Affordable housing should be supported by EU state aid rules Cyprus says

Cyprus has expressed support for simplifying state aid rules during the first meeting of the Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth under the Danish Presidency, which recently took place in Brussels.

The Cypriot delegation was led by State Aid Commissioner Stella Michaelidou, accompanied by her team.

Her office will chair the working group during the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

According to an announcement from the Office of the Commissioner for State Aid Control, Stella Michaelidou was joined at the meeting by Constantinos Cholevas, president of the group, Elena Ioannidou, deputy president, and Vassilis Koiliaris, member.

The Danish Presidency outlined its priorities for the working group, hosted by the Council of the European Union.

In the area of state aid, the main issues discussed included the framework for aid measures to support the Clean Industry Agreement for Europe (CISAF), the simplification of state aid rules including the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), and affordable and social housing.

During the exchange of views, it was mentioned that “on behalf of Cyprus, Cholevas stressed that the clarity and ease of application of state aid rules are two of the most important factors for their simplification, and he suggested that definitions referred to in the General Block Exemption Regulation on the type of enterprise, research and development should be reviewed”.

On the matter of affordable housing, it was stated that “ensuring financially accessible housing for all European citizens would be facilitated by adapting the relevant state aid rules, which would support the related policies of the member states of the Union.”

In relation to CISAF, it was emphasised that “it is an extremely useful tool for the design of state policies, as it clearly and thoroughly outlines the compatibility criteria for aid falling within this framework”.