COM(2010)701 - State Aid Scoreboard Report on State aid granted by the EU Member States - Autumn 2010 Update -

official title

 

Legal instrument	Report
reference by COM-number121	COM(2010)701
Additional COM-numbers	SEC(2010)1462
CELEX number124	52010DC0701

This page is also available in a full version containing the latest state of affairs, the legal context, other dossiers related to the dossier at hand, the stakeholders involved (e.g. European Commission directorates-general, European Parliament committees, Council configurations and even individual EU Commissioners and Members of the European Parliament) and finally documents of the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission.

• 1. 

  www.eftasurv.int/information/sascoreboard/
  
   
• 2. 

  Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, Long-term sustainability of public finances for a recovering economy - COM(2009) 545, 14.10.2009 (ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/thematic_articles).
  
   
• 3. 

  Temporary framework for State aid measures to support access to finance in the current financial and economic crisis; consolidated version OJ C 83, 7.4.2009; as further amended by OJ C 261, 31.10.2009, p. 2, and OJ C 303, 15.12.2009, p. 6.
  
   
• 4. 

  The total covers aid to manufacturing, services, coal, agriculture, fisheries and part of the transport sector but excludes, due to the lack of comparable data, aid to the railway sector and aid for compensation for services of general economic interest. Aid amounts refer to the aid element (or gross grant equivalent in case of guarantees or loans) contained in a State aid measure unless stated otherwise (see methodological remarks in the Commission Staff Working Document, attached to this Report).
  
   
• 5. 

  EU-27 means all Member States of the EU.
  
   
• 6. 

  In order to give a complete picture on crisis aid, the whole of the period dating from the adoption of the Commission's crisis measures to a cut-off date of 1 October 2010 is used as the reference period for this part of the report.
  
   
• 7. 

  EU-15 comprises Member States that joined the EU before 2004.
  
   
• 8. 

  Coal, as part of sectoral aid, amounted to
   
• 9. 

  Excluding railways.
  
   
• 10. 

  Since
   
• 11. 

  Excluding railways.
  
   
• 12. 

  Since comparable data are lacking, it is not included in any of the totals.
  
   
• 13. 

  See paragraph 2.3.5 of Commission's Staff Working Document 'Facts and figures on State aid in the EU Member States'.
  
   
• 14. 

  Crisis measures excluded.
  
   
• 15. 

  Source: DG Competition; GDP figures: Eurostat.
  
   
• 16. 

  EU-12 includes Member States which acceded to the EU in 2004 or later.
  
   
• 17. 

  I.e. to promote horizontal aid versus sectoral aid.
  
   
• 18. 

  When crisis aid is excluded.
  
   
• 19. 

  Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, France, Lithuania, Hungary, Portugal and Slovakia.
  
   
• 20. 

  If one were to include crisis measures, the share of horizontal aid would drop to 13%.
  
   
• 21. 

  Two distinct groups of cases fall in the category environmental aid and energy saving: The first group of cases pursues a direct benefit to environment. The second group comprises reductions or exemption from environmental taxes. For this second group of cases, aid expenditure cannot be taken as a proxy for measuring the environmental benefit as this benefit us pursed by the tax but not by the exemptions thereof. For further details, see Spring 2008 Scoreboard - COM(2008) 304, 21.5.2008.
  
   
• 22. 

  See Autumn 2009 Scoreboard - COM(2009) 661, 7.12.2009, p. 5.
  
   
• 23. 

  See Autumn 2008 Scoreboard - COM(2008) 751, 17.11.2008, p. 30.
  
   
• 24. 

  Rescue and restructuring aid decreased and hence does not contribute to the overall increase in sectoral aid.
  
   
• 25. 

  These percentages exclude those measures with a horizontal objective that are nevertheless earmarked for the manufacturing and services sectors.
  
   
• 26. 

  Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (OJ C 244, 1.10.2004, pp. 2-17), as extended by OJ C 156, 9.7.2009, p. 3.
  
   
• 27. 

