Article 8 Transparency and monitoring

On implementation of an aid scheme or grant of ad hoc aid exempted by this Regulation, Member States shall, within 20 working days, forward to the Commission, with a view to its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, a summary of the information regarding such aid in the form laid down in Annex I. This shall be provided electronically in computerised form.

Whenever regional aid is granted on the basis of an existing aid scheme for large investment projects which fall below the threshold for individual notification laid down by Article 7(e), the Member States shall, within 20 working days starting from the day on which the aid is granted by the competent authority, provide the Commission with the information requested in the standard form laid down in Annex II, electronically in computerised form. The Commission will make the summary information available to the public through its website (http://ec.europa.eu./comm/competition/).

Member States shall maintain detailed records regarding the aid schemes exempted by this Regulation and the individual aid awarded under those schemes. Such records shall contain all information necessary to establish that the conditions for exemption, as laid down in this Regulation, are fulfilled, including information on the status of any undertaking whose entitlement to aid depends on its status as an SME. Member States shall keep a record regarding an aid scheme, for 10 years from the date on which the last individual aid was awarded under such scheme. On written request, the Member State concerned shall provide the Commission, within a period of 20 working days or such longer period as may be fixed in the request, with all the information which the Commission considers necessary to assess whether the conditions of this Regulation have been complied with.

Member States shall submit a report to the Commission on the application of this Regulation in respect of each whole or part calendar year during which this Regulation applies, in the form laid down in Chapter III of Commission Regulation (EC) No 794/2004^f1.

Member State shall publish the full text of the aid schemes which fall within the scope of this Regulation and shall communicate to the Commission the internet address of the publication. That information shall also be contained in the annual report submitted pursuant to paragraph 4. Projects for which expenses were incurred before the date of publication of the aid scheme shall not be eligible for regional aid.