EU Commission Competition

€411M Croatian Capital Injection Approved for Development Bank HBOR

The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a €411 million capital injection by Croatia into its national development bank Hrvatska Banka za Obnovu i Razvitak (HBOR). The measure, funded through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, will expand HBOR's remit to support SMEs, renewable energy projects and infrastructure development. Croatia committed to limiting HBOR's financial activities to relevant market failures and implementing no crowding-out measures to ensure the development bank does not undercut private financial institutions active in the Croatian market.

EU Approves €4.2 Billion State Aid for Temporary Electricity Price Relief in Bulgaria, Germany, and Slovenia

The European Commission approved three State aid schemes under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF) to provide temporary electricity price relief for energy-intensive companies in Bulgaria (€334 million), Germany (€3.8 billion), and Slovenia (€90 million). The schemes run for three years, with Bulgaria's measure effective from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2028, and both Germany and Slovenia from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2028. Beneficiaries must reinvest at least 50% of the aid received in new or modernised assets to reduce electricity system costs without increasing fossil fuel use.

Revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation and Guidelines

The European Commission has adopted the revised Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation (TTBER) and accompanying Guidelines, updating rules in place since 2014. The revised rules address the strategic importance of data and standard-essential technologies in the digital economy, including new guidance on data licensing agreements and licensing negotiation groups. The TTBER exempts qualifying technology transfer agreements from the Article 101 TFEU prohibition on anti-competitive agreements. The new rules enter into force on 1 May 2026.