Brussels, 31 October 2022
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €185 million Dutch scheme to compensate companies for the costs of adapting to the new customs procedures following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. In particular, the scheme is aimed at helping companies bear the costs of (i) adapting information and communication technologies (‘ICT’) to take account of new customs requirements, and (ii) training and external consultancy on customs requirements. The scheme will be open to companies of all sizes active in all economic sectors that, since Brexit, either (i) have been required, for the first time, to make customs declarations to countries outside the EU, (ii) or have seen an increase in the volume and complexity of their cross-border customs requirements. The aid will take the form of direct grants. The maximum aid amount per beneficiary will range from €10,000 to €40,000 depending in particular on the type of costs. For ICT adaptation carried out by terminal, ports and energy trading platform companies, the aid amount can be up to €500,000. The scheme will run until 31 December 2023. The scheme will be funded by the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, established to mitigate the economic and social impact of Brexit, subject to approval under the specific provisions governing funding from that instrument. The Commission assessed the measure under Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which enables Member States to support the development of certain economic activities under certain conditions. The Commission found that the scheme facilitates the development of an economic activity and does not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest. On this basis, the Commission approved the Dutch scheme under EU State aid rules. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.102014 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.
Source – EU Commission