Consultation on draft revised General Block Exemption Regulation
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on a draft revised General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), aimed at simplifying and streamlining State aid rules. The GBER allows certain categories of State aid to be considered compatible with the EU internal market without prior notification and approval by the Commission, if they fulfil certain conditions.
With the new draft, the Commission seeks to reduce administrative burden, reflect recent social, technological, and market developments, and provide greater flexibility for Member States in designing aid measures. Key changes include measures for SMEs, simplified rules for operating aid to renewable energy, updated provisions to address the housing crisis, revised rules to stimulate R&D and innovation, clearer and more flexible rules for airport aid, and the removal of the obligation to evaluate large-budget aid schemes.
The public consultation is open until 23 April 2026.
For more information, see the Commission´s PR.