Written question – Increasing the de minimis ceiling for businesses active in southern Italy’s special economic zones (SEZs) – E-002741/2025

Question for written answer  E-002741/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Giuseppe Antoci (The Left)

Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 sets the de minimis aid ceiling for ‘single undertakings’ at EUR 300 000 over any 3-year period.

Though the new cap is an improvement over the old one, many companies based in southern Italy’s SEZs[1] claim that they are not allowed to cumulate this state aid with additional regional incentives.

Given the economic repercussions of the geopolitical landscape and the cost of raw materials, this de minimis ceiling could jeopardise efforts to achieve territorial cohesion and reindustrialise port areas, which are two of the aforementioned SEZ’s objectives.

In the light of the above:

• 1.Will the Commission carry out a mid-term review of Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 to assess its impact on less developed regions?
• 2.What does it think of the possibility of introducing a higher de minimis ceiling[2] for all businesses and of setting a one-year reference period for micro-enterprises?

Submitted: 4.7.2025

• [1] Areas that are eligible for state aid pursuant to Article 107(3)(a) TFEU.
• [2] EUR 500 000, for example.