Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 of 12 January 2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to training aid

(2002/C 133/12)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XT/33/2001

Member State: Germany

Region: Saxony

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Full title: Scheme of assistance towards in-service training for employees and business people especially from small and medium-sized enterprises, including middle and higher management levels and company founders, funded by the European Social Fund and by Saxony under the operational programme for Structural Fund aid in Saxony 2000-2006

Short title: Saxon in-service training aid scheme

Legal basis: Sächsische Haushaltsordnung, §§ 23 und 44 (Neufassung vom 10. April 2001 im Sächsischen Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt Nr. 5/2001 vom 18. Mai 2001, http://www.recht-sachsen.de/Gbl1.htm)

Richtlinie des Sächsischen Staatsministeriums für Wirtschaft und Arbeit für die Förderung von aus dem Europäischen Sozialfonds mitfinanzierten Maßnahmen/Teil A (Veröffentlichung im Sächsischen Amtsblatt am 2.8.2001 - Anlage 1)

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: In-service training measures for about 7000 participants, costing some DEM 33 million a year

Maximum aid intensity: - Specific training, up to 45 % of the eligible costs,

- general training, up to 80 % of the eligible costs.

In accordance with the rules of the ESF, participants from large enterprises are admissible only on certain conditions; the aid intensity is calculated separately in respect of such participants, and the following ceilings apply:

- specific training, up to 35 % of the eligible costs,

- general training, up to 60 % of the eligible costs.

The ceilings are increased by 10 % if the training is designed specifically for disadvantaged workers as defined in Article 2(g) of the Commission Regulation

Date of implementation: 1 August 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Projects are to be approved and to begin by 31 December 2006; depending on the duration of the project, payments can be made up to 31 December 2008, the date at which spending by training providers is to end under the Commission Decision on the operational programme for Saxony 2000-2006 (12 December 2000)

Objective of aid: These are in-service training measures for employees and business people, especially from small and medium-sized enterprises, and company founders, under the operational programme for Saxony 2000-2006, which has been approved by the European Commission. Training will usually be given by training providers to participants coming from several firms at a time.

The decision whether the training to be given is general or specific will be taken by the approving authority, on the basis of the project descriptions presented, which may be very varied.

In the case of general training measures, the content of the project will have to be spelt out in the project description or in the course of the application procedure; the necessary separation between specific and general training measures will be made by means of a vetting system.

The category of a training measure will be decided when the application is being considered, on the basis of the information in the application, by assessing a number of distinguishing features set out in a checklist (Annex 2). The final list of participants must be submitted before the first payment is made; that list will be examined to see that it corresponds to the information in the application. Any adjustments to the aid intensity will be made administratively

Economic sector(s) concerned: All economic sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: Regierungspräsidium Dresden Referat 35 Stauffenbergallee 2 D - 01099 Dresden Regierungspräsidium Leipzig Referat 35 Braustraße 7 D - 04107 Leipzig Regierungspräsidium Chemnitz Referat 35 Altchemnitzer Straße 41 D - 09120 Dresden Sächsisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft und Arbeit Abteilung 5 Wilhelm-Buck-Straße 2 D - 01097 Dresden

Other information: The aim of ESF aid in Saxony is to promote active and preventive measures to improve the potential of the labour force. The in-service training measures for employees and business people especially from SMEs, including middle and higher management levels and company founders, are intended to improve the participants' ability to adapt to economic needs, in line with the objectives of the operational programme for Saxony 2000-2006.

All ESF in-service training is to be given by training providers. These providers will receive assistance related to each project. No profit may be made. The measures are to benefit the participants only.

The availability of assistance is to be brought to the attention of training providers in the daily press, in official gazettes, in the publications of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Saxony, including the periodical ESF & Co., at information events, and through private consultancy offices that work for the public authorities.

The scheme is open to any training provider. Selection will be on the basis of the quality of the training projects submitted, and will be carried out by the authorities responsible for the subject area and for approving the aid