Kroes presenteert scorebord voor staatssteun in Bulgarije, Roemenië en kandidaat-lidstaten (en)

The main focus of the European Commission's latest State Aid Scoreboard is the situation in the acceding countries Bulgaria and Romania. Over the period 2002-2004, the average amount of state aid (less agriculture, fisheries and transport aid) awarded per year was estimated at €65 million for Bulgaria and €981 million for Romania.

In Bulgaria, total state aid represented 0.36% of GDP which is significantly lower than the average for the ten new Member States (1.35%) and indeed lower than the EU-25 average (0.49%). In Romania, total state aid was significantly higher, representing 1.86% of GDP. However, this high share is largely due to extensive reforms during the transition to a market economy, privatisation and restructuring companies in difficulty. This Scoreboard update also provides a snapshot of the state aid situation in the Western Balkan countries and in Turkey.

Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes commented: "Bulgaria and Romania have made good progress towards a market economy and towards establishing a credible state aid enforcement record. However, further efforts are needed to ensure that state aid is used in the most effective way. The Scoreboard provides an important insight into the state aid situation in the two countries and I particularly welcome the considerable efforts of the national competition authorities to fulfil their transparency obligations."

The spring 2006 update of the state aid Scoreboard shows that the acceding countries grant relatively high share of sectoral aid. In the period 2002-2004, around 87% of total state aid in Romania and 55% in Bulgaria were earmarked for potentially more distortive types of aid such as sectoral aid measures, including aid to rescue and restructure firms in difficulty. These shares are relatively high compared to the EU-25 average of 32%. The higher share of sectoral aid is largely due to extensive reforms during the transition to a market economy, privatisation and restructuring companies in difficulty.

Bulgaria awarded 25% of total aid to companies in the manufacturing sectors including steel (10%) and a further 25% to `other non-manufacturing sectors' which mainly consist of aid for heating companies and the mining industry. The very high share of sectoral aid in Romania can be explained in part by the relatively strong support for several industries such as mining (21%), steel (14%) and coal (11%).

The latest Scoreboard also provides an overview of the state aid situation in the candidate countries Croatia, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as well as in the potential candidate countries, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and Kosovo under UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

Among the candidate countries, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have adopted national legislation on state aid and established national state aid monitoring authorities. In contrast, Turkey has not yet established an operationally independent monitoring authority nor adopted any legislation.

As regards the potential candidate countries, Serbia and Montenegro and Albania have recently established state aid monitoring structures. Bosnia and Herzegovina has as yet no authority responsible for overseeing state aid granted in the country.

This 11th edition of the State Aid Scoreboard, first introduced in 2001, can be consulted on the Commission's Competition website:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/state_aid/scoreboard/

The next update of the Scoreboard, which will include the latest 2005 data for the EU-25 Member States, is scheduled for autumn 2006.