EN Official Journal of the European Union C 32/9

Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products and amending Regulation (EC) No 70/2001

(2008/C 32/04)

Aid No: XA 212/07

Member State: Republic of Slovenia

Region: Municipality of Logatec

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid: Podpore programom razvoja kmetijstva in podeželja v občini Logatec 2007-2013

Legal basis: Pravilnik o dodeljevanju državnih pomoči za ohranjanje in razvoj kmetijstva in podeželja v občini Logatec (2. Poglavje)

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

2007: EUR 22 500

2008: EUR 24 750

2009: EUR 27 300

2010: EUR 30 030

2011: EUR 33 000

2012: EUR 36 300

2013: EUR 40 000

Maximum aid intensity:

1. Investment in agricultural holdings:

— up to 50 % of eligible investments in less-favoured areas and up to 40 % of eligible investments in other areas.

Support is granted for investment in farm features for agricultural production, investment in pastures and land and for private access ways on farms.

2. Aid towards the payment of insurance premiums:

— up to 10 % of eligible costs of insurance premiums for insuring crops and fruit,

— the difference between the amount of co-financing of insurance premiums from the national budget and up to 50 % of eligible costs for insuring livestock against disease.

3. Aid to encourage the production of quality agricultural products:

— up to 100 % of eligible costs; this is to be provided in the form of subsidised services and must not involve direct payments of money to producers.

4. Provision of technical support.

— up to 100 % of eligible costs for the organisation and implementation of education and training programmes, consultancy services provided by third parties, the organisation of forums for farms to exchange knowledge, competitions, exhibitions and fairs, and the funding of publications, such as catalogues and websites. The aid is to be granted in the form of subsidised services and must not involve direct payments of money to producers

Date of implementation: August 2007

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 December 2013

Objective of aid: To support SMEs

Reference to Articles in Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 and eligible costs: Chapter II of the Rules on granting State aid for conservation and agricultural and rural development in the municipality of Logatec includes measures constituting State aid in accordance with the following Articles of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 of 15 December 2006 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products and amending Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 (OJ L 358, 16.12.2006, p. 3):

Article 4: Investment in agricultural holdings,

Article 12: Aid towards the payment of insurance premiums,

Article 14: Aid to encourage the production of quality agricultural products,

Article 15: Provision of technical support in the agricultural sector

Economic Sector(s) concerned: Agriculture — Aid is granted for investment in livestock farming, except for the breeding of warm-blooded horses, poultry or rabbits. Aid is granted for breeding small ruminants in less-favoured areas

Name and address of granting authority:

Občina Logatec Tržaška cesta 15 SLO-1370 Logatec

Web address: http://dokumenti.obcina-logatec.com/PRAVILNIKI/Pravilnikkmetijstvo.pdf

Other information: The measure for the payment of insurance premiums to insure crops and fruit includes the following adverse climatic events which can be assimilated to natural disasters: spring frost, hail, lightning, fire caused by lightning, storm and floods.

The municipality's Rules meet the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 relating to the measures to be adopted by the municipality and the general provisions applicable (steps preceding grant of aid, cumulation, transparency and monitoring of aid)

Aid No: XA 219/07

Member State: Republic of Slovenia

Region: Municipality of Straža

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid: Podpora programom razvoja kmetijstva in podeželja v občini Straža 2007-2013

Legal basis: Pravilnik o ohranjanju in spodbujanju razvoja kmetijstva in podeželja v mestni občini Straža za programsko obdobje 2007-2013 (II. Poglavje)

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: The annual budget planned for the period 2007-2013 is EUR 48 752

Maximum aid intensity:

1. Investment in agricultural holdings:

— up to 40 % of eligible costs for investment.

The purpose of the aid is investment to restore farm features, to purchase equipment to be used for agricultural production, to invest in permanent crops and to improve farmland.

2. Conservation of traditional landscapes and buildings:

— up to 100 % for non-productive features and up to 60 % for on-farm productive features, provided that the investment does not lead to an increase in production potential,

— additional aid may be granted up to 100 % to cover the extra costs incurred by using traditional materials.

3. Aid towards the payment of insurance premiums:

— municipal support, in line with the Decree on co-financing of insurance premiums for agricultural production for the current year, adopted by the Slovenian Government, brings the amount of aid up to a maximum of 50 % of eligible costs for insurance premiums to insure crops and fruit and livestock against disease.

4. Aid for land reparcelling:

— up to 100 % of eligible costs incurred in legal and administrative procedures.

