The threshold of the aid de minimis provided by the state to enterprises will increase to the level established by EU. The parliamentary commission for economy, budget and finances will propose the adjusting of the legislation in the field of state assistance to the European Union’s norms.
The updating of the threshold of the aid de minimis will facilitate the support provided by the state to enterprises and in the quantum equivalent to the thresholds established by EU and will ensure the efficiency of the control of the state assistance exercised by the Competition Council.
Thus, the value of the threshold de minimis will increase from 2 million lei to 5 million lei per one beneficiary, no matter its form, for a period of 3 years. In the case of enterprises, the overall value of the aid will not exceed 10 million lei.
The legislation is to be completed with new definitions provided for in the EU’s jurisprudence, such as: the date of the providing and of the payment of the state assistance, eligible costs, intensity of the assistance, which, while not being defined in the national legislation, are mistaken and erroneously interpreted by the providers and beneficiaries of the state aid.
At the same time, the draft sees the conditions, which are to be observed by the providers at the providing of the aids de minimis. The procedure of simplified notification, according to the EU norms, is regulated too. The term of investigation of the cases of infringement of the legislation in the field of state assistance will be extended by up to 18 months following the initiation of the procedure, taking into account the complexity of the cases of infringement of the legislation in the field of state aid.
Another novelty is the amendment dealing with the way of calculating the interest for the state assistance provided illegally, which is to be recovered, through the revision of the reference rate.
The draft also envisages the change of the presentation by the Competition Council of the annual report on the state assistance provided in Moldova for the parliament – annually till December 31. (Moldpres/Business World Magazine)
