LegalizeCommission Regulation (EU) 2026/562 of 16 March 2026 declaring certain categories of aid in the rail, inland waterways and multimodal transport sector compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 93, 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
In order to enable the Commission to monitor the aid exempted from notification under this Regulation, Member States shall maintain detailed records with the information and supporting documentation needed to determine that all the conditions laid down in this Regulation are fulfilled. Such records shall be kept for 10 years from the date on which the ad hoc aid was granted or the last individual aid was granted under the scheme.
In the case of schemes under which fiscal aid is granted automatically, such as those based on tax declarations of the beneficiaries, and where there is no ex ante verification that all compatibility conditions are met for each beneficiary, Member States shall regularly verify, at least ex post and on a sample basis, that all compatibility conditions are met, and draw the necessary conclusions. Member States shall maintain detailed records of those verifications for at least 10 years from the date of the verifications.
The Commission may request from each Member State all the information and supporting documentation that the Commission considers necessary to monitor the application of this Regulation, including the information referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2. The Member State concerned shall provide the Commission with the requested information and supporting documents within 20 working days from receipt of the request, or within a longer deadline if such deadline is provided for in the request.
CHAPTER IV
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 22
Transitional provisions
This Regulation shall apply to individual aid granted before its entry into force where the aid fulfils all the conditions laid down in this Regulation, with the exception of Article 9.
Any aid which does not fulfil the conditions for exemption from the notification requirement set out in this Regulation shall be assessed by the Commission on the basis of the relevant frameworks, guidelines, communications and notices adopted by the Commission.
At the end of the period of application of this Regulation, any aid scheme exempted from the notification requirement under this Regulation shall remain exempted for a period of six months.
The rules set out in this Regulation may continue to apply after its period of validity to aid granted under Union funds implemented under shared management for the programming period 2028-2034.
Article 23
Entry into force and application
This Regulation shall enter into force on 30 March 2026.
It shall apply until 31 December 2034.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 16 March 2026.
For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN
(1) OJ L 338, 30.12.2022, p. 35, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/2586/oj.
(2) Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulations (EC) No 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 (OJ L 243, 9.7.2021, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1119/oj).
(3) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy – putting European transport on track for the future (COM(2020) 789 final).
(4) Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2007 on public passenger transport services by rail and by road and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 1191/69 and 1107/70 (OJ L 315, 3.12.2007, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2007/1370/oj).
(5) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, A simpler and faster Europe: Communication on implementation and simplification (COM(2025) 47 final).
(6) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, EU State Aid Modernisation (SAM) (COM(2012) 209 final).
(7) Commission staff working document of 30 October 2020, Fitness Check of the 2012 State aid modernisation package, railways guidelines and short-term export credit insurance (SWD(2020) 257 final).
(8) OJ C 155, 20.6.2008, p. 10.
(9) OJ C 249, 31.7.2014, p. 1.
(10) European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, Essen, H., Fiorello, D., El Beyrouty, K. et al., Handbook on the external costs of transport – Version 2019 – 1.1, Publications Office of the European Union, 2020, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2832/51388.
(11) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy – putting European transport on track for the future (COM(2020) 789 final).
(12) Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty (OJ L 187, 26.6.2014, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2014/651/oj).
(13) Communication from the Commission, Community Guidelines on State aid for railway undertakings (OJ C 184, 22.7.2008, p. 13).
(14) Directive (EU) 2019/1024 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on open data and the re-use of public sector information (OJ L 172, 26.6.2019, p. 56, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/1024/oj).
(15) Council Regulation (EU) 2015/1589 of 13 July 2015 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (OJ L 248, 24.9.2015, p. 9, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2015/1589/oj).
(16) Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (OJ L 124, 20.5.2003, p. 36, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reco/2003/361/oj).
(17) Directive 2012/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 establishing a single European railway area (OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 32, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2012/34/oj).
(18) Council Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2020/2093 of 17 December 2020 laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 (OJ L 433 I, 22.12.2020, p. 11, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2020/2093/oj).
(19) Article 3, point (25), of Regulation (EU) 2024/1679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on Union guidelines for the development of the trans-European transport network, amending Regulations (EU) 2021/1153 and (EU) No 913/2010 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1315/2013 (OJ L, 2024/1679, 28.6.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1679/oj).
(20) Directive (EU) 2016/797 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on the interoperability of the rail system within the European Union (OJ L 138, 26.5.2016, p. 44, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2016/797/oj).
(21) OJ C 14, 19.1.2008, p. 6.
(22) Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 February 2021 establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility (OJ L 57, 18.2.2021, p. 17, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/241/oj).
(23) Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 320, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1303/oj).
(24) Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund Plus, the Cohesion Fund, the Just Transition Fund and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund and financial rules for those and for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the Internal Security Fund and the Instrument for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy (OJ L 231, 30.6.2021, p. 159, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/1060/oj).
(25) OJ C 14, 19.1.2008, p. 6.
(26) State aid transparency public search, available at: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/competition/transparency/public?lang=en.
(27) European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, Essen, H., Fiorello, D., El Beyrouty, K.et al., Handbook on the external costs of transport – Version 2019 – 1.1, Publications Office of the European Union, 2020, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2832/51388.
(28) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1695 of 10 August 2023 on the technical specification for interoperability relating to the control-command and signalling subsystems of the rail system in the European Union and repealing Regulation (EU) 2016/919 (OJ L 222, 8.9.2023, p. 380, ELI:http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2023/1695/oj).
(29) DAC is an interoperable component to automatically couple and decouple the rolling stock in a freight train both physically (e.g. mechanical connection and air line for braking) and digitally (e.g. electrical power and data connection). DAC is an enabler to create a modern and digital European railway freight transport. It will not only increase efficiency thanks to automation processes but will also ensure sufficient energy supply for telematics applications, as well as safe data communication throughout the entire train.
(30) Communication from the Commission, Framework for State aid for research and development and innovation (OJ C 414, 28.10.2022, p. 1), footnote 60. See also Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, A European strategy for Key Enabling Technologies – A bridge to growth and jobs (COM(2012) 341 final).
(31) Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/1614 of 25 October 2018 laying down specifications for the vehicle registers referred to in Article 47 of Directive (EU) 2016/797 of the European Parliament and of the Council and amending and repealing Commission Decision 2007/756/EC (OJ L 268, 26.10.2018, p. 53, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2018/1614/oj).
(32) Communication from the Commission, Framework for State aid for research and development and innovation (OJ C 414, 28.10.2022, p. 1), footnote 60. See also Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, A European strategy for Key Enabling Technologies – A bridge to growth and jobs (COM(2012) 341 final).
(33) Commission Regulation (EC) No 794/2004 of 21 April 2004 implementing Council Regulation (EU) 2015/1589 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (OJ L 140, 30.4.2004, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2004/794/oj).
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