EC OKs €20M OKs Scheme For Broadband For Students In Greece

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €20 million (US$24.29 million) voucher scheme to help students in Greece access broadband services and benefit from remote online learning.

Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said, “This €20 million Greek voucher scheme will help students in Greece cover the costs for accessing internet broadband services. The scheme will help ensure that eligible students can have access to educational services provided online, through the technology they choose. This has become even more essential in the context of the coronavirus outbreak where distance learning has become the norm. The measure will also more generally help promote the development of digital and transversal skills, making education more flexible and easy to access.” 

The Greek scheme aims at providing vouchers to cover all or part of the monthly bills for eligible broadband services. The scheme will be accessible to up to 50,000 students per academic year.

Greece notified the support measure for assessment by the Commission under EU State aid rules. The Commission found that the scheme is mainly aimed at students, whilst at the same time amounting to indirect State aid in favor of telecommunication services providers, which will be able to offer the supported broadband services.

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