EN Official Journal of the European Union C 153/11

Summary information communicated by the Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1/2004 of 23 December 2003 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, processing and marketing of agricultural products

(2005/C 153/06)

Aid No: XA 11/05

Member State: Spain

Region: La Rioja

Title of Aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Framework for the grant of aid to promote the food industry based on calls for proposals and in the form of interest subsidies on loans to finance investments in fixed assets.

Legal basis:

Resolución del Presidente de la Agencia de Desarrollo Económico de La Rioja de 11 de febrero de 2005 por la que se aprueban las Bases Reguladoras para el Fomento de la Industria Agroalimentaria, de la concesión de subvenciones de capital, en régimen de concurrencia competitiva, y en forma de bonificación de intereses de préstamos destinados a financiar inversiones en activos fijos.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 2 464 272,00

Maximum aid intensity: 40 % of the eligible investment

Date of application: from 1 April 2005.

Duration of the scheme: The aid scheme is expected to run until 31 December 2006.

Objective of aid: The main objective is to foster and improve conditions for the processing and wholesale marketing of agricultural and food products in the Autonomous Community of La Rioja in a way that helps stimulate investments in the purchase and modernisation of fixed assets.

The general objectives are:

Creation of new industries

Creation and/or maintenance of jobs

Promoting access to greater added value by the primary sector thanks to the processing of products.

Improvements in quality: health conditions, packaging and presentation of products.

Raising of compulsory safety and traceability standards for products launched on the market as an additional criterion of greater added value for these products.

Diversification of products and re-directing of production in line with market trends.

Improving and rationalising marketing channels.

Improving and re-directing processing procedures which help lower production costs.

Implementing new technologies.

Protecting the environment and the natural landscape.

Maintaining and reinforcing a viable social fabric in rural areas.

Strengthening the value chain between the production of Riojan agricultural raw materials and the processing industry thus contributing to the diversification of farming activities.

Application of Article 7 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1/2004.

The eligible costs are:

Construction, acquisition and improvement of buildings.

Purchase or lease-purchase of new machinery and equipment, including software, up to the market value of the product.

General costs, such as architects', engineers' fees, feasibility studies, the acquisition of patents and licences, up to 8 % of the expenditure referred to above.

Sector(s) concerned: The aid scheme applies to the processing and marketing mainly of food products.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Agencia de Desarrollo Económico de La Rioja C/ Muro de la Mata 13-14 26071-Logroño Spain

Web address: more information at www.ader.es

Aid No: XA 12/05

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: England

Title of Aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Conservation Advice Programme — Practical Advice for Land Managers (England)

Legal basis: The scheme is non-statutory. The Agriculture Act 1986 (Section 1) provides the legal base for the provision by Government of advice in connection with any agricultural activity.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: The total value of the aid is GBP 2 463 167 over 3 programme years. The funding is provided from 4 financial years listed below:

04/05 — GBP 224 120

05/06 — GBP 902 496

06/07 — GBP 812 846

07/08 — GBP 523 705

Maximum aid intensity: The aid intensity is 100 %.

Date of implementation: Farmers will be able to sign up from 4 April 2005. The first meetings will take place after this date.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The scheme will be open to new participants throughout. Activities funded under the scheme will take place after 4 April 2005 until 30 June 2007.

Objective of aid: Sectoral development. This is a programme for land managers. The purpose of the programme, consisting of a range of conferences, workshops, farm walks, self-help group meetings, training seminars and other events, is to help land managers understand current issues that may impact upon their businesses, such as the introduction of the new Environmental Stewardship Schemes and what they mean in terms of management requirements. This will increase the professionalism of the sector.

The aid will be paid in line with Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2004 and the eligible costs will be the costs of organising and delivering training programmes.

Sector(s) concerned: The scheme applies to businesses active in the production of agricultural products only. The scheme is open to businesses producing any type of agricultural product.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Farm Advice Unit Rural Development Service Area 4A, Ergon House Horseferry Road London United Kingdom SW1P 2AL

Web address: www.defra.gov.uk/farm/state-aid/setup/exist-exempt.htm.

