Cyprus’ Commissioner for State Aid Control, Stella Michaelidou, participated in the annual High-Level Forum on State aid, hosted by the European Commission on October 2 in Brussels, her office said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
European Commission Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, was the keynote speaker, referring in her speech to the role of State aid as a tool to boost European competitiveness, it said.
According to the announcement, Michaelidou, in her statements, suggested to the European Commission the simplification of the State Aid regulations by implementing simpler procedures at all levels, and the clarification of definitions and terminologies of the Regulations in an easy and understandable form, so that they are feasible for all competent authorities and Member States.
She also referred to Cyprus’ goal of further promoting and utilising the Block Exemption Regulations (BER) and requested that the specificities of Cyprus be taken into account, ‘while at the same time emphasising the protection that the State Aid Regulations provide to small Member States, such as Cyprus’.
She also noted that the state aid toolbox contributes to the proper and lawful aid provision, highlighting their importance for Cyprus, due to the international political challenges it faces in the wider region and the consequences of the fact that the Cyprus problem remains unresolved, it adds.
It is noted that the representatives of the European Commission ‘congratulated’ Michaelidou for her statements, and for her goal of promoting the Exemption Regulations.