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

(2003/C 294/03)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XS 105/02

Member State: Italy

Region: Sicily

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Aid for reusing and recycling waste

Legal basis: - Decreto presidenziale 20.11.2000: Programma operativo regionale Sicilia 2000-2006,

- Articolo 70 della legge regionale 23 dicembre 2000 n. 32 "Disposizioni per l'attuazione del POR 2000-2006 e di riordino dei regimi di aiuto alle imprese",

- Articolo 117 della legge regionale 3 maggio 2001, n. 6,

- Complemento di programmazione del POR Sicilia 2000-2006 (adottato con deliberazione n. 273 del 7 agosto 2002 della Giunta regionale - sottomisura 4.1c),

- Decreto Dirigente generale del dipartimento Industria del 6.9.2002: "Bando per la presentazione e la selezione delle istanze per l'attivazione della sottomisura 4.1c - Attività di trattamento dei rifiuti" (pubblicato nella Gazzetta ufficiale della Regione Sicilia n. 43 - supplemento ordinario - del 13.9.2002)

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: The total expenditure for submeasure 4.1(c) is EUR 26666000, of which 30 % will be tied to particular areas.

The use of the following amounts will be decided on the basis of the notice published on 13 September 2002:

- EUR 18666200 = 0,7 × 26666000 (not tied to particular areas),

- EUR 906426 for the Progetto Integrato Territoriale No 29 "Biovalley" under Regional Presidential Decree No 94 of 18 June 2002.

Annual expenditure of approximately EUR 6524200 is expected for the period 2003 to 2005

Maximum aid intensity: 35 % net grant equivalent (nge) with a bonus of 15 percentage points gross grant equivalent (gge). Assistance may not exceed EUR 6197482,79

Date of implementation: Expenditure incurred as from the day following the submission of the application, the deadline for which is 12 December 2002 (90 days after the date of publication of the notice in the Sicilian Gazzetta Ufficiale on 13 September 2002), will be eligible

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: December 2006

Objective of aid: Investment in tangible and intangible fixed assets in accordance with Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 70/2001

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors except those specifically excluded by Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 for the agriculture and fisheries sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: Regione siciliana Assessorato Industria Dipartimento Industria Viale regione Siciliana, 4580 I - 90145 Palermo

Aid No: XS 130/02

Member State: Italy

Region: Veneto

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Financial assistance towards the costs of consultancy, technical assistance and specific staff training for adapting business systems to quality standards and requirements

Legal basis: Articolo 4 della legge regionale del Veneto n. 3 del 28.1.1997, in Bollettino ufficiale della Regione Veneto n. 9 del 1997

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 4423500

Maximum aid intensity: 50 % of the costs of services provided by outside consultancies, with a maximum grant of EUR 15000 for each project

Date of implementation: Earliest date from which the aid may be granted: 5 December 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Deadline for the grant of aid: 31 December 2002.

Indicative date planned for payment of the last instalment: 31 December 2004

Objective of aid: To support the introduction of business quality systems in SMEs based in Veneto

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors, except for:

- activities linked to the production, processing or marketing of products listed in Annex I to the Treaty,

- export-related activities,

- coal and steel industry,

- synthetic fibres,

- motor vehicle industry,

- transport (with the exception of Italian Statistical Office (ISTAT) Codes 602, 6021, 6022, 6023, 6024, 6025, 631, 6311, 6312, 632 and 6321),

- shipbuilding,

- fisheries,

- commerce, tourism and services covered by Veneto Regional Act No 16 of 10 April 1998 (Veneto Official Gazette No 33/1998) on regional assistance for quality and innovation in commerce, tourism and services

Name and address of the granting authority: Regione Veneto - Giunta regionale Palazzo Balbi

Dorsoduro 3901

I - 30100 Venezia

Aid No: XS 17/03

Member State: Spain

Region: Autonomous Community of Navarre

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Aid scheme for investment in tourist establishments

