EU approves € 7 million in aid to help Slovenian airlines recover from COVID-19 damage
The European Commission has approved a total of € 7 million in Slovenian incentive schemes as part of efforts to help nearly 20 airlines recover from the damage caused by the coronavirus and its new strains.
The Commission said such an initiative was in line with the temporary state aid framework, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The proposal is to reintroduce the aid measure approved by the Commission on 16 November 2020, which expired on 31 December last year.
“Under the scheme, support will take the form of direct grants. The measure will be open to all interested airlines operating flights to and from Slovenia. The amount of support per beneficiary will depend on the number of passengers carried and the number of flights operated. It is expected that the measure will benefit about 20 airlines, “ says in a statement issued by the EU Commission.
The main reason for such a decision is the re-establishment of air connections to and from Slovenia; after the Balkan state, like many countries around the world, suffered great economic damage due to the spread of the coronavirus and its new strains.
“In particular, the aid (i) will not exceed EUR 2,3 million per beneficiary; and (ii) will be approved by 30 June 2022 at the latest. The Commission has therefore concluded that the measure is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State in accordance with Article 107 (3) (b) TFEU and the conditions in a temporary framework. The Commission has approved measures in line with EU state aid rules, ” it says in a statement.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus and its new variants has also led to a significant reduction in the number of international visitors, Slovenian authorities report.
In this regard, the report of the European statistical provider Eurostat shows that in 2020 the airports in Slovenia fell the most, which is a total decrease of 83.3%, which is the strongest decrease among all EU member states.