5. Provision of technical support in the agricultural sector:

— up to 100 % of costs for education and training for farmers, consultancy services, the organisation of forums, competitions, exhibitions and fairs, publications, catalogues and websites, replacement services and the dissemination of scientific knowledge. The aid is to be granted in the form of subsidised services and must not involve direct payments of money to producers

Date of implementation: August 2007 (or the date on which the Rules enter into force)

Duration of scheme or individual aid award:

Objective of aid: To support SMEs

Reference to Articles in Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 and eligible costs: Chapter II of the draft Rules on the conservation and promotion of the development of agriculture and rural areas in the municipality of Straža for the programming period 2007-2013 includes measures constituting State aid in accordance with the following Articles of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products and amending Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 (OJ L 358, 16.12.2006, p. 3):

Article 4: Investment in agricultural holdings,

Article 5: Conservation of traditional landscapes and buildings,

Article 12: Aid towards the payment of insurance premiums,

Article 13: Aid for land reparcelling,

Article 15: Provision of technical support in the agricultural sector

Economic Sector(s) concerned: Agriculture — Plant production and livestock farming

Name and address of the granting authority:

Občina Straža Ulica Talcev 9 SLO-8351 Straža

Web address: http://www.uradni-list.si/1/ulonline.jsp?urlid=200771&dhid=91211

Other information: The measure for the payment of insurance premiums to insure crops and fruit includes the following adverse climatic events which can be assimilated to natural disasters: spring frost, hail, lightning, fire caused by lightning, storm and floods.

The municipality's Rules meet the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 concerning the measures to be adopted by the municipality and the general provisions applicable (steps preceding grant of aid, cumulation, transparency and monitoring of aid)

Municipality of Straža

Mayor

Alojz KNAFELJ

Aid No: XA 222/07

Member State: Federal Republic of Germany

Region: All regions

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid: Richtlinie über die Förderung der Beratung landwirtschaftlicher Unternehmen vor und während einer Umstellung des Betriebes auf ökologischen Landbau

Legal basis: Richtlinie über die Förderung der Beratung landwirtschaftlicher Unternehmen vor und während einer Umstellung des Betriebes auf ökologischen Landbau; Bundeshaushaltsgesetz, Allgemeine Verwaltungsvorschriften zu §§ 23, 44 Bundeshaushaltsordnung

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Up to EUR 1 million in total

Maximum aid intensity: Aid is awarded in the form of a grant providing part-funding for a specific project. The amount of aid granted will correspond to 50 % of the costs of consultation, subject to a maximum of EUR 2 000 (net) per consultation type (consultation prior to conversion; consultation during the conversion process). The funding can be granted once for a consultation before conversion and once for a consultation during the conversion process. The grant is not paid directly to the recipient of the aid

Date of implementation: The guidelines were signed on 13 August 2007. They enter into force the day after their promulgation in the Federal Gazette. The guidelines can only be promulgated once the summary of the aid has been published by the European Commission The funding guidelines are effective for consultations beginning on or after this date

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The guidelines are effective until 31 December 2010

Objective of the aid: Consultation services for conventional agricultural enterprises on the opportunities offered by converting to organic farming and the consequences of such a conversion play an important role in:

judging more accurately whether and under what circumstances converting to organic farming methods is viable, thereby helping companies to avoid making bad business decisions,

improving the prospects of an impending conversion to organic farming methods by increasing management know-how,

reinforcing the will of farmers to convert to organic farming, thereby increasing the overall number of enterprises using organic production methods.

Consultation on production methods or commercial matters during the conversion of an agricultural enterprise from conventional to organic farming plays an important role in:

judging more accurately how the production of certain goods should be adapted to the changed framework conditions of the individual enterprise, thereby helping to optimise the necessary adaptation processes and minimise bad decision-making on the part of the enterprise,

increasing the probability of the conversion being a success by ensuring the continual development of management know-how in a complex subject area,

optimising the development of the business both during and after the conversion, as laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91, thereby encouraging farmers to continue using the new production methods in the long-term and potentially helping to ensure that enterprises do not convert back to conventional methods after the obligatory five-year period of organic production, laid down in Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005, has elapsed.

Aid will be granted to enterprises in accordance with these guidelines and the general administrative regulations on sections 23 and 44 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO) in order to provide them with an incentive to engage external consulting services. The granting conditions correspond to the conditions laid out in Article 15(2)(c) of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006

Economic sectors: Conventional and organic agricultural enterprises operative in all sub-sectors

Name and address of the granting authority:

Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE) Deichmanns Aue 29 D-53179 Bonn

Web address: http://www.bundesprogramm-oekolandbau.de/foerderrichtlinien/umstellungsberatung/

Other information: —

Aid No: XA 223/07

Member State: Hungary

Region: All of Hungary

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid: Állami program keretében egyes növényegészségügyi vizsgálatok költségeihez nyújtott nemzeti támogatás.

