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Regional Aid and UK Assisted Areas
On the basis of Article 87(3)a and Article 87(3)c of the Treaty, State Aid granted to promote the economic development of certain disadvantaged areas within the European Union is considered compatible with the common market by the European Commission. This kind of State Aid is referred to as Regional Aid.
Regional aid consists of aid for investment granted to large companies or in certain limited circumstances operating aid which in both case are targeted on specific regions to redress regional disparities. Increased levels of investment aid granted to SMEs located within the disadvantaged regions over and above what is allowed in other areas is also considered regional aid. In Great Britain the main forms of State Aid is through discretionary grant schemes:- Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE) which helps fund new investment projects that lead to long-term improvements in productivity, skills and employment.
- Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) - administered by RSA Scotland, part of the Scottish Executive, aimed at encouraging new investment projects, strengthening existing employment and new job creation.
- RSA Cymru Wales (Regional Selective Assistance) - delivered by the Welsh Assembly Government to help support new commercially viable capital investment projects that create or safeguard permanent jobs.