Published: 22/07/2025

State aid for companies in the European Union is granted unevenly, especially in sectors considered key at the EU level, such as the energy transition. France and Germany accounted for 47% of all state aid granted in the EU in 2023, and as much as 52% in 2022. In 2023, there was particularly strong concentration of spending in the category “Environmental protection and energy saving” – it was almost three times higher than in the EU economy as a whole. The new mechanism, the Clean Industrial State Aid Framework (CISAF), adopted by the European Commission on June 25, 2025, does not radically change the rules for granting state aid in the EU, but focuses on the transition toward a low-emission economy. Nevertheless, its introduction may deepen the imbalance in the distribution of state aid in the EU. The solution proposed by Enrico Letta, introducing fees for excessive state aid, would make it possible to finance initiatives important for the single market in regions where less support has been provided. These are the main conclusions of the PIE report “Imbalance of State Aid in the European Union.”

Germany and France are the main beneficiaries of state aid

In 2023, the largest beneficiaries of aid were companies from Germany (€50 billion; 27% of all aid), France (€36 billion; 20%), and Italy (€21 billion; 12%). Poland spent €11 billion (6%). It is worth adding that the increase in Poland’s share of EU state aid in 2023 was largely related to addressing problems in the agricultural market caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, Poland’s share in EU state aid spending was only 2.8%, while Germany’s was 32%.