On 29 April 2026, the European Commission has adopted a Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework (“METSAF“) to enable Member States to respond rapidly to the economic impact of the Middle East crisis. The framework is targeted and time-limited, and aims to prevent the most affected sectors from being irreversibly damaged by the sudden increase in energy, fuel and fertiliser prices. The measure is valid until 31 December 2026 and the Commission will continuously review its scope as the situation evolves. The wording of the METSAF is available at this link.

The support under METSAF is mainly aimed at agriculture, fisheries, transport and energy-intensive sectors. Member States will be able to compensate up to 70% of the additional costs caused by the increase in fuel and fertiliser prices, based on a comparison of current prices with a historical benchmark. The amount of support will be calculated according to the current or pre-crisis consumption of a specific company, which is intended to ensure a more targeted and fair distribution of aid.

For smaller amounts, the Commission is also introducing a simplified support mechanism to reduce the administrative burden. Under this scheme, Member States can use estimated consumption values or the size of the company instead of detailed documentation of actual costs, with a maximum aid amount per company of EUR 50,000. The aim is to quickly disburse aid, especially to small and medium-sized enterprises.

The METSAF package also includes a temporary relaxation of the rules under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF). For energy-intensive companies, the intensity of support for electricity prices can be increased from the original 50% to 70% of eligible costs, up to 50% of total electricity consumption. In this way, the Commission responds to the extreme volatility of electricity prices without calling into question the long-term direction of decarbonisation.

At the same time, the European Commission stresses that the transition to a climate-neutral economy remains the long-term solution to the EU’s energy dependence. The temporary relaxation of state aid rules is intended to be a crisis bridge, not a substitute for structural investments in energy efficiency, renewables and clean technologies. For companies, this means short-term relief, but at the same time confirms that resilience and competitiveness will continue to be linked to the decarbonisation strategy.