| July 2023 |.
'The 2023 aid application will soon be opened on Ecological and safe transport. Submission is possible until 30/11/2023 at the latest, unless the support budget is exhausted before then. The maximum is €1,500 per freight vehicle and a maximum of €100,000 per 3 consecutive calendar years (2021, 2022 and 2023). The list of measures is that of 2021. The support will stop from 2024.'
The Flemish subsidy ecological and safe road transport. All your questions answered.
| August 2022 |.
In this blog you will find the answer to following topics:
- Subject grant
- What expenses do accepted
- What expenses not accepted
- Which companies
- Requesting step-by-step
- When to apply
- Amount of subsidy
- Start application
1. For which companies is the grant ecological and safe road transport?
Flemish companies that invest in ecological and safety measures for their trucks of at least 3.5 tons can receive a subsidy from the Flemish government for this purpose. Eligible investments relate to:
- contracts or invoices for expenses entered into or dated after Jan. 1, 2017
- expenses for the purchase of new vehicles as well as for the conversion of existing vehicles
- measures that only go beyond what is required by law
The measures must remain in the company for at least 3 years, and you can only apply for the subsidy once.
2. What expenses/investments are eligible for the transportation subsidy?
- Expenditure on driving chassis systems to promote energy-efficient and safe driving behavior
- Expenditures on security features beyond those required by law
- Expenditures on additional facilities that have a positive impact on the environment
- Expenditures on measures that promote the efficiency of transportation management
- Expenditures on measures aimed at preventing theft
You can find a detailed overview of all the investments you can make here.
3. What expenses are not eligible for the transportation subsidy?
The following expenses are not eligible for grant support:
- measures required by law;
- Measures that change the homologation of the vehicle for which no new approval has been obtained;
- measures for those vehicles that remain on the premises for less than three years;
- measures belonging to the company's ordinary operating expenses and non-specialized advice;
- Installation costs
4. Which transportation companies may apply for the grant?
- The company has an operating headquarters in the Flemish Region.
- The company has an acceptable legal form such as, for example, sole proprietorships, nv's, bvba's, bv's, ... NPOs, agricultural companies, temporary associations, temporary and silent trading companies and the partnership are excluded.
- The company is not under the dominant influence (more than 50% capital or voting rights) of an administrative authority.
- The company complies with the de minimis aid regulation. This measure falls under the application of the European de minimis regulation. As a result, de minimis support to companies may not exceed €200,000 over three years (max. €100,000 for the transport sector). For more info see Frequently Asked Questions: de-minimis.
- The company has at least one vehicle over 3.5 tons registered in Belgium. The company owns or is a lessee under a leasing contract with a contract duration of at least 36 months. Vehicles are defined as all motor vehicles or combinations of vehicles intended or used, whether exclusively or not, for the transport by road of goods, the maximum authorized total weight of which exceeds 3.5 tons.
- The aid applicant is: either an owner and uses the vehicle himself or makes the vehicle available to third parties for less than 36 months, or is a lessee (rental, lease) for at least 36 months of the vehicle. Semi-trailers and trailers cannot be declared as vehicles in the aid application. However, the expenditure to be declared for eligible measures may include semi-trailers and trailers provided that they are part of an assembly of vehicles.
An example
Suppose you buy, lease, rent or rent a truck that was in service for the first time before 1/1/2017. Then only the measures that were provided on this vehicle after 1/1/2017 are eligible. These measures may also be second-hand as long as they were new after 1/1/2017 and provided the previous owner has not yet applied for support for them. Only vehicles and expenses of measures not previously declared in an approved application are eligible for support.
5. Road grant application step-by-step plan for ecological and safe road transport
To submit a grant application for ecological and safe transportation, you have the invoices from the year 2017 tem 2022 that have not yet been used or partially used to apply for the grant, of new trucks that remain registered for 3 years from date of entry into service.
Step 1 | the measures
Check this list to see what options/measures you can apply for subsidies.
Step 2 | the cost
Calculate the cost of all options listed on the invoice(s) from 2017 tem 2022. On this, calculate 80% or 30% (see last column in the list of measures). Divide this amount by 3,000 euros = number of vehicles to be brought in.