  Since October 2008 the Commission adopted four Communications: 1) Communication from the Commission- The application of State aid rules to measures taken in relation to financial institutions in the context of the current global financial crisis (OJ C 270, 25.10.2008, pp. 8-14); 2) Communication from the Commission
   
• 28. 

  For a more detailed analysis of the main notions of these communications and also for a deeper analysis of the context of the crisis please refer to previous editions of the Scoreboard, namely Autumn Scoreboard 2008, Spring special edition 2009, Autumn Scoreboard 2009 and Spring special edition 2010. Also see the Report on Competition Policy for 2009 - COM(2010) 282, 3.6.2010, pp. 4-11.
  
   
• 29. 

  Some banks may still give rise to liquidity concerns in view of ongoing restructuring and market uncertainties.
  
   
• 30. 

  See 2981st Council meeting, Economic and Financial Affairs, Brussels, 2 December 2009, 16838/09 (Press 352): www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs
  
   
• 31. 

  Staff working paper on the application of state aid rules to government guarantee schemes covering bank debt to be issued after 30 June 2010, ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid
  
   
• 32. 

  See 3015th Council meeting, Economic and Financial Affairs, Brussels, 18 May 2010, www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs
  
   
• 33. 

  In order to reflect the latest developments, the reference period for approved amounts and decisions taken in the context of financial crisis cases taken in this Scoreboard is from 1 October 2008 until 1 October 2010. Any differences with other Commission documents analysing the approved volumes of aid as guarantees can be explained by a different reference date.
  
   
• 34. 

  Blanket guarantee schemes were adopted in Denmark and Ireland.
  
   
• 35. 

  With some of these Member States having the highest GDP levels in the EU-27.
  
   
• 36. 

  For example, the maximum volume approved by the Commission in the United Kingdom is
   
• 37. 

  Please note that figures for 2008 actual use and aid element are different from the ones announced in the Autumn Scoreboard 2010 because of the data adjustments carried out by Member States (or proposed by the Commission), as for example in the case of Denmark where the figures for the scheme NN51/2008 were included into the year 2008.
  
   
• 38. 

  The take-up rate constitutes actual use of State aid measures since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008 until 31 December 2009 relative to the total approved amount in this period. At this stage, the take-up rate cannot be calculated for 2010 as the Commission is not in a possession of the figures on actual use for 2010. These figures will be reported by the Member States in the 2011 Scoreboard exercise.
  
   
• 39. 

  In the absence of data of actual expenditure and/or estimations provided by Member States, in some instances Member States were asked to confirm estimations made by the Commission's services. For exact estimation methods applied, please refer to the Methodological notes.
  
   
• 40. 

  The monetary advantage when aid was granted in form of a guarantee or loan, for instance.
  
   
• 41. 

  Data on aid element is drawn from Member States' annual reports on State aid. For more information on distinction between actual use and aid element, exact definitions of aid element for each aid instrument (guarantees, recapitalizations and impaired assets) in regard of the financial crisis cases, please refer to the Methodological notes of the Scoreboard.
  
   
• 42. 

  Consolidated version of the Communication from the Commission
   
• 43. 

  Adopted in November 2008.
  
   
• 44. 

  Figure includes only measures that fall under aid to industry and services.
  
   
• 45. 

  12 Schemes were granting aid of up to
   
• 46. 

  Article 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union; detailed provisions are contained in Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of 22 March 1999 (OJ L 83, 27.3.1999, p. 1-9).
  
   
• 47. 

  See table 2 in Annex of Facts and figures on State aid in the EU Member States.
  
   
• 48. 

  In the following, block exempted aid includes aid granted under the expired block exemption regulations (BERs) which have been replaced by a consolidated text, Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 of 6 August 2008 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the common market in application of Article 87 and 88 of the Treaty (General Block Exemption Regulation, or GBER), (OJ L 214, 9.8.2008, p. 3). In addition, measures complying with Commission Decision of 28 November 2005 on the application of Article 86(2) of the EC Treaty to State aid in the form of public service compensation granted to certain undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest (OJ L 312, 29.11.2005, p. 67), and with Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on public passenger transport services by rail and by road and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 1191/69 and (EEC) No 1107/70 (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 1), are also exempt from the notification obligation.
  
