Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 of 12 January 2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises

(2004/C 16/06)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XS 46/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Veneto

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Financial assistance towards the costs of consultancy, technical assistance and specific staff training for adapting business systems to quality standards and requirements

Legal basis: Art. 4 della legge regionale del Veneto n. 3 del 28.1.1997, in Bollettino ufficiale della Regione Veneto n. 9 del 1997

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 4423500

Maximum aid intensity: 50 % of the costs of services provided by outside consultancies, with a maximum grant of EUR 15000 for each project

Date of implementation: Earliest date from which the aid may be granted: 5 December 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Deadline for the granting of aid: 31 December 2002. Indicative date planned for payment of the last instalment: 31 December 2004

Objective of aid: To support the introduction of business quality systems in SMEs based in the Veneto Region

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors, except for:

- activities linked to the production, processing or marketing of products listed in Annex I to the Treaty;

- export-related activities;

- coal and steel industry;

- synthetic fibres;

- motor vehicle industry;

- transport (with the exception of Italian Statistical Office (ISTAT) Codes 602, 6021, 6022, 6023, 6024, 6025, 631, 6311, 6312, 632 and 6321);

- shipbuilding;

- fisheries;

- commerce, tourism and services covered by Veneto Regional Act No 16 of 10 April 1998 (Veneto Official Gazette No 33/1998) on regional assistance for quality and innovation in commerce, tourism and services

Name and address of granting authority: Regione Veneto Giunta regionale Palazzo Balbi

Dorsoduro 3901

I - 30100 Venezia

Other information: Investments in excess of EUR 1,5 million are not eligible.

The aid scheme does not apply to export-related activities, i.e. aid directly linked to the quantities exported, to the establishment and operation of a distribution network or to other current expenditure linked to the export activity, and aid contingent upon the use of domestic over imported goods.

Only expenditure incurred since the date on which the aid application was submitted is eligible.

The aid is granted following a technical, economic and financial assessment aimed at checking:

- the innovative and original nature of the know-how to be acquired;

- the value of that know-how to innovative products and processes that increase competitiveness and encourage development;

- the relevance to programme implementation of the costs listed;

- the feasibility of the results projected by the proposer

Only consultancy services that are not continuous or regular, or connected with the normal operating expenses of the firm are eligible for aid.

A further precondition for the aid grant is that the investment must be financed by a bank which has checked the firm's creditworthiness and development prospects

Aid No: XS 97/01

Member State: Italy

Region: Sicily

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Investment aid for SMEs in the distributive trades

Legal basis: Art. 60 della L.R. 23.12.2000 n. 32 e art. 113 della L.R. 3.5.2001 n. 6

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: ITL 5000 million (2001)

Maximum aid intensity: 35 % net grant equivalent + 15 % gross grant equivalent

Date of implementation: After conclusion of the agreement with each beneficiary, to be identified following publication of a call for applications

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Up to 2006

Objective of aid: Facilitating access to credit for SMEs

Economic sector(s) concerned: Distributive trades

Name and address of granting authority: Assessorato regionale Cooperazione, commercio, artigianato e pesca Via degli Emiri n. 43 Palermo

Other information: The aid takes the form of:

(a) subsidised loans;

(b) grants towards lease payments;

(c) grants for interest relief on loans contracted with credit institutions;

(d) capital grants in respect of the investments covered by points (a), (b) and (c) above

Aid No: XS 99/01

Member State: Italy

Region: Sicily

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Investment aid to small and medium-sized craft enterprises

Legal basis: Art. 48 L.R. 23.12.2000 n. 32 con modificazioni ed integrazioni apportate dall'art. 111, commi 1 e 2 della L.R. 3.5.2001 n. 6

Maximum aid intensity: 35 % nge + 15 % gge for small and medium-sized enterprises

Date of implementation: After conclusion of the agreement with each beneficiary, to be identified following publication of a call for applications

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Up to 2006

Objective of aid: Helping small and medium-sized craft enterprises to set up new workshops or restructure or extend existing workshops

Economic sector(s) concerned: Craft enterprises not engaged in the processing and marketing of agricultural products or the production, processing and marketing of fishery and/or aquaculture products, and not involved in the transport, steel, shipbuilding, synthetic fibres or motor vehicle industries

Name and address of granting authority: Assessorato regionale Cooperazione, commercio, artigianato e pesca Via degli Emiri n. 43 Palermo

Other information: The aid may be granted in one of the following two forms:

- either as capital grants, subsidised loans, or grants for interest relief or towards lease payments;

- or as a combination of capital grants plus subsidised loans or capital grants plus grants for interest relief or towards lease payments