Commission reports on Community competition policy in 1995
The European Commission has published its annual review of competition policy in the Community. The 25th annual report contains both a review of legislative developments in 1995, and information on cases brought during the year. The report is arranged by individual industries and services, and considers anti-trust, State monopolies, merger control, State aids and international aspects of competition policy. As regards research and development, on 20 December 1995, the Commission adopted a new Community framework for State aid for research and development. Whilst the admissible aid level is still 25% of project costs for pre-competitive development, and 50% for basic industrial research, a system of "bonuses" has been introduced to allow greater proportions of State aid in priority cases. These priorities include: - Projects involving SMEs; - Projects in assisted regions; - Projects classed as priority in the Community's RTD Framework Programme. The new framework for State aid takes account of the new rules agreed in the World Trade Organization, allowing Community projects to receive the maximum levels of aid in particular cases, including where similar projects have received aid at such levels in third countries. In implementing the new framework, the Commission will pay particular attention to aid payments in cases where the research is close to the marketplace.