   
• 49. 

  Also known as ad hoc aid.
  
   
• 50. 

  Commission Notice on a Simplified procedure for the treatment of certain types of State aid (OJ C 136, 16.6.2009, p. 3-12).
  
   
• 51. 

  Commission Communication on a Code of Best Practice for the conduct of State aid control procedure (OJ C 136, 16.6.2009, p. 13).
  
   
• 52. 

  Crisis measures excluded.
  
   
• 53. 

  Temporary framework for State aid measures to support access to finance in the current financial and economic crisis; consolidated version OJ C 83, 7.4.2009; as further amended by OJ C 261, 31.10.2009, p. 2, and OJ C 303, 15.12.2009, p. 6.
  
   
• 54. 

  Crisis measures excluded.
  
   
• 55. 

  Since that policy objective was introduced for block exemption in 2007.
  
   
• 56. 

  197 cases.
  
   
• 57. 

  19 cases.
  
   
• 58. 

  Period includes the first half of 2010.
  
   
• 59. 

  The Commission reports about recovery on a cumulative, mid-year basis.
  
   
• 60. 

  Commission Notice on the enforcement of State aid law by national courts (OJ C 85, 9.4.2009, p. 1).
  
   
• 61. 

  www.eftasurv.int/information/sascoreboard/
  
   
• 62. 

  Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council, Long-term sustainability of public finances for a recovering economy - COM(2009) 545, 14.10.2009 (ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/thematic_articles).
  
   
• 63. 

  Temporary framework for State aid measures to support access to finance in the current financial and economic crisis; consolidated version OJ C 83, 7.4.2009; as further amended by OJ C 261, 31.10.2009, p. 2, and OJ C 303, 15.12.2009, p. 6.
  
   
• 64. 

  The total covers aid to manufacturing, services, coal, agriculture, fisheries and part of the transport sector but excludes, due to the lack of comparable data, aid to the railway sector and aid for compensation for services of general economic interest. Aid amounts refer to the aid element (or gross grant equivalent in case of guarantees or loans) contained in a State aid measure unless stated otherwise (see methodological remarks in the Commission Staff Working Document, attached to this Report).
  
   
• 65. 

  EU-27 means all Member States of the EU.
  
   
• 66. 

  In order to give a complete picture on crisis aid, the whole of the period dating from the adoption of the Commission's crisis measures to a cut-off date of 1 October 2010 is used as the reference period for this part of the report.
  
   
• 67. 

  EU-15 comprises Member States that joined the EU before 2004.
  
   
• 68. 

  Coal, as part of sectoral aid, amounted to
   
• 69. 

  Excluding railways.
  
   
• 70. 

  Since
   
• 71. 

  Excluding railways.
  
   
• 72. 

  Since comparable data are lacking, it is not included in any of the totals.
  
   
• 73. 

  See paragraph 2.3.5 of Commission's Staff Working Document 'Facts and figures on State aid in the EU Member States'.
  
   
• 74. 

  Crisis measures excluded.
  
   
• 75. 

  Source: DG Competition; GDP figures: Eurostat.
  
   
• 76. 

  EU-12 includes Member States which acceded to the EU in 2004 or later.
  
   
• 77. 

  I.e. to promote horizontal aid versus sectoral aid.
  
   
• 78. 

  When crisis aid is excluded.
  
   
• 79. 

  Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, France, Lithuania, Hungary, Portugal and Slovakia.
  
   
• 80. 

  If one were to include crisis measures, the share of horizontal aid would drop to 13%.
  
   
• 81. 

  Two distinct groups of cases fall in the category environmental aid and energy saving: The first group of cases pursues a direct benefit to environment. The second group comprises reductions or exemption from environmental taxes. For this second group of cases, aid expenditure cannot be taken as a proxy for measuring the environmental benefit as this benefit us pursed by the tax but not by the exemptions thereof. For further details, see Spring 2008 Scoreboard - COM(2008) 304, 21.5.2008.
  
