On 1 January 2024, the revised general regulation on de minimis aid (the de minimis Regulation) and the regulation on de minimis aid for providers of services of general economic interest (the SGEI de minimis Regulation) entered into force. Under these regulations, aid below a certain ceiling does not qualify as “State aid” and does not need to be notified to the European Commission.
The de minimis Regulation entails the following main changes:
- The aid ceiling per company is increased from EUR 200,000 to EUR 300,000 over three years. This increase aims to take inflation into account. The ceiling for aid comprised in loans and in guarantees is also raised.
- Member States are obliged to register information on de minimis aid in a central register from 1 January 2026. Each Member State can choose to create its own central register or to use the central register at EU level that will be set up by the European Commission. This requirement will provide more transparency regarding how much de minimis aid has been granted to individual companies and will reduce the burden for companies, as they will no longer need to use a self-declaration system once the register covers three years.
The SGEI de minimis Regulation also increases the aid ceiling per company providing services of general economic interest (SGEI) from EUR 500,000 to EUR 750,000 over a period of three years. It similarly introduces the obligation for Member States to register information on SGEI de minimis aid in a central register.
Both regulations will apply until 31 December 2030.
