POSSIBILITY FOR AGRICULTURAL COMPANIES TO RECEIVE BIGGER SUPPORT

At the end of 2013, the European Commission (EC) adopted two new legal acts establishing rules on de minimis aid granted in the agriculture sector. Both acts came into force on 1 January 2014.

Regulation (EU) No 1408/2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid in the agriculture sector: increases maximum amount of aid to a single company to 15 000 EUR and the total amount of de minimis aid granted to a single company in the sector of agricultural production in Lithuania, defines single and linked enterprises.

Regulation (EU) No 1407/2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid:  provides clearer definitions for single and linked enterprises, explains that a group of linked enterprises is considered as one single undertaking and can be granted de minimis aid provided the relevant ceiling is not exceeded, changes the provisions establishing the time when the aid comprised in loans and guarantees is granted. The total amount of de minimis aid granted to a single company over a period of three years remains the same – 200 000 EUR.