State Aid for Companies in Financial Difficulty as a Result of COVID-19

The scale of the global economic fallout from COVID-19 is immense, and growing. Within Europe, governments have raced to put in place a range of schemes to support businesses through the crisis. However, the State aid rules remain in place and may constrain the steps that a Member State can take without European Commission approval. The UK also continues to be part of this regime during the transition period. This briefing sets out a high level guide to the relevant State aid considerations for an individual company that is in financial difficulties and considering seeking State support as a result of COVID-19.