The European Commission has approved changes to state aid schemes in Czechia, France, the Netherlands and Slovakia that compensate energy-intensive companies for higher electricity prices linked to carbon costs under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
The support covers so-called “indirect emission costs” — higher power prices that can result when electricity generators pass on the cost of buying carbon permits under the ETS.
The amended schemes reflect changes allowed under revised ETS State aid Guidelines adopted in December 2025.
In Czechia, France and the Netherlands, the scope of the measures will be extended to include additional industrial sectors listed in the updated guidelines.
The extension of the French scheme applies only to 2025.
Slovakia’s scheme will be changed to exclude oil and gas companies, which were previously covered.
Higher aid intensity and bigger budgets in two countries
For Czechia, the Netherlands and Slovakia, the maximum aid intensity for sectors already covered by the original schemes will rise from 75% to 80%, according to the Commission.
The Netherlands and Slovakia will also increase the total budgets of their schemes — from €834.6 million to €3.7 billion in the Netherlands, and from €250 million to €710 million in Slovakia.
The decisions will be published in non-confidential form in the Commission’s State aid register under case numbers SA.123662 (Czechia), SA.122969 (France), SA.122999 (the Netherlands) and SA.123428 (Slovakia), once confidentiality issues have been resolved.
