Under the State Aid Temporary Framework, the Commission has most recently approved:
- a €2,3 million Czech scheme to support health SPA facilities affected by the coronavirus outbreak in the Karlovy Vary Region of Czechia;
- a €450 million Greek scheme to support companies active in certain sectors affected by the coronavirus outbreak, as well as an additional €39,6 million scheme to support certain vegetable producers affected by the coronavirus outbreak;
- a €9,35 million Portuguese employment aid scheme to preserve jobs on the Azores Islands during the coronavirus outbreak.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is teaming up with national banks to provide additional financing to companies affected by the COVID-19 crisis. In Spain, the EIB and Banco Santander are lending €900 million to affected SMEs. In Italy, the EIB is providing Italian leasing specialist Alba Leasing with €490 million via securitisation of financing operations, unlocking €1 billion in new financing resources to SMEs and mid-cap companies.
The European Commission has set up an EU-wide tracing system to ensure interoperability between contact tracing apps, the so-called “gateway”. After a successful pilot phase, the project went live and now allows the national coronavirus tracking apps of Germany, Ireland and Italy to communicate with each other. Several more national apps will be joining the “gateway” shortly.