Ireland ranked last in the European Union for the amount of state aid it doled out to companies in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic in proportion to the size of its economy, according to figures collected by the European Commission. In contrast, Ireland gave out €0.93 billion in state aid during the period, which accounted for 0.26 per cent of national GDP, the lowest proportion in the bloc. The state aid gap could widen further as the commission has given the green light for state aid worth an estimated €3.12 trillion across the 27 member states, more than half of it in Germany alone, reflecting the country’s deep pockets. Still, given the large disparities between member states, it understandably raised worries of un-levelling the playing field and an asymmetrical recovery,” Ms Vestager wrote. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary last year accused German rival Lufthansa of “hoovering up state aid like the drunken uncle at the end of a wedding”.

Source: The Irish Times March 10, 2021 06:00 UTC