BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 16. The European
Commission has approved state aid schemes for Bulgaria, Germany,
and Slovenia totaling over €4,2 billion to provide electricity
price relief for energy-intensive companies, Trend reports via the
European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition.
The measures, authorized under the Clean Industrial Deal State
Aid Framework (CISAF), are designed to support industries at
significant risk of “carbon leakage”— the relocation of activities
to countries with less ambitious environmental regulations. The aid
will compensate these companies for a portion of their electricity
costs over the next three years.
The approved budgets for the member states are as follows:
Germany – €3,8 billion, Bulgaria – €334 million, Slovenia – €90
million.
Under the terms of the approval, beneficiaries are required to
reinvest at least 50% of the aid received into new or modernized
assets. These investments must aim to reduce electricity system
costs and align with market needs without increasing the use of
fossil fuels.
The schemes are scheduled to run between 2025 and 2028,
depending on the specific implementation timelines of each Member
State.