Anna NYKIEL-MATEO Policy Officer DG COMP A3 27/11/2012 Public Consultation on The General Block Exemption Regulation (the GBER) Please edit the Master Layout to include information specific to the presentation. For slides for the DG/DeputyDG, delete [Unit]. Anna NYKIEL-MATEO Policy Officer DG COMP A3 27/11/2012

General block exemption Regulation (the GBER) - Exemption from the notification obligation - 26 measures in GBER as compared to 10 in previous BERs – all can be provided to SMEs

Measures covered by the GBER - Regional aid - SME investment and employment aid - Aid for female entrepreneurship - Aid for environmental protection - Aid for consultancy in favour of SMEs and SME participation in fairs

Measures covered by the GBER - Aid in the form of risk capital - Aid for R&D&I - Training aid - Aid for disadvantaged and disabled workers

GBER in 2010 (State Aid Scoreboard 2011) - 66% of all EU newly introduced aid measures were block exempted - 21% of total aid to industry and services amounts granted under the GBER

Public consultation on the GBER Consultation period from 20.06.2012 until 12.09.2012 Target group institutions, public authorities, citizens, companies and organisations

The purpose of the public consultation to offer the opportunity to Member States and stakeholders to provide comments in the context of the review of the GBER which expires on 31.12.2013 Slides Font: Verdana Font sizes: Heading: 44 First level bullet points: 32 Second level bullet points: 28 Do not use third level bullet points Notes Do not have to be full sentences. Should expand on the points in the slides and provide background information. Font size: 14 If there is too much text to fit on a page (View… NotesPage), then put ALL notes for the presentation in a separate Word document, with notes for each slide starting on a new page.

Questionnaire » stock taking exercise - questions on: - general GBER policy - use and effectiveness of block exempted aid in different Member States - more detailed questions on the experience with the application of the common and the specific provisions of the GBER

Submissions received: - total: 85 - within which 34 from central and regional authorities Replies received are published on DG COMP website: http://ec.europa.eu/competition/consultations/2012_gber/index_en.html

General conclusions: GBER considered a good instrument due to: - reduction of red tape - raising competitiveness of enterprises and stimulating their growth - increase in investments and employment - increase in legal certainty

Calls for: - further clarification and simplification, in particular as regards certain definitions, transparency of aid, incentive effect and specific conditions applicable to investment aid - increase in thresholds and aid intensities - inclusion of new aid categories – but some respondents underline the need for a restrictive approach

The most used instruments: - grants, loans Very limited use of fiscal measures under the GBER

The most used aid categories: - regional aid - aid for R&D&I - aid for environmental protection - aid for consultancy in favour of SMEs - training and employment aid – associations of social enterprises point out the importance of the GBER for aid for disadvantaged and disabled workers

GBER review constitutes an important part of State Aid Modernisation (SAM) » SAM Communication of 8.5.2012 - main objectives of the reform: - foster growth in a strengthened, dynamic and competitive internal market - focus enforcement on cases with the biggest impact on the internal market - streamlined rules and faster decisions