Europees akkoord voor Franse subsidie aan luchtverbinding met Martinique (en)

The European Commission has today approved changes to a social State aid scheme for certain categories of passenger flying from Martinique to metropolitan France. The changes will compensate for the much higher transport costs faced by inhabitants of the island in comparison to the inhabitants of metropolitan France.

The changes made to Aid Scheme N 516/2004, approved by the Commission on

20 April 2005, are intended to improve the mobility of Martinique residents between the island and metropolitan France and to enhance the incentive nature of the aid provided for in the initial scheme.

The changes focus on:

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  expanding the eligibility criteria (to include Martinique residents attending primary, middle or high school travelling in a group as part of a school exchange programme, training programme, etc.; sporting, cultural or social associations organising group travel; individuals travelling in order to take part in sporting, cultural or social activities);
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  increasing the intensity of the aid for mobility from one third to one half of the purchase price of a single return ticket per year per person.

All the other details of the operation of the existing scheme will remain unchanged. Therefore, the aid will be granted to travellers regardless of the airline with which they travel on scheduled services between Martinique and metropolitan France.

Although the Commission considers that the changes made to scheme N 516/2004 constitute State aid to the airlines concerned, in line with an established practice[1] it takes the view that they do not alter its appraisal of the initial measure and has decided to approve the revised aid scheme.

The decision will soon be available on the Commission's website: http://ec.europa.eu/comm/secretariat_general/sgb/state_aids

[1] Commission Decisions of 29 July 1998 concerning air transport compensation for residents of the Canaries (N 387/1998) and the Balearic Islands (N 386/1998). Commission Decision of 27 August 1998 concerning services between Madeira and the rest of Portugal (N 414/1998). Commission Decision of 3 September 1999 concerning services to the minor islands of Sicily (N 399/1999). Commission Decision of 1 March 2000 concerning services between Marseille and Nice and Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi and Figari (N 24/2000). Commission Decision of 3 May 2005 on the review of social individual aid schemes for air services between Marseille and Corsica, Nice and Corsica, Montpellier and Corsica and Lyon and Corsica (NN 52/2003).