Brussels, 23 August 2022 (TDI): The European Commission has approved a €260 million Italian scheme to support companies active in the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted by the Commission on 23 March 2022, and amended on 20 July 2022.
#EUStateAid #StandWithUkraine Commission 🇪🇺 approves €260 million Italian 🇮🇹 scheme to support companies in Friuli Venezia Giulia in the context of Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine️ ⬇️https://t.co/aNEeOVuRwI pic.twitter.com/iRpk48TVA9
— EU Competition (@EU_Competition) August 22, 2022
The measure aims at reducing the risk of economic disruption faced by these companies, which are heavily affected by the socio-economic effects of the current geopolitical crisis.
The measure will be open to companies of all sizes having an operative branch in the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, with the exception of the financial, agriculture, fishery, aquaculture, and forestry sectors.
Italian scheme for the wine sector
The European Commission has also approved an Italian aid scheme worth €600,000 to support the wine nursery sector in the Autonomous Province of Thirty under EU State aid rules.
The scheme will be open to small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the wine nursery sector of Trento. Under the scheme, support will take the form of a direct grant.
The maximum amount of aid will be equal to 40% of eligible costs. The scheme will be applied until 31 December 2022.
Objectives of the scheme
- To improve the competitiveness of wine nurseries in the context of the current global economic crisis.
- To help vine nurseries in the fight against pathogenic agents and the increased use of alternatives to pesticides
- To improve the overall performance and sustainability of grapevine nurseries by reducing production costs and improving production techniques.
The Commission has evaluated the proposal according to EU state aid regulations, in particular the guidelines for state aid in the agricultural and forestry industries and in rural areas.
The system was found to be reasonable and required to protect the competitiveness of regional wine producers. The Commission came to the conclusion that the Italian plan complied with EU state assistance regulations as a result.
