EU Regulator Clears France's State Aid to Archaeological Institution INRAP

08:17 AM EST, 12/17/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The European Commission said Wednesday it approved the French government's compensation for Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives', or INRAP's, mandatory excavation activities from 2008 to 2021. The decision relates to the complaint filed by a competing private archaeological excavation services company in 2018, which claimed that INRAP was overcompensated. The EU regulator said its investigation found that the French aid was "proportionate," and was "necessary and appropriate" for the preservation of France's culture and heritage. The commission noted that INRAP is compensated by the government when it acts as a last resort operator.