Legal basis: Orden Foral 164/2001, de 14 de diciembre, de la Consejería de Industria y Tecnología, Comercio, Turismo y Trabajo (B.O.N. n° 1, de 2 de enero de 2002)

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: - EUR 712800,36 in 2002

- EUR 1352277,23 in 2003

- EUR 1352277,23 in 2004

- EUR 1800000 in 2005

Maximum aid intensity: The gross maximum intensity is 25 %, with a maximum limit of EUR 270000 in assisted areas. In non-assisted areas (Pamplona) the intensity laid down in Article 4 of the Regulation applies

Date of implementation: 2002 to 2003

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 2001 to 2005

Objective of aid: To provide an incentive for productive investment in the tourism sector in order to strengthen it and make it competitive in today's tourism market

Economic sector(s) concerned: Tourism sector: accommodation and restaurants

Name and address of the granting authority: Comunidad Foral de Navarra Avda. Carlos III El Noble, 4 Pamplona Navarra

Other information: The scheme also contains a de minimis aid line

Aid No: XS 40/03

Member State: Germany

Region: Lower Saxony (Visselhövede)

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Directive of the town of Visselhövede on joint financing of grants to individual SMEs in the rural district of Soltau-Fallingbostel under the Lower Saxony Objective 2 Programme 2000-2006

Legal basis: Niedersächsische 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 300000

Maximum aid intensity: The aid amounts

- in the case of small enterprises, to no more than 15 %

- and in the case of medium-sized enterprises, to up to 7,5 %

of eligible investment expenditure.

The rules on the cumulation of aid are complied with

Date of implementation: From 26 February 2003

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 26 February 2003 to 31 December 2003

Objective of aid: The aid is intended to promote the competitiveness and adaptability of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Visselhövede area, to encourage the creation of new jobs and help safeguard existing ones, thus bringing 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 jobs is increased by 15 % as compared with the situation before the start of the investment,

- takeover when the business is threatened with closure.

The aid takes the form of investment grants

Economic sector(s) concerned: Eligibility extends to companies in the industrial, commercial, craft, construction, transport and accommodation sectors with their headquarters in Visselhövede and entrepreneurs and companies which intend to start up a business in Visselhövede.

Aid may not be granted to firms in sensitive sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: Stadt Visselhövede Marktplatz 2 D - 27374 Visselhövede

Other information: Herr Günter Claus Tel. 042 62-30 11 41 Fax 042 62-30 11 47 E-mail: stadt.claus@visselhoevede.de

Aid No: XS 60/03

Member State: Spain

Region: Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Aid to be granted in 2002 for presenting information society products and services at the Sicarm 2002 Business Innovation Days

Legal basis: - Orden de 10 de abril de 2003, de la Consejería de Ciencia, Tecnología, Industria y Comercio, por la que se establecen las bases reguladoras y se convoca la concesión de ayudas a la exposición de productos y servicios de la Sociedad de la Información en las Jornadas técnicas y demostraciones tecnológicas Sicarm 2003. (BORM n° 95 de 26 de abril de 2003).

- 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

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: Aid allocated to private firms: EUR 30000

Maximum aid intensity: The amount of subsidies governed by this order may not exceed 50 % of gross grant equivalent of eligible costs

Date of implementation: The order came into force on 27 April 2003

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Aid may therefore be granted until 31 May 2003

Objective of aid: To finance the presentation of information society products and services at the Sicarm 2002 Business Innovation Days (e-commerce projects)

Economic sector(s) concerned: Small and medium-sized enterprises as defined in the European Commission's Recommendation of 3 April 1996, other than those engaged in the production, processing or marketing of agricultural products listed in Annex I to the EC Treaty, and activities which encourage the use of domestic products as opposed to imported products

Name and address of the granting authority: D. Patricio Valverde Megías Consejería de Ciencia, Tecnología, Industria y Comercio San Cristóbal, 6 E - 30071 Murcia