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

(2002/C 117/02)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XS/12/01

Member State: Denmark

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: National initiative to promote tourism in the form of central government basic financing for regional tourism development corporations

Legal basis: Finansloven 2001

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Total central government funding for the basic financing of regional tourism development corporations is intended to be DKK 30 million a year over a five-year period running from 2001 to 2005. The money is to be appropriated in the Finance Act each year

Maximum aid intensity: The Ministry of Industry and Commerce will pay out aid to development corporations on the understanding that a major proportion of their business constitutes a public function, and will require that the remainder be used only for activities eligible under Commission Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 on State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises and Commission Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 on training aid.

The maximum aid intensity will be 50 % on consultancy services

Date of implementation: Aid may be granted from 20 February 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The scheme is to run until 31 December 2005

Objective of aid: The regional development corporations are at present the regional players in the overall public effort to promote tourism. They are required to develop and implement strategies for the development of tourism in the regions, in cooperation with private tourist firms in the industry and public countryside and cultural bodies.

The purpose of this initiative is primarily to preserve the corporations as regional players partly financed by the State, through which private firms involved in the tourist industry and public cultural and countryside bodies can develop a joint strategy and undertake joint development initiatives for the benefit of the region as a whole.

The specific objectives eligible under Commission Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 are counselling, consultancy and information for firms, organisations, associations, or countryside and cultural foundations involved in tourism in the region; this might take the form for example of specialised lectures towards the end of the working day, seminars, etc.

Economic sector(s) concerned: The initiative is aimed at broad support for the tourist trade, with assistance being available in principle to any firm, association, organisation or countryside or cultural institution involved in tourism to a greater or lesser extent.

The direct recipients of aid will be the regional tourism development corporations, under NACE division 91, activities of membership organisations.

The scope of the initiative is broad, and aid will be available for activities that indirectly allow the promotion of tourism in the following NACE groups:

55.1 Hotels

55.2 Camping sites

55.3 Restaurants

63.3 Travel agencies and tour operators

70.3 Activities relating to the rental of real estate

71.1 Car hire

74.8 Miscellaneous business activities

Division 91 Activities of membership organisations

92.3 Other entertainment activities

92.5 Library, archives, museums and other cultural activities

Name and address of the granting authority: Ministry of Industry and Commerce (Erhvervsministeriet) Slotsholmsgade 10-12 DK - 1216 Copenhagen K

and

Danish Tourist Board (Danmarks Turistråd) Styrelsesafdelingen Vesterbrogade 6D DK - 1620 Copenhagen V

Aid No: XS/39/01

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Scotland (other than Highlands and Islands of Scotland)

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Scottish Enterprise Business Advisory Services scheme for SMEs

Legal basis: Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990, as amended by Scottish Statutory Instrument 2001 No 126

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Exact amounts expended on the scheme are based on the demand for individual components. However, the budget for the scheme will not exceed GBP 100 million per year

Maximum aid intensity: (i) Discretionary aid of up to 50 % gross will be granted for consultancy services provided by outside consultants to new or established SMEs in such fields as management, finance, new technology (especially information technology), e-commerce, pollution control, protection of intellectual property rights or the like, or for the purpose of assessing the feasibility of new ventures, the introduction of environmental technologies and design issues. The enterprise's usual operating expenditure will be excluded from support.

(ii) Discretionary aid will be provided for additional overhead costs associated with the technical requirements of technology-related process and product development, including additional technical staff specifically related to the project. Such aid in the assisted areas will not exceed the ceiling of regional investment aid determined in the map approved by the Commission and, in non-assisted areas, will not exceed 15 % in the case of small enterprises and 7,5 % in the case of medium-sized enterprises.

(iii) Discretionary aid will be granted for the purchase of specific dedicated capital equipment and/or assets related to the development project and additional to the SME. Such aid in the assisted areas will not exceed the ceiling of regional investment aid determined in the map approved by the Commission and, in non-assisted areas, will not exceed 15 % in the case of small enterprises and 7,5 % in the case of medium-sized enterprises.

