What changed, Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid…

− (a) schemes under Sections 1 (with the exception of Article 15), 2, 3, 4, 7 (with the exception of Article 44), and 10 of Chapter III of this Regulation, if the average annual State aid budget exceeds EUR 150 million, from six months after their entry into force. The Commission may decide that this …
− (c) aid granted in the sector of processing and marketing of agricultural products, in the following cases:
− (i) where the amount of the aid is fixed on the basis of the price or quantity of such products purchased from primary producers or put on the market by the undertakings concerned;
− (ii) where the aid is conditional on being partly or entirely passed on to primary producers;
− (c) aid to undertakings in difficulty, with the exception of aid schemes to make good the damage caused by certain natural disasters, start-up aid schemes and regional operating aid schemes, provided those schemes do not treat undertakings in difficulty more favourably than other undertakings.
− (3) ‘worker with disabilities’ means any person who:
− (a) is recognised as worker with disabilities under national law; or
− (b) has long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment(s) which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in a work environment on an equal basis with other workers;
− (4) ‘disadvantaged worker’ means any person who:
− (a) has not been in regular paid employment for the previous 6 months; or
− (b) is between 15 and 24 years of age; or
− (c) has not attained an upper secondary educational or vocational qualification (International Standard Classification of Education 3) or is within two years after completing full-time education and who has not previously obtained his or her first regular paid employment; or
− (d) is over the age of 50 years; or
− (e) lives as a single adult with one or more dependents; or
− (f) works in a sector or profession in a Member State where the gender imbalance is at least 25 % higher than the average gender imbalance across all economic sectors in that Member State, and belongs to that underrepresented gender group; or
− (g) is a member of an ethnic minority within a Member State and who requires development of his or her linguistic, vocational training or work experience profile to enhance prospects of gaining access to stable employment;
− (6) ‘transport costs’ means the costs of transport for hire or reward actually paid by the beneficiaries per journey, comprising:
− (a) freight charges, handling costs and temporary stocking costs, in so far as these costs relate to the journey;
− (b) insurance costs applied to the cargo;
− (c) taxes, duties or levies applied to the cargo and, if applicable, to the deadweight, both at point of origin and point of destination; and
− (d) safety and security control costs, surcharges for increased fuel costs;
− (14) ‘individual aid’ means:
− (i) ad hoc aid; and
− (ii) awards of aid to individual beneficiaries on the basis of an aid scheme;
− (18) ‘undertaking in difficulty’ means an undertaking in respect of which at least one of the following circumstances occurs:
− (a) In the case of a limited liability company (other than an SME that has been in existence for less than three years or, for the purposes of eligibility for risk finance aid, an SME within 7 years from its first commercial sale that qualifies for risk finance investments following due diligence by…
− (b) In the case of a company where at least some members have unlimited liability for the debt of the company (other than an SME that has been in existence for less than three years or, for the purposes of eligibility for risk finance aid, an SME within 7 years from its first commercial sale that qu…
− (c) Where the undertaking is subject to collective insolvency proceedings or fulfils the criteria under its domestic law for being placed in collective insolvency proceedings at the request of its creditors.
− (d) Where the undertaking has received rescue aid and has not yet reimbursed the loan or terminated the guarantee, or has received restructuring aid and is still subject to a restructuring plan.
− (e) In the case of an undertaking that is not an SME, where, for the past two years:
+ (a) schemes under Sections 1 (with the exception of Article 15), 2, 3, 4, 7 (with the exception of Article 44), and 10 of Chapter III of this Regulation, if the average annual State aid budget exceeds EUR 150 million, from six months after their entry into force. The Commission may decide that this …
+ (c) aid granted in the sector of processing and marketing of agricultural products, in the following cases: (i) where the amount of the aid is fixed on the basis of the price or quantity of such products purchased from primary producers or put on the market by the undertakings concerned; (ii) where …
+ (c) aid to undertakings in difficulty, with the exception of aid schemes to make good the damage caused by certain natural disasters, start-up aid schemes and regional operating aid schemes, provided those schemes do not treat undertakings in difficulty more favourably than other undertakings. Howev…
+ (3) ‘worker with disabilities’ means any person who: (a) is recognised as worker with disabilities under national law; or (b) has long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment(s) which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in a work…
+ (4) ‘disadvantaged worker’ means any person who: (a) has not been in regular paid employment for the previous 6 months; or (b) is between 15 and 24 years of age; or (c) has not attained an upper secondary educational or vocational qualification (International Standard Classification of Education 3) …
+ (6) ‘transport costs’ means the costs of transport for hire or reward actually paid by the beneficiaries per journey, comprising: (a) freight charges, handling costs and temporary stocking costs, in so far as these costs relate to the journey; (b) insurance costs applied to the cargo; (c) taxes, dut…
+ (14) ‘individual aid’ means: (i) ad hoc aid; and (ii) awards of aid to individual beneficiaries on the basis of an aid scheme;
+ (18) ‘undertaking in difficulty’ means an undertaking in respect of which at least one of the following circumstances occurs: (a) In the case of a limited liability company (other than an SME that has been in existence for less than three years or, for the purposes of eligibility for risk finance ai…
