For the purposes of this paper, a detailed analysis was carried out of the European Union's normative acts, soft law sources and programme documents on the application of state aid. Based on this analysis, the principles, objectives and sources of state aid were specified. The long-term goals and the need to adapt them to current socio-economic needs were identified. The legally established principles of granting and applying state aid were also discussed, and it was noted that these principles undergo slight modifications in the temporary legal framework governing state aid applied in emergency situations. The goals set for the current budgetary period have led to a proliferation of new funding sources; this paper therefore presents some of these, highlighting their specialisation and dispersion.