The European Commission has given the green light to the Hungarian government to back an investment made by Audi Hungaria Motor Kft, which includes €133m of public funding to expand the car-maker’s factory in the city of Győr.
The decision follows an in-depth investigation aimed to confirm the government’s support was in line with EC policy. In an official statement, the body pointed out that Audi Hungaria’s investments on the Hungarian market has already reached €1.2bn, while the expansion is expected to add another 2,100 jobs to an economically depressed region of the country whose GDP per capita is far below the EU average. “The positive effects of the project on regional development clearly outweigh any distortion of competition created by the aid,” the EC said.