   
• 82. 

  See Autumn 2009 Scoreboard - COM(2009) 661, 7.12.2009, p. 5.
  
   
• 83. 

  See Autumn 2008 Scoreboard - COM(2008) 751, 17.11.2008, p. 30.
  
   
• 84. 

  Rescue and restructuring aid decreased and hence does not contribute to the overall increase in sectoral aid.
  
   
• 85. 

  These percentages exclude those measures with a horizontal objective that are nevertheless earmarked for the manufacturing and services sectors.
  
   
• 86. 

  Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (OJ C 244, 1.10.2004, pp. 2-17), as extended by OJ C 156, 9.7.2009, p. 3.
  
   
• 87. 

  Since October 2008 the Commission adopted four Communications: 1) Communication from the Commission- The application of State aid rules to measures taken in relation to financial institutions in the context of the current global financial crisis (OJ C 270, 25.10.2008, pp. 8-14); 2) Communication from the Commission
   
• 88. 

  For a more detailed analysis of the main notions of these communications and also for a deeper analysis of the context of the crisis please refer to previous editions of the Scoreboard, namely Autumn Scoreboard 2008, Spring special edition 2009, Autumn Scoreboard 2009 and Spring special edition 2010. Also see the Report on Competition Policy for 2009 - COM(2010) 282, 3.6.2010, pp. 4-11.
  
   
• 89. 

  Some banks may still give rise to liquidity concerns in view of ongoing restructuring and market uncertainties.
  
   
• 90. 

  See 2981st Council meeting, Economic and Financial Affairs, Brussels, 2 December 2009, 16838/09 (Press 352): www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs
  
   
• 91. 

  Staff working paper on the application of state aid rules to government guarantee schemes covering bank debt to be issued after 30 June 2010, ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid
  
   
• 92. 

  See 3015th Council meeting, Economic and Financial Affairs, Brussels, 18 May 2010, www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs
  
   
• 93. 

  In order to reflect the latest developments, the reference period for approved amounts and decisions taken in the context of financial crisis cases taken in this Scoreboard is from 1 October 2008 until 1 October 2010. Any differences with other Commission documents analysing the approved volumes of aid as guarantees can be explained by a different reference date.
  
   
• 94. 

  Blanket guarantee schemes were adopted in Denmark and Ireland.
  
   
• 95. 

  With some of these Member States having the highest GDP levels in the EU-27.
  
   
• 96. 

  For example, the maximum volume approved by the Commission in the United Kingdom is
   
• 97. 

  Please note that figures for 2008 actual use and aid element are different from the ones announced in the Autumn Scoreboard 2010 because of the data adjustments carried out by Member States (or proposed by the Commission), as for example in the case of Denmark where the figures for the scheme NN51/2008 were included into the year 2008.
  
   
• 98. 

  The take-up rate constitutes actual use of State aid measures since the beginning of the financial crisis in 2008 until 31 December 2009 relative to the total approved amount in this period. At this stage, the take-up rate cannot be calculated for 2010 as the Commission is not in a possession of the figures on actual use for 2010. These figures will be reported by the Member States in the 2011 Scoreboard exercise.
  
   
• 99. 

  In the absence of data of actual expenditure and/or estimations provided by Member States, in some instances Member States were asked to confirm estimations made by the Commission's services. For exact estimation methods applied, please refer to the Methodological notes.
  
   
• 100. 

  The monetary advantage when aid was granted in form of a guarantee or loan, for instance.
  
   
• 101. 

  Data on aid element is drawn from Member States' annual reports on State aid. For more information on distinction between actual use and aid element, exact definitions of aid element for each aid instrument (guarantees, recapitalizations and impaired assets) in regard of the financial crisis cases, please refer to the Methodological notes of the Scoreboard.
  
   
• 102. 

  Consolidated version of the Communication from the Commission
   
• 103. 

  Adopted in November 2008.
  
   
• 104. 

  Figure includes only measures that fall under aid to industry and services.
  
   
• 105. 

  12 Schemes were granting aid of up to
   
• 106. 

  Article 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union; detailed provisions are contained in Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of 22 March 1999 (OJ L 83, 27.3.1999, p. 1-9).
  
   
• 107. 

  See table 2 in Annex of Facts and figures on State aid in the EU Member States.
  
   
• 108. 

  In the following, block exempted aid includes aid granted under the expired block exemption regulations (BERs) which have been replaced by a consolidated text, Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 of 6 August 2008 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the common market in application of Article 87 and 88 of the Treaty (General Block Exemption Regulation, or GBER), (OJ L 214, 9.8.2008, p.
  
  3). In addition, measures complying with Commission Decision of 28 November 2005 on the application of Article 86(2) of the EC Treaty to State aid in the form of public service compensation granted to certain undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest (OJ L 312, 29.11.2005, p. 67), and with Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on public passenger transport services by rail and by road and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 1191/69 and (EEC) No 1107/70 (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p.
  
  1), are also exempt from the notification obligation.
  
   
• 109. 

  Also known as ad hoc aid.
  
   
• 110. 

  Commission Notice on a Simplified procedure for the treatment of certain types of State aid (OJ C 136, 16.6.2009, p. 3-12).
  
   
• 111. 

  Commission Communication on a Code of Best Practice for the conduct of State aid control procedure (OJ C 136, 16.6.2009, p. 13).
  
   
• 112. 

  Crisis measures excluded.
  
   
• 113. 

  Temporary framework for State aid measures to support access to finance in the current financial and economic crisis; consolidated version OJ C 83, 7.4.2009; as further amended by OJ C 261, 31.10.2009, p. 2, and OJ C 303, 15.12.2009, p. 6.
  
   
• 114. 

  Crisis measures excluded.
  
   
• 115. 

  Since that policy objective was introduced for block exemption in 2007.
  
   
• 116. 

  197 cases.
  
   
• 117. 

  19 cases.
  
   
• 118. 

  Period includes the first half of 2010.
  
   
• 119. 

  The Commission reports about recovery on a cumulative, mid-year basis.
  
   
• 120. 

  Commission Notice on the enforcement of State aid law by national courts (OJ C 85, 9.4.2009, p.
  
  1).
  
   
• 121. 

  De Europese Commissie kent nummers toe aan officiële documenten van de Europese Unie. De Commissie maakt onderscheid in een aantal typen documenten door middel van het toekennen van verschillende nummerseries. Het onderscheid is gebaseerd op het soort document en/of de instelling van de Unie van wie het document afkomstig is.
   
• 122. 

  De Raad van de Europese Unie kent aan wetgevingsdossiers een uniek toe. Dit nummer bestaat uit een vijfcijferig volgnummer gevolgd door een schuine streep met de laatste twee cijfers van het jaartal, bijvoorbeeld 12345/00 - een document met nummer 12345 uit het jaar 2000.
   
• 123. 

  Het interinstitutionele nummer is een nummerreeks die binnen de Europese Unie toegekend wordt aan voorstellen voor regelgeving van de Europese Commissie.
  Binnen de Europese Unie worden nog een aantal andere nummerseries gebruikt. Iedere instelling heeft één of meerdere sets documenten met ieder een eigen nummering. Die reeksen komen niet overeen met elkaar of het interinstitutioneel nummer.
   
• 124. 

  Deze databank van de Europese Unie biedt de mogelijkheid de actuele werkzaamheden (workflow) van de Europese instellingen (Europees Parlement, Raad, ESC, Comité van de Regio's, Europese Centrale Bank, Hof van Justitie enz.) te volgen. EURlex volgt alle voorstellen (zoals wetgevende en begrotingsdossiers) en mededelingen van de Commissie, vanaf het moment dat ze aan de Raad of het Europees Parlement worden voorgelegd.
   
• 125. 

  Als dag van bekendmaking van een Europees besluit geldt de dag waarop het besluit in het Publicatieblad wordt bekendgemaakt, en daardoor in alle officiële talen van de Europese Unie bij het Publicatiebureau beschikbaar is.