+ (20) ‘adjusted aid amount’ means the maximum permissible aid amount for a large investment project, calculated according to the following formula: maximum aid amount = R × (A + 0,50 × B + 0 × C) where: R is the maximum aid intensity applicable in the area concerned established in an approved regiona…
+ (27) ‘assisted areas’ means areas designated in an approved regional aid map approved in application of Articles2020-2021, 107(3)(a) and (c) of the Treaty for the period from 1 July 2014 to 31 December 2021 for regional aid granted until 31 December 2021 and areas designated in an approved regional …
+ (43) ‘steel sector’ means all activities related to the production of one or more of the following products: (a) pig iron and ferro-alloys: pig iron for steelmaking, foundry and other pig iron, spiegeleisen and high-carbon ferro-manganese, not including other ferro-alloys; (b) crude and semi-finishe…
+ (44) ‘synthetic fibres sector’ means: (a) extrusion/texturisation of all generic types of fibre and yarn based on polyester, polyamide, acrylic or polypropylene, irrespective of their end-uses; or (b) polymerisation (including polycondensation) where it is integrated with extrusion in terms of the m…
+ (45) ‘transport sector’ means the transport of passengers by aircraft, maritime transport, road or rail and by inland waterway or freight transport services for hire or reward; more specifically, the ‘transport sector’ means the following activities in terms of NACE Rev. 2: (a) NACE 49: Land transpo…
+ (47) ‘tourism activity’ means the following activities in terms of NACE Rev. 2: (a) NACE 55:Accommodation; (b) NACE 56: Food and beverage service activities; (c) NACE 79: Travel agency, tour operator reservation service and related activities; (d) NACE 90: Creative, arts and entertainment activities…
+ (49) ‘initial investment’ means: (a) an investment in tangible and intangible assets related to the setting-up of a new establishment, extension of the capacity of an existing establishment, diversification of the output of an establishment into products not previously produced in the establishment …
+ (51) ‘initial investment in favour of new economic activity’ means: (a) an investment in tangible and intangible assets related to the setting up of a new establishment, or to the diversification of the activity of an establishment, under the condition that the new activity is not the same or a simi…
+ (80) ‘innovative enterprise’ means an enterprise: (a) that can demonstrate, by means of an evaluation carried out by an external expert that it will in the foreseeable future develop products, services or processes which are new or substantially improved compared to the state of the art in its indus…
+ (86) ‘experimental development’ means acquiring, combining, shaping and using existing scientific, technological, business and other relevant knowledge and skills with the aim of developing new or improved products, processes or services. This may also include, for example, activities aiming at the …
+ (99) ‘severely disadvantaged worker’ means any person who: (a) has not been in regular paid employment for at least 24 months; or (b) has not been in regular paid employment for at least 12 months and belongs to one of the categories (b) to (g) mentioned under the definition of ‘disadvantaged worker…
+ (102) ‘Union standard’ means: (a) a mandatory Union standard setting the levels to be attained in environmental terms by individual undertakings; or (b) the obligation under Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (8) to use the best available techniques (BAT) and ensure t…
+ (130) ‘energy infrastructure’ means any physical equipment or facility which is located within the Union or linking the Union to one or more third countries and falling under the following categories: (a) concerning electricity: (i) infrastructure for transmission, as defined in Article 2(3) by Dire…
+ (i) for aid for research and development: (i) if the project is predominantly fundamental research: EUR 40 million per undertaking, per project; that is the case where more than half of the eligible costs of the project are incurred through activities which fall within the category of fundamental re…
+ (c) aid comprised in guarantees: (i) where the gross grant equivalent has been calculated on the basis of safe-harbour premiums laid down in a Commission notice; or (ii) where before the implementation of the measure, the methodology to calculate the gross grant equivalent of the guarantee has been …
+ (b) in all other cases, that there is: — a material increase in the scope of the project/activity due to the aid, or — a material increase in the total amount spent by the beneficiary on the project/activity due to the aid, or — a material increase in the speed of completion of the project/activity …
+ 1. For the purposes of calculating aid intensity and eligible costs, all figures used shall be taken before any deduction of tax or other charge. The eligible costs shall be supported by documentary evidence which shall be clear, specific and contemporary. ►M1 The amounts of eligible costs may be ca…
+ 1. Member States, or alternatively, in the case of aid granted to European Territorial Cooperation projects, the Member State in which the managing authority, referred to in Article 21 of Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013, is located, shall transmit to the Commission:
+ (a) via the Commission’s electronic notification system, the summary information about each aid measure exempted under this Regulation in the standardised format laid down in Annex II, together with a link providing access to the full text of the aid measure, including its amendments, within 20 work…
+ (b) an annual report, pursuant to Commission Regulation (EC) No 794/2004 (24), in electronic form, on the application of this Regulation, containing the information indicated in Regulation (EC) No 794/2004, in respect of each whole year or each part of the year during which this Regulation applies.
+ 2. Where, as a consequence of the extension of the application period of this Regulation until 31 December 2023 by Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/972 (25), a Member State plans to extend measures in respect of which the summary information was submitted to the Commission in accordance with paragrap…
+ 16. The beneficiary shall confirm that it has not carried out a relocation to the establishment in which the initial investment for which aid is requested is to take place, in the two years preceding the application for aid and give a commitment that it will not do so up to a period of two years aft…