(iv) Discretionary aid for participation in fairs and exhibitions. The gross aid must not exceed 50 % of the additional costs incurred for renting, setting up and running the stand

Date of implementation: 2 February 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 December 2006

Objective of aid: The general aim of the scheme is to assist with the development of the regional competitiveness of the area covered by the scheme, by assisting SMEs within the region and adding value to local services. The scheme covers a wide variety of specific activities undertaken by the Scottish Enterprise Network under a general heading of business advisory services. The primary aims of the scheme are to assist all forms of SME (micro enterprises, small enterprises and medium-sized enterprises) with their development as competitive businesses and to add value to local products and services. The issues addressed by the scheme will cover interventions on management and other business issues, competitiveness and growth, sustainability of SMEs, technology and expanding the technical bases of the region's SMEs, innovation and product development. Assistance will be given across a wide variety of sectors and industries

Economic sector(s) concerned: This scheme applies to all sectors, but to the following sectors only to the extent that there is no conflict with the relevant sectoral guidelines:

- agriculture

- fisheries and acquaculture

- shipbuilding

- coal and steel

- motor vehicles

- synthetic fibres

Name and address of the granting authority: Scottish Enterprise 120 Bothwell Street Glasgow Scotland G2 7JP United Kingdom

Other information: This scheme is in accordance with 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 (OJ L 10, 13.1.2001)

Aid No: XS/48/01

Member State: Greece

Region: Entire country

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Business plans for micro-enterprises and small enterprises as defined in the Commission Recommendation of 3 April 1996

Legal basis: Ν. 2244/94 (άρθρο 7 παράγραφος 4) και Π.Δ. 98/96

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: The scheme is to be organised in two rounds, one beginning in September 2001 and a second one later during the lifetime of the Business programme for competitiveness (2000-2006). Public expenditure for the two rounds is estimated at GRD 25 billion (EUR 73,4 million)

Maximum aid intensity: 40 %, grant only

Date of implementation: First round beginning in September 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 2001-2006

Objective of aid: The aim of the measure is to help micro-enterprises and small enterprises in manufacturing industry with no more than 50 employees to improve their competitiveness by implementing an integrated two-year business plan providing for technological and organisational modernisation

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors with the exception of:

- agriculture

- fisheries

- aquaculture

- aid linked to quantities exported or to distribution networks

- specific industries subject to restrictive guidelines (steel, shipbuilding, motor manufacture, synthetic fibres etc.)

Name and address of the granting authority: Ministry of Development Secretariat-General for Industry

Directorate for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Director: I. Patiris Tel. (30-1) 779 11 71 Fax (30-1) 779 76 36

Other information: The amount of aid to any one firm may never exceed EUR 200000; on average it will amount to EUR 100000.

The Exemption Regulation expires on 31 December 2006, after which there is to be a six-month adjustment period

Aid No: XS/55/01

Member State: Germany

Region: Lower Saxony (rural district of Lüchow-Dannenberg)

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Rules (Richtlinie) on the approval of grants to individual SMEs in the rural district of Lüchow-Dannenberg

Legal basis: § 108 der Niedersächsischen Landkreisordnung (NLO) in der Fassung vom 22.8.1996 (Niedersächsisches Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt S. 365) i. V. mit § 65 der Niedersächsischen Gemeindeordnung (NGO) in der Fassung vom 22.8.1996 (Niedersächsisches Gesetz- und Verordnungsblatt S. 382)

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 150000

Maximum aid intensity: The whole of the rural district of Lüchow-Dannenberg lies within the national regional aid map approved by the Commission

The aid amounts

- in the case of small enterprises, to no more than 25 %, and

- in the case of medium-sized enterprises, to no more than 17,5 %

of eligible investment expenditure

The rules on the combination of aid are complied with

Date of implementation: From 1 July 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 1 July 2001 to 31 December 2006

Objective of aid: The aid is intended to promote the competitiveness and adaptability of small and medium-sized enterprises in the rural district of Lüchow-Dannenberg, to encourage the creation of new jobs and help safeguard existing ones and thereby to bring about structural improvements.

Rescue and restructuring aid for firms in difficulty (within the meaning of the Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty: OJ C 288, 9.10.1999) is not covered by the measure.

Aid may be granted for the following types of investment project:

- setting-up of an establishment

- extension of an establishment if the number of long-term full-time jobs is increased by 15 % as compared with the situation before the start of the investment

- rationalisation, diversification or modernisation of an establishment if this serves to ensure the continued existence of the business and the maintenance of most of the jobs

- acquisition of an establishment threatened with closure, provided that this is done on market terms.

The long-term jobs created through the aid must be maintained for at least two years after payment of the grant.

The aid takes the form of investment grants.

All depreciable fixed assets relating to physical and intangible assets are eligible

Economic sector(s) concerned: Those entitled to apply are small firms in manufacturing, the craft sector, the distributive trades, the hotel and restaurant industry, other service-sector firms with fewer than 50 employees and persons starting new businesses in these sectors whose place of business is in the rural district of Lüchow-Dannenberg.

Aid may not be granted to firms in sensitive sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Beschäftigungsförderung Lüchow-Dannenberg GmbH Burgstraße 1 D - 29439 Lüchow ( Wendland )

Other information: Mr Berg Tel. (49) 58 41 12 06 71 Fax (49) 58 41 12 02 78