The new draft GBER: simplifying state aid for innovation and growth

On 25 February 2026, the European Commission published a draft amendment to the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), which is open for public consultation until 23 April 2026. The review aims to simplify state aid rules and better align them with the EU’s economic policy and competitiveness objectives.

The amendment of the GBER is particularly significant for businesses, as it may allow Member States to introduce support schemes more quickly and through simpler procedures that directly facilitate corporate investment and innovation. Since aid granted under the block exemption regulation does not require prior approval by the European Commission, the new rules could make state support measures available more rapidly in practice.

One particularly important element of the proposal concerns the promotion of employee share option schemes. Start-ups and innovative companies often cannot compete with large corporations in terms of salaries, which makes equity-based incentives an important tool for attracting and retaining talent. The proposed amendment of the GBER could enable Member States to introduce more favourable tax regimes or other incentives supporting employee ownership and share option schemes.

In addition, the amendments may simplify the provision of aid for research and development, innovation and green investments. This could be especially beneficial for businesses involved in developing new technologies, digitalisation projects or investments linked to the energy transition.

Overall, the reform of the GBER aims to ensure that EU state aid rules better support business growth while continuing to safeguard fair competition within the internal market.