The European Commission has launched a public consultation inviting all interested parties to comment on its proposal to amend the Guidelines on regional State aid to keep them up-to-date.
The proposed amendments
The guidelines set out the legal framework governing the granting of state aid for regional development and territorial cohesion. They aim to promote the economic development of disadvantaged regions in the EU while ensuring a level playing field between member states. The guidelines constitute an important instrument used by member states to enhance regional development.
In this context, the guidelines also lay down criteria member states should use to identify the areas that can receive regional aid. Those areas are approved by the Commission in regional aid maps. The current regional aid maps expire at the end of 2027.
With the amendments, the Commission took into consideration regional socio-economic development based on the latest data, for the identification of the relevant areas for the period 2028-2034, as well as the specific challenges of the EU’s eastern regions bordering Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, as identified in the Eastern regions communication.
The Commission welcomes feedback from all interested stakeholders, in particular national and regional authorities that grant aid. Interested parties are invited to respond to the public consultation on the draft Guidelines by 30 September 2026.
Next steps
The proposed text of the guidelines will also be discussed in a multilateral meeting between the Commission and the member states.
The adoption of the amended guidelines is envisaged for the end of 2026 to provide member states sufficient time to prepare and notify their regional aid maps that will enter into force in 2028.
Background
The guidelines set out the conditions under which regional aid may be considered allowed under EU state aid rules and establishes the criteria for identifying the areas that fulfil the conditions of Article 107(3)(a) and (c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. The guidelines also contain rules member states can use to draw up regional aid maps to identify in which geographical areas companies can receive regional state aid and at what level.
The current regional aid maps apply from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2027. To enable member states to grant regional aid beyond 2027, new regional aid maps need to be drawn up.
In addition to the stakeholders’ consultation that is launched today, the Commission conducted a call for evidence earlier this year.
