COVID-19 pandemic: ESA approves aid to Dyrsku’n agricultural and trade fair in Norway*
The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) has today approved aid to Dyrsku’n, Norway’s largest agricultural and trade fair. The aid aims to compensate for pandemic-related losses following the cancellation of the 2020 edition of the fair.
Dyrsku’n is a key event for the Norwegian agriculture sector in particular. Since 1866, the fair has been held every September in Seljord in Vestfold and Telemark county, and is of importance to the region’s economic activity.
EEA rules restrict granting state aid that can give an unfair advantage to certain undertakings, but does allow for aid to mitigate the damage caused by exceptional occurrences.
Dyrsku’n has seen nearly all its incomes disappear as a result of a national ban on events with more than 200 people put in place to combat the spread of the virus. ESA therefore considers, in light of the outbreak of COVID-19 as an exceptional occurrence, that the state aid grant is compatible with the EEA Agreement.
You can read ESAs decision here.