Step 3 | the vehicles
Which trucks are eligible? These are purchased vehicles that will operate (or remain registered) for at least another 3 years on date of application and have not yet been used on previous applications. Check that these vehicles have not yet been used on past applications.
Step 4a | Only for larger companies
At the SME portfolio, calculate how much subsidy you received for 2020, 2021 and 2022. Subtract this amount from 100,000 euros. This is the maximum amount your company can apply for. If you submit in different years, you must deduct the "ecological and safe transport" subsidy you received.
Step 4b | Optimize your application
See how many and which vehicles you will submit. You can now submit the application on the Vlaio website.
6. Is there an end date on when I can apply for this grant?
The 2022 aid application is open from May 17 to December 16, 2022. The maximum support per freight vehicle has dropped to €3,000 for the 2022 application. In 2023, the maximum support per freight vehicle is €1,500 for the 2023 application. The support measure will stop as of 2024.
The maximum support of €100,000 per three consecutive calendar years (now 2020, 2021 and 2022) remain in place. The list of supported measures of this grant is also unchanged and is the one in effect since the 2021 application.
7. How much is the ecological and safe road transport subsidy?
- State aid is 30 or 80 percent of the expenditure (purchase, rental/renting or leasing) of eligible measures. See in the list of possible expenses the percentage involved. The aid is a maximum of €3,000 per declared truck/tractor registered in Belgium for the 2022 application. For the 2023 application, this maximum is €1,500. The support measure stops as of 2024.
- A truck/tractor can only be eligible once.
- The maximum grant amount per enterprise is €100,000 for three consecutive calendar years (support applications 2020, 2021 and 2022 together max €100,000 and support applications 2021, 2022 and 2023 together max €100,000).
Tip: Take an inventory of all investments and bundle the applications. The inventory is the summary of billed investments by calendar year and the summary of vehicles that are still registered in the company for at least 3 years. An invoice or attachment to the invoice with the options broken down is required. Note: submit a file only when all planned investments in a calendar year have been invoiced.
8. How to apply for the ecological and safe road transport grant?
The 2022 application is open from May 17 to December 16, 2022.
Application process
- Use Google Chrome or Apple Safari to go to the application application. Also read the support application guide.
- A company can make one digital aid application per calendar year. A vehicle is eligible for support for only one calendar year. The total expenditure submitted per aid application must be at least €1,000.
- The maximum subsidy per motor vehicle (truck, tractor) is €3,000 for the 2022 application (€1,500 for the 2023 application). The vehicle must be registered with the DIV at the time of the aid application and consequently have a registration certificate.
- The legal representative or mandated person of the company can make a request for support (E-ID and card reader, federal token, etc.). Only the entitled company (no third parties) makes the request for support, giving its own bank account number.
- If you do not have access then you can request this through the Flemish access management: overheid.vlaanderen.be/accesssbeheer. Need help with this? Contact the Flemish Infoline.
- After submitting, you will receive a confirmation email saying that the application was received correctly.
- You can start the application process by clicking on "apply" on the Vlaio website, then scroll down and click through to grants ecological and safe transportation.
You will receive notification that your file is being processed after submission. Payment is made after approval to a Belgian account number, as long as there are budgetary resources. If the budget is insufficient, the company will be paid the following year.
You must keep all documents related to the grant application for at least 5 years from the date. A recovery is possible if you do not meet the conditions imposed or have exceeded the amount of 100,000 euros.
Did you know that ...
All-Connects has been a specialist in specific digital applications for the transportation sector for 20 years? Our technical baggage and knowledge of government obligations allows you to work more efficiently, reduces administrative headaches and prevents high fines. Find out more about our systems for the following solutions, among others:
Read our other transportation blogs about:
- Stay connected with valuable shipments throughout the transportation journey
- Everything you need to know about driving and rest periods
And view real-life examples of companies in the transportation and logistics sector that are already working with an All-Connects solution.
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Do you have any questions after reading this blog, or are you interested in a vehicle tracking system for your fleet of trucks? Then contact us directly by phone 03 289 55 35 or click here for more information.
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