The European Commission on May 24 has approved under EU state aid
rules Latvian plans to partially compensate energy-intensive users for
charges paid to support renewable energy.
“Today’s measure will contribute to the competitiveness of these
users without unduly distorting competition in the Single Market,” the
Commission said in a press release, adding that it has a yearly budget
of around €95 million and is estimated to benefit around 100
beneficiaries, covering the period from 2016 until 2021.
EU state aid rules, in particular Commission’s 2014 Guidelines on
State Aid for Environmental Protection and Energy, allow Member States
to grant reductions from contributions under certain conditions in order
to maintain the global competitiveness of certain sectors. In
particular, this concerns energy-intensive users in sectors that are
particularly energy-intensive and/or exposed to international
competition.
The Commission said that the EC concluded that the scope of the
beneficiaries under Latvia’s plans meet the criteria under the
Guidelines. The measure enables Latvia to strike a balance between
guaranteeing support to renewable energy and ensuring competitiveness of
energy-intensive industries.
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/eu-commission-clears-support-energy-intensive-users-latvia/