COVID-19 National State Aid Measures Adopted

Member States are able to introduce national state aid schemes that mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by utilizing Articles 107(2)(b) and 107(3)(b) (particularly through the Temporary Framework adopted by the European Commission on 19 March 2020) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

Denmark was the first state to adopt a national aid scheme under the TFEU Article 107(2)(b) and was approved by the European Commission within a mere 24 hours. The scheme is intended to compensate for the damage caused for cancellations of large public events as a result of COVID-19 concerns.

Other Member States have followed suit adopting their own national state aid measures which so far amount to a total of 14 such measures. The Commission has considered these measures compatible under the aforementioned TFEU Articles relating to aid to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State. These Member States include Italy,