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

(2003/C 138/02)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XT 34/02

Member State: Italy

Region: Piedmont

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Directive on continuing training - Law No 236/93 - Company, sectoral and regional training schemes agreed by labour and management - 2002

Legal basis: Deliberazione della giunta regionale del Piemonte n. 76-5853 del 15.4.2002

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 12584655,43 (ITL 24367290770)

Maximum aid intensity: The maximum aid intensities are those laid down in Article 4(2) to (6) of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001. The aid, quantified on the assumption that the training course will be carried out properly and in full, is granted in the form of reimbursements of eligible expenditure actually incurred and backed by documentary evidence in respect of training programmes, in relation to the activity actually carried out and within the maximum intensity ceilings given below:

>TABLE>

>TABLE>

The above intensities are increased by 10 percentage points if the training is given to disadvantaged workers, as defined in Article 2(g) of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001.

Date of implementation: 12 June 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until December 2003

Objective of aid: The aid scheme covers general and specific training. Under Article 2(e) of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001:

- general training means training of a general nature which is not related solely to the employee's present or future position in the assisted firm and provides qualifications that are largely transferable to other firms or fields of work,

- specific training means training involving theoretical and practical tuition applicable to the employee's present or future position in the assisted firm.

For the purpose of implementing this aid scheme, it should be pointed out that:

- "general training" includes courses where there is already provision for final public certification of the qualification or professional or vocational licence and training courses organised for more than one firm, i.e. providing tuition for workers from two or more firms, even if they are in the same productive sector;

- "specific training" includes courses aimed at workers and/or owners of the same firm.

With regard to "general training", see Article 24 of Regional Law No 63 of 13 April 1995 and Article 14 of Law No 845 of 21 December 1978, attached

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors; all services

Name and address of the granting authority: Regione Piemonte - Direzione regionale alla formazione professionale - lavoro. Settore attività formativa, Via Magenta, 12 - I-10128 Torino

Other information: The total public contribution that may be allocated to a single firm for training programmes under this Directive may not in any event exceed EUR 1 million (ITL 1936270000).

Beneficiaries: firms (small, medium-sized or large) running the training course; they are individually identified before the action is approved

Aid No: XT 54/02

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: The aid will be disseminated via Business Link Operators in West Yorkshire, Essex, and Devon and Cornwall

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Small Firms Training Scheme (Health and Safety Training)

Legal basis: Health and Safety at Work Act, etc. 1974

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Total planned expenditure is GBP 1,97 million: 2002/03 - GBP 1,18 million; 2003/04 - GBP 0,79 million

Maximum aid intensity: Not exceeding 70 %. No one grant per business over the lifetime of the scheme will exceed GBP 1000

Date of implementation: 29 July 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 31 May 2003

Objective of aid: The Revitalising Health and Safety (RHS) Strategy consultation exercise revealed support from small firms for financial assistance. Development of this scheme is an objective of the strategy. Aid will be available to micro enterprises with fewer than 10 employees. It will offer financial assistance for them to access health and safety training. Resources and health and safety knowledge are often scarce in small businesses. The objective therefore is to help small businesses put in place appropriate health and safety management arrangements and to promote practical understanding of dealing with health and safety in the workplace. The scheme should improve awareness of, and understanding in dealing with, health and safety risks in small businesses

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: Mel Draper Health and Safety Executive Rose Court

8SW

2 Southwark Bridge

London SE1 9HS Tel. (44-207) 717 64 00

Other information: This is a pilot scheme. The aid is general

Aid No: XT 55/02

Member State: Germany

Region: Berlin

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Continuing vocational training and more flexible work organisation

Legal basis: Verwaltungsvorschrift vom 5.7.2001 über betriebliche Weiterbildung und Flexibilisierung der Arbeitsorganisation

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Allocation of approximately EUR 3,5 million in the budget for Berlin.

The total amount that a company can be granted as individual aid for general training is EUR 5000 in one skill field, subject to a ceiling of EUR 25000 over two years; for advisory services, up to a maximum of EUR 1500

Maximum aid intensity: Continuing training: up to 75 %; Advisory services: up to 50 %

The rules on permissible aid intensity laid down in Article 4(3) and (4) of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 are complied with.

Date of implementation: 1 November 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 December 2003

Objective of aid: To support the adaptation of employees in SMEs to structural change through the use of information technology and to provide back-up for the introduction of different working patterns, flexible working time and teleworking.

In the wake of structural change, higher skills are being required of employees. The aim of the aid scheme is to increase employability through continuing vocational training as the ever-shorter shelf life of learnt knowledge means that constant skills renewal and upgrading are needed. This also helps to rectify the lack of unskilled labour. Transferable skills are acquired. The aid scheme corresponds to the "lifelong learning" and "enhancement of adaptability through use of information and communication technologies" components of the European Employment Strategy. The introduction of more flexible ways of organising work by supporting the provision of advice on introducing different working patterns, flexible working time and teleworking makes it easier to strike a balance between family and work.

These are general training measures within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001, as borne out by the supporting documents in the application or financial statement procedures

Economic sector(s) concerned: All economic sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: Investitionsbank Berlin Bundesallee 210 D - 10719 Berlin and Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Frauen - V B Storkower Straße 134 D - 10407 Berlin

Other information: The aid scheme is part of

- the operational programme approved by the Commission on 29 December 2000 for measures under the European structural funds in Berlin (Objective 1),

- the single programming document approved by the Commission on 3 December 2001 for measures under the European structural funds in Berlin (Objective 2) and

- the single programming document approved by the Commission on 10 October 2000 for the development of the labour market and human resources for Objective 3 measures in Germany.

The measure/operation into which the aid scheme fits is entitled "Continuing vocational training, skilling, information and advice, organisation and working time" and is classified under measure/policy area D: "Adaptability and entrepreneurial spirit". Actions under this measure/operation are funded in part by the European Social Fund