State aid to the firms

Key points

The EESC:

• considers state aid impact evaluations to be key tools for checking the consistency between results and proposed targets, thus enabling resources to be allocated more effectively and efficiently and improving transparency on the spending of public money;
• would like to see a generalisation of impact evaluations and possibly a lowering of the EUR 150 million average annual budget threshold currently set by the General Block Exemption Regulation as a limit;
• believes that Member States must establish appropriate mechanisms for evaluation, carried out by independent bodies and with the involvement of the social partners;
• points out that the new system which grants Member States responsibility for ex- ante evaluation will increase overall costs for the public administration and for firms;
• asks to be involved in the processes of evaluating the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the state aid system at the end of the period 2014-2020.

Other relevant EESC opinions:

• The Internal Market and State aid for the regions (CESE 1849/2012 - INT/653)
• State aid to airports and airlines (CESE 1544/2014 - CCMI/125)
• State aid to shipbuilding (CESE 1176/2011 - CCMI/85)
• State aid - closure of cool mines (CESE 1614/2010 - CCMI/84)

For more information please contact the INT Section Secretariat.