Roadmap subsidy for ecological and safe road transport

| July 2023 |.

'The 2023 aid application will soon open 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 stops 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:

  1. Grant Topic
  2. What expenses are accepted
  3. What expenses not accepted
  4. Which companies
  5. Request step-by-step plan
  6. When to apply
  7. Amount of subsidy
  8. Start request

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 for this from the Flemish government. Eligible investments relate to:

  • contracts or invoices for expenditures that were entered into or dated after January 1, 2017
  • expenditures 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 road-safe driving
  • Expenditures on safety features beyond what is required by law
  • Expenditure on additional facilities that have a positive impact on the environment
  • Expenditure on measures that promote efficiency in transportation management
  • Expenditure on measures aimed at preventing theft

You can find a detailed list of all the investments you can bring in here.

3. What expenses are not eligible for the transportation subsidy?

The following expenses are not eligible for the grant aid:

  • 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 in the company 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 office in the Flemish Region.
  • The company has an acceptable legal form such as, for example, sole proprietorships, nv's, bvba's, bv's, ... Non-profit companies, agricultural companies, temporary associations, temporary and silent commercial 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, the de minimis aid to companies over three years may not exceed € 200,000 (max. € 100,000 for the transport sector). For more information see Frequently Asked Questions: de minimis.
  • The company owns at least one vehicle of more than 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 or not exclusively, for the carriage of goods by road, the maximum permissible total weight of which exceeds 3.5 tons.
  • The aid applicant is: either an owner and uses the vehicle himself or makes it 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 the eligible measures may relate to semi-trailers and trailers provided that they form part of a vehicle combination.

An example

Suppose you buy, lease, rent or lease a truck that was in use for the first time before 1/1/2017. Then only the measures 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 that the previous owner has not yet applied for support for them. Only vehicles and expenditures of measures not previously reported in an approved application are eligible.

5. Step-by-step plan for applying for a subsidy for ecological and safe road transport

In order to apply for a subsidy ecological and safe transport, you need the invoices of the year 2017 tem 2022 that have not yet been used or partially used to apply for the subsidy, of new trucks that remain registered for 3 years from date of commissioning.

Step 1 | the measures

Check this list to see what options/measures you can apply for grants.

Step 2 | the cost

Calculate the cost of all options listed on the invoice(s) from 2017 tem 2022. Calculate 80% or 30% on this (see last column in 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 be operating (or remain registered) for at least another 3 years on the date of application and have not yet been used on previous applications. Check that these vehicles have not already been used on previous applications.

Step 4a | Only for larger companies

In 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 apply in different years, you must deduct the received subsidy "ecological and safe transport".

Step 4b | Optimize your application

See how many and which vehicles you will be bringing in. 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 decreased 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 stops as of 2024.

The maximum support of €100,000 per three consecutive calendar years (now 2020, 2021 and 2022) remains 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 subsidy for ecological and safe road transport?

  • Public assistance is 30 or 80 percent of the expenditure (purchase, renting/renting or leasing) of the eligible measures. See in the list of possible expenditures the percentage involved. The support 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 company 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 investments invoiced 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. Please note: do not submit a file until 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 through December 16, 2022.

Application process

  • Use Google Chrome or Apple Safari to access the application. Also, read the support application guide.
  • A company can make one digital aid application per calendar year. A vehicle is only eligible for support for one calendar year. Per aid application, the total expenditure submitted 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 company's legal representative or mandated representative can submit a support application (E-ID and card reader, federal token, etc.). Only the entitled enterprise (no third parties) makes the aid application, providing its own bank account number.
  • If you do not have access you can request it through the Flemish access management: overheid.vlaanderen.be/toegangsbeheer. 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 on subsidies ecological and safe transport.

You will receive a message after submission that your file is being processed. 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 relating 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 ...

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