aid Guidelines (RDI Framework, Broadband Guidelines, CEEAG, Regional aid Guidelines, Risk Finance Guidelines). In particular, the notification thresholds for environmental and RDI aid have been raised significantly.
The text will now be translated into all official EU languages. The new text of the GBER will then be published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), and enter into force on the day following its publication in the OJEU.
Under this new form, the GBER is prolonged until the end of 2026.
For further information: Commission’s press release