EU rejects €26 million state aid to MAN truck manufacturer

BRUSSELS, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Monday the €26 million ($29.15 million) aid approved by the Polish government to truck manufacturer MAN Trucks to expand a factory in Niepolomice violated EU state aid rules.

Poland failed to prove that the aid was decisive for MAN Trucks, which is owned by Germany's Traton SE, a unit of Volkswagen, to locate its investment in Poland, the Commission said, adding the amount was not "proportionate".

"Therefore, Poland cannot disburse the aid," the Commission said in a statement.

State aid in the 27-country bloc is closely scrutinized by the European Commission to make sure individual countries do not grant an unfair advantage to locally operating companies.

($1 = 0.8920 euros)

(Reporting by Inti LandauroEditing by Tomasz Janowski)