Brussels – Approval given for €285 million to support Italian agricultural, fisheries and aquaculture businesses. The European Commission approved today (28 August) a state aid scheme to support sectors affected by rising fuel and fertiliser prices, driven by the crisis in the Middle East stemming from the US-Israeli war in Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The scheme was approved under the Temporary State aid framework for the Middle East crisis (METSAF), an instrument adopted by the Commission on 29 April to allow Member States to support businesses affected by the surge in energy, fuel, and fertiliser prices.
The scheme will remain in force until 31 December 2026, and the aid will take the form of direct grants and tax relief. For the three sectors, the amount will be determined based on estimates of fuel consumption and, in the case of agriculture, also fertiliser consumption. In its official communications, the Berlaymont building emphasised that, before approving the aid, it assessed the scheme’s validity under EU law. The relevant provisions were the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which in Article 107(3)(c) allows Member States to support the development of certain economic activities, subject to certain conditions, as well as sections 1 and 2.1 of the METSAF. The Commission concluded by describing the scheme as “necessary, appropriate, and proportionate,” as it promotes “the development of an economic activity and does not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest.”
The METSAF allows Member States to provide aid to businesses in the agriculture, fisheries, and transport sectors (road, rail, inland waterway and short-sea shipping within the EU): up to 70 per cent of the additional costs resulting from the rise in fuel and fertiliser prices caused by the crisis, as verified “at beneficiary level without an upper limit”; up to €50,000 for additional fuel costs, which may also be estimated on the basis of relevant indicators for the calculation.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
