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Rates applicable to EFTA States

Reference and discount rates

ESA makes use of reference and discount rates. The reference and discount rates are applied as a proxy for the market rate and to measure the grant equivalent of state aid, particularly when it is disbursed in several instalments, and to calculate the aid element resulting from interest subsidy schemes. They are also used to check compliance with the de minimis rules and block exemption regulations.

Reference and discount rates are calculated by adding appropriate margins to the base rates, which are generally calculated on the basis of one-year money market rates, in accordance with the ESA guidelines on Reference and Discount Rates that have been in effect since 1 January 2009.

For the calculation of the reference rates, ESA's guidelines specify that the margins that must be added to the base rates depend on the rating of the undertaking concerned and the collateral offered. For the calculation of the discount rate, a fixed margin of 100 basis points is, in principle, added to the base rates.

The recovery interest rates that are used to recover unlawful aid are also, in principle, calculated by adding a fixed margin of 100 basis points to the base rate, as provided for in ESA's Decision No 195/04/COL.

Applicable base rates as of 1 May 2025:

IcelandLiechtensteinNorway
9.271.304.71

Exchange rates

As from 1 January 2020, amounts expressed in Euro are converted into the currencies of the EEA EFTA States using the following system:

  1. For the scoreboard, annual average exchange rates are used. (Info source: the European Central Bank)
  2. For situations to which yearly numbers are referred, e.g. SME-status based on last year's financial statement for a company, last year's average exchange rate is used. (Info source: the European Central Bank)
  3. For aid cases where the date for the granting is clear and precise, the official exchange rate of that date is used. If there is no official rate on that date, the last available official rate is used. (Info sources: the European Central Bank)
  4. For tax measures and other rights-based measures, the converter exchange rate value for the first month of each given calendar year is used. (Info source: the European Commission's currency converter)
  5. For future estimates, such as for notifications and GBER information sheets, the converter exchange rate value of the submitting month is used. (Info source: the European Commission's currency converter)
  6. For all other situations, the converter exchange rate value for the month the aid is granted is used. (Info source: the European Commission's currency converter)

Swap rates

Both the SGEI Decision and the SGEI Framework refer to swap rates in the context of reasonable profit (Article 5(7) of the SGEI Decision and paragraphs 36 and 38 of the SGEI Framework).

Swap rates also apply for aid to culture and heritage conservation under the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) (Article 53 GBER, via the definition in Article 2(142) GBER) and for operating aid to small-scale renewable energy installations under the GBER (Article 43(6) GBER). 

The following swap rates are valid from 01.01.2025 to 30.06.2025

Currency1-year rate2-year rate3-year rate4-year rate5-year rate6-year rate7-year rate8-year rate9-year rate10-year rate
ISK8.568.127.707.297.07NANANANANA
CHF0.500.410.410.430.460.480.510.530.560.59
NOK4.474.023.863.793.753.723.713.703.703.69
Calculations by The European Commission, based on data provided by Bloomberg. 
Swap rates are based on average of daily observations (px_mid) from 01.09.2024 to 30.11.2024 excluding non-trading days. For ISK: no swap rates beyond 5 years are available. For CHF: swap rates are calculated based on overnight rate SARON (+7.41 bps).
 

 

The European Commission explanatory note from 1 January 2014  provides a technical explanation of the calculation of the swap rates.

To calculate the safe-harbour profit benchmark a premium of 100 bps has to be added to the relevant swap rate.