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

(2004/C 9/03)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XS 63/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Veneto

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Aid for the capitalisation of loan syndicates

Legal basis: Single programming document 2000-2006

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 42810502

Maximum aid intensity: 15 % in the case of small enterprises; 7,5 % in the case of medium-sized enterprises

Date of implementation: May 2003

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Up to the end of the period covered by the single programming document, i.e. 31 December 2006

Objective of aid: Improving access to credit for small and medium-sized enterprises in Objective 2 and phasing-out areas - Single programming document 2000 to 2006

Economic sector(s) concerned: - Section C- Mining and quarrying

- Section D- Manufacturing

- Section E- Electricity, gas and water supply

- Section F- Construction

- Section G- Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods

- Section H- Hotels and restaurants

- Section I- Transport, storage and communication (excluding Division 64: Post and telecommunications)

- Section K- Real estate, renting and business activities (only for Divisions 71: Renting of machinery and equipment, 72: