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Competition Policy

Fitness Check of the 2012 State aid modernisation package, railways guidelines and short-term export credit insurance

The context

The State Aid Modernisation exercise has allowed Member States to quickly implement State aid that fosters investment, economic growth and job creation, leaving the Commission to focus its State aid control on the cases most liable to distort competition. More than 97% of all State aid measures are now implemented by Member States without the need for prior approval by the Commission.

 

The scope of the Fitness Check

On 7 January 2019 the Commission launched in line with the Commission's Better Regulation Guidelines the evaluation of the rules, which were adopted as part of the State aid Modernisation exercise. The evaluation takes the form of a “fitness check”. It aims to provide a basis for decisions, to be taken by the Commission in the near future, about whether to further prolong or possibly update the existing rules. The evaluation covers the following rules, all of which were adopted as part of the State Aid Modernisation:

The “Fitness Check” also covers the Railways Guidelines from 2008 and the Short term export credit Communication from 2012. Those rules were not revised as part of the State Aid Modernisation, but an evaluation is relevant in the light of developments in EU law and the Commission's case practice.

The “Fitness Check” involves internal analyses by the Commission and public consultations as well as, concerning some specific rules, studies prepared by external consultants or targeted consultations of specific stakeholders. The results of the evaluation exercise are summarised in a Commission Staff Working Document. The milestones of the Fitness Check are listed on the Better Regulation Portal.

 

Reference documents and timeline

 

Contact details

Responsible services:

Directorate-General for Competition – Unit A3 – State aid Policy and Case Support.
Please always indicate the reference number in your correspondence: HT.5473

E-Mail address:

COMP-SA-FITNESSCHECKatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (COMP-SA-FITNESSCHECK[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

Postal address:

European Commission
Directorate-General for Competition
1049 Brussels
Belgique/Belgie