In the last decade, SSE and its members have systematically monitored the impact of EU State Aid Rules on social services.
SSE’s contribution to the EC Consultation on exemptions for small amounts of state aid (de minimis aid) can be summed up in three specific points:
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SSE underlines the need for all actors not only to lawfully apply the EU State Aid Rules, but also to simply their application in practice.
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Accordingly, SSE calls for a significant increase of the threshold of de minimis aid of currently standing at 200,000€, as set in Regulation 1407/2013. As the next adaptation of the threshold is not expected to happen in the next years again, future price and inflation developments have to be taken into account when defining the adapted threshold.
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If the de minimis threshold is raised under Regulation 1407/2013, the threshold for services of general interest (SGEI) set in Regulation 360/2012 must also be raised. An increase to 1.5 million € for any period of three fiscal years would ensure a better functioning of the Regulation on the ground.
SSE supports further specific demands for the revision of the general and SGIE de minimis regulations contained in a position paper issued in January 2022 by the BAGFW, which is available here in English and German.
You can read the full SSE Contribution submitted on 20 July by clicking here.