Click on ‘Conservation Advice Programme — Practical Advice for Land Managers’. Alternatively, you can go direct to:

www.defra.gov.uk/farm/state-aid/setup/schemes/conservadvice.pdf.

Other information: The scheme will be made available to all land managers, not just farmers. Aid to non-agricultural businesses will be paid with regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 69/2001 on de minimis aid.

Beneficiaries will not be able to choose the service provider. The service provider will be ADAS Consulting Ltd., who were selected by a tender exercise.

Aid No: XA 15/05

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: England

Title of Aid scheme or name of company receiving an individual aid: Environment Sensitive Farming — Practical Advice for Land Managers Programme (England)

Legal basis: The scheme is non-statutory. The Agriculture Act 1986 (section 1) provides the legal base for the provision by Government of advice in connection with any agricultural activity.

Expenditure planned under the scheme: Total value of GBP 2 528 367 over 3 programme years. The funding is provided from 4 financial years listed below:

04/05 — GBP 468 685

05/06 — GBP 774 736

06/07 — GBP 739 315

07/08 — GBP 545 631

Maximum aid intensity: The aid intensity is 100 %.

Date of implementation: Farmers will be able to sign up from 4 April 2005. The first meetings will take place after this date.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The scheme will be open to new participants throughout. Activities funded under the scheme will take place after 4 April 2005 and until 30 June 2007.

Objective of aid: Sectoral development. The purpose of the programme, consisting of a range of conferences, workshops, farm walks, advice visits, group meetings and seminars, is to help farmers and other land managers understand the effects of their farm practices on the wider environment. This will increase the professionalism of the sector.

The aid will be paid in line with Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2004 and the eligible costs will be costs of organising and delivering training programmes.

Sector(s) concerned: The scheme applies to businesses active in the production of agricultural products only. The scheme is open to businesses producing any type of agricultural product.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Farm Advice Unit Rural Development Service Area 4A, Ergon House Horseferry Road London United Kingdom SW1P 2JR

Web address: www.defra.gov.uk/farm/state-aid/setup/exist-exempt.htm.

Click on Environment Sensitive Farming — Practical Advice for Land Managers Programme (England).

Alternatively, you can go direct to:

www.defra.gov.uk/farm/state-aid/setup/schemes/envsensitive.pdf.

Other information: The scheme will be made available to all land managers, not just farmers. Aid to non-agricultural businesses will be paid with regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 69/2001 on de minimis aid.

Beneficiaries will not be able to choose the service provider. The service provider will be ADAS Consulting Ltd. who were selected by a tender exercise.

Aid No: XA 21/05

Member State: Netherlands

Region: Province of North Brabant

Title of aid scheme: Technical assistance provided by the Agro & Co foundation

Legal basis:

Subsidieverordening Economische Zaken en arbeidsmarktbeleid Provincie Noord-Brabant

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme: Total annual budgetary provisions amount to EUR 500 000

Maximum aid intensity: The aid involves technical support for SMEs in the agricultural sector (in accordance with Annex I to the Treaty) in the form of consultancy services, provided that they neither constitute a continuous or periodic activity nor relate to the enterprise's usual operating expenditure.

In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1/2004, aid is granted to SMEs in the agricultural sector at a rate of 100 % of consultancy fees where public support over the past three years does not exceed the limit of EUR 100 000, and at a rate of 50 % of subsidisable fees where eligible costs do exceed EUR 100 000.

Expenditure may also relate to:

consultancy services to (small and medium-sized) enterprises (with the exception of agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, and logistics).

The maximum amount and intensity of aid granted to those enterprises are subject to Regulations (EC) Nos 69/2001 and 70/2001. For those types of aid, summary information will be sent separately, in accordance with the relevant Regulation.

