State aid: Commission invites comments on State aid rules for the deployment of broadband networks

The evaluation concerns both the 2013 Broadband State aid Guidelines, that describe how the Commission will assess state aid granted for the deployment of broadband network, and the relevant provision of the General Block Exemption Regulation that exempts Member States from having to notify aid measures supporting the deployment of broadband networks under certain conditions.

Participation in the public consultation is possible via a general questionnaire allowing interested parties to provide their feedback and experiences in the implementation of the Broadband State aid rules and a targeted questionnaire that allows to provide more detailed information on technical aspects, specific provisions of the Guidelines and of the relevant provisions of the GBER.

The public consultation is accompanied by the publication of a study prepared by an external consultant on  the implementation of broadband State Aid measures across the EU during the period 2013-2019.

This evaluation will provide the basis for a future Commission decision on whether an update of the current rules is necessary. The Commission will summarize the results of the exercise in a Staff Working Document by mid-2021.