11 June 2021

EC APPROVES ITALIAN STATE AID FOR RAIL FREIGHT

On 10 June, the European Commission approved a €150 million Italian scheme to support both the rail freight sector and the rail commercial passenger sector in the context of the coronavirus outbreak.

The measure enables the reduction of the charges paid by rail freight and commercial passenger operators to access rail infrastructure during the period from 1 January to 30 April 2021.

The measure follows the Commission's approval, in March 2021, of a scheme aimed at reducing track access charges during the period from 10 March to 31 December 2020 (SA.59376). The aim of the measure is to help rail operators coping with the difficult situation caused by the coronavirus outbreak, by preserving their competitiveness as well as the benefits of the shift of traffic from road to rail achieved prior to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Commission assessed the measure under EU state aid rules and found that the measure is proportionate and necessary to achieve the objective pursued, namely, to facilitate the modal shift from road to rail whilst not leading to undue competition distortions. On this basis, the Commission approved the scheme under EU State aid rules.

Source: European Commission