Thank you to Alexander Rose for this blog post.
The European Commission has approved the roll out of €33m of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the Netherlands as compatible State aid under Article 107(3)(c) of the TFEU.
The Green Deal measure involves State investment in open access electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Charging point operators will be selected through competitive tenders and the local authority will have some discretion in terms of choosing the type of charging post that best suits the local community. The scheme requires local authorities to draw in private investment to be eligible for the State support, although the details of the level of this private intervention have yet to be published. The scheme is time limited, ending in July 2018 and being reviewed on an annual basis.
Margrethe Vestager is clear in her support for the measure, commenting that ‘Electric cars can provide real benefits to society by reducing CO₂emissions, pollution and noise. The Dutch public support scheme approved today will help make electric cars a viable alternative to citizens in the Netherlands by providing the necessary infrastructure, whilst keeping costs under control in line with EU state aid rules.’
The case number is SA.38796. The press release can be found at http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5441_en.htm, and the full decisionwill be published once confidentiality issues have been addressed.