Date of granting of aid:

Duration of the measure: From 15 May 2005 until December 2007 inclusive (1)

Objective of aid:

— primary objective: to support SMEs in the agricultural sector;

— secondary objective: technical support in connection with consultancy services which neither constitute a continuous or periodic activity nor relate to the enterprise's usual operating expenditure.

Economic sectors concerned: The scheme is applicable to all sectors involved in the production, processing and marketing of agricultural products.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Province of North Brabant Brabantlaan 1 Postbus 90151 5200 MC 's-Hertogenbosch

Web address: www.brabant.nl

Aid No: XA 26/05

Member State: Czech Republic

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid: Consultancy aid in the agricultural sector — optimising farm management

Legal basis:

Zákon č. 252/1997 Sb., o zemědělství

Annual expenditure planned or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Up to CZK 6 million

Maximum aid intensity: Up to 80 % of eligible expenditure, maximum CZK 20 000 per recipient

Date of implementation: From 1 May 2005

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Up to 31 December 2006

Objective of aid: Economic consultancy aid for small and medium-sized enterprises. This will involve assessing the feasibility of the business plan, including its consistency with various other types of public support. The outcome will be a recommendation to reduce some types of production or a proposal to take up new activites.

This support complies with Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003 establishing common rules for direct support schemes under the Common Agricultural Policy and establishing certain support schemes for farmers (Title II, Chapter 3, Article 13 et seq.)

Under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1/2004 of 23 December 2003, Article 14 (‘Provision of technical support in the agricultural sector’) is applicable.

Eligible costs are fees for the supply of consultancy services which neither constitute a continuous or periodic activity nor relate to the enterprise's usual operating expenditure.

Sectors concerned: Production, processing and marketing of agricultural products

Name and address of the granting authority:

Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic Tìšnov 17 117 00 Prague 1 Czech Republic

Web address: www.mze.cz/Dotace a programy/Národní podpory/Zásady poskytování dotací pro rok 2005 Národní podpory

Other data: The Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic declares that the conditions of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1/2004 will be met, i.e. the aid will be targeted at small and medium-sized enterprises and will comply with the limit of EUR 100 000 per recipient per three years.

In accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic has focussed on aid for services in the field of water protection, welfare and organic farming. The proposed aid extends the supply of consultancy services aimed at the economic optimisation of agricultural holdings.

Aid No: XA 28/05

Member State: United Kingdom.

Region: Cumbria.

Name of company receiving an individual aid: Junction 38 Partnership.

Legal basis: Section 5 of Regional Development Agencies Act 1998.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: The total amount of aid granted to the partnership will be GBP 243 200. The whole amount of aid will be paid in the financial year 2005/2006.

Maximum aid intensity: 40 %

Date of implementation: The first payment will be made after 18 May 2005.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Aid will be paid in monthly instalments in arrears upon receipt of a claim form and evidence of progress made. The last instalment will be made by 31 March 2006.

Objective of aid: Sectoral development. Rural Regeneration Cumbria is providing funding to a co-operative of farmers to build and commission a red meat processing and chilling facility. This will assist them to promote and market quality agricultural products, thus supporting the long term development of Cumbria's rural economy.

The aid is being made available in line with Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2004. The eligible costs are:

the construction, acquisition and improvement of immovable property;

the purchase/lease-purchase of new machinery and equipment, including, computer software;

general costs (architects, engineers and consultation fees).

Sector(s) concerned: The aid is being provided for the processing of beef, lamb and pork.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Rural Regeneration Cumbria Hackthorpe Business Centre Hackthorpe Cumbria United Kingdom CA10 2HX

Web address: www.defra.gov.uk/farm/state-aid/setup/exist-exempt.htm.

Click on ‘Junction 38 Partnership’. Alternatively, you can go direct to:

http://defraweb/farm/state-aid/setup/schemes/junction38.pdf.

(1) The scheme and all individual measures based on the scheme lasting beyond 31 December 2006 will be adapted in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1/2004. The obligation includes notifying the European Commission of amendments pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1/2004 or its successor.