This series of articles offers information on the nature of state aid, and this time we will look at a set of state aid rules that is used very widely: de minimis aid. This aid is particularly attractive because its conditions are simplified and it is more accessible than other types of aid. This article explores key changes to these rules, where you can sign up for this aid and what conditions apply.

Regulation 2024/1624 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing (the ‘AML Regulation’) was passed on 31 May 2024. Money laundering issues have been regulated at EU level for a long time, but this was so far done in the form of a directive laying down only minimum standards and giving the member states wide discretion to choose ways of implementing them.

This article kicks off a new series on state aid, a tool that municipalities and other public persons use to drive economic growth and support business across the country. This article explores the main principles of state aid, which every company needs to know because under the European Court of Justice’s case law every company must act as a good steward and be able to establish whether the state aid received is legitimate. Did you know that state aid is in fact forbidden and only permitted in exceptional cases?