Legal basis:

— egyes növényegészségügyi vizsgálatok támogatásáról szóló …/2007. ( ) FVM rendelet;

— a növényvédelemről szóló 2000. évi XXV. törvény;

— a növényegészségügyi feladatok végrehajtásának részletes szabályairól szóló 7/2001. (I. 17.) FVM rendelet;

— a gyümölcs szaporítóanyagok előállításáról és forgalomba hozataláról szóló 64/2004. (IV. 27.) FVM rendelet;

— a szőlő szaporítóanyagok előállításáról, minősítéséről és forgalomba hozataláról szóló 87/2006. (XII. 28.) FVM rendelet;

— a növényvédelmi igazgatási szolgáltatási díjakról szóló 165/2004. (XI. 22.) FVM rendelet.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Total annual aid: HUF 150 million

Maximum aid intensity: Aid at a rate of 80 % of the invoice value of eligible expenditure

Maximum eligible expenditure for each type of test is set out in Regulation No 165/2004 of 22 November 2004 of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry

Date of implementation: September 2007, after Commission position

Duration of scheme or individual aid award:

Objective of aid: The objective of the aid is to ensure the production of quality seeds and propagating materials of high biological value and to better safeguard plant health for the maintenance of plant species.

The provisions of Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 are applied.

Aid may be claimed for the costs of plant health services, supported by invoices, incurred in carrying out the above-mentioned checking and testing as required by national plant health programmes

Sector(s) concerned: The sectors concerned are the production of seed and propagating materials, including in the areas of arable crops, horticulture and licensed nurseries

Name and address of the granting authority:

Földművelésügyi és Vidékfejlesztési Minisztérium HU-Kossuth tér 11, Budapest

Web address: http://www.fvm.hu/main.php?folderID=1846&articleID=10790&ctag=articlelist&iid=1

Budapest, 27 August 2007

András MÁHR

State Secretary with special responsibility

Aid No: XA 224/07

Member State: Republic of Slovenia

Region: Municipality of Šentjur

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid: Podpore programom razvoja podeželja v občini Šentjur 2007-2013

Legal basis: Pravilnik o dodeljevanju državnih pomoči za ohranjanje in razvoj kmetijstva in podeželja v občini Šentjur

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

2007: EUR 38 117

2008: EUR 40 617

2009: EUR 46 700

2010: EUR 53 700

2011: EUR 61 770

2012: EUR 71 000

2013: EUR 81 600

Maximum aid intensity:

1. Investment in agricultural holdings for primary production

— up to 40 % of eligible costs for investment.

The purpose of the aid is investment to restore farm features, to purchase equipment used for agricultural production, to invest in permanent crops and to improve farmland and pastures.

2. Conservation of traditional buildings:

— up to 60 % of actual costs for investment to preserve non-productive heritage features located on farms (sites of archaeological and historical interest) and to protect productive heritage features on farms, such as farm buildings, provided the investment does not lead to an increase in production potential.

3. Aid towards the payment of insurance premiums:

— the amount of municipal support is the difference between the amount of co-financing of insurance premiums from the national budget and up to 50 % of eligible costs of insurance premiums for insuring crops and fruit and for insuring livestock against disease.

4. Provision of technical support in the agricultural sector:

— up to 100 % of costs of education and training of farmers, consultancy services, the organisation of forums, competitions, exhibitions and fairs, publications, catalogues and websites, and for disseminating scientific knowledge. The aid is to be granted in the form of subsidised services and must not involve direct payments of money to producers

Date of implementation: 2007 (or the date on which the Rules enter into force)

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 December 2013

Objective of the aid: To support SMEs

Reference to Articles in Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 and eligible costs: Chapter III of the draft Rules on granting State aid for the conservation and development of agriculture and rural areas in the municipality of Šentjur includes measures constituting State aid in accordance with the following Articles of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of agricultural products and amending Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 (OJ L 358, 16.12.2006, p. 3):

Article 4: Investment in agricultural holdings,

Article 5: Conservation of traditional landscapes and buildings,

Article 12: Aid towards the payment of insurance premiums,

Article 15: Provision of technical support in the agricultural sector

Economic Sector(s) concerned: Agriculture — Plant production and livestock farming

Name and address of granting authority:

Občina Šentjur Mestni trg 10 SLO-3230 Šentjur

Web address: http://www.uradni-list.si/1/ulonline.jsp?urlid=200774&dhid=91305

Other information: The measure for the payment of insurance premiums to insure crops and fruit includes the following adverse climatic events which can be assimilated to natural disasters: spring frost, hail, lightning, fire caused by lightning, storm and floods.

The municipality's Rules meet the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 relating to the measures to be adopted by the municipality and the general provisions applicable (steps preceding grant of aid, cumulation, transparency and monitoring of aid)

Signature of person responsible

Mayor

Štefan TISEL