Wednesday 25 April 2012

At your service

More news from the European Commission today: the Commission adopted a de minimis Regulation on services of general economic interest (SGEI). Consumers benefit from SGEI on a daily basis, e.g., by taking a bus to work, watching TV at home, sending a letter at a post office, going for blood tests at a hospital, etc. The Regulation exempts from EU state aid rules aid of up to € 500 000 per company over a three-year period that is granted as compensation for the provision of such services. It forms the final pillar of an 'SGEI package' defining the conditions under which State aid in the form of public service compensation can be considered compatible with the EU rules.

See the FAQ page for more information on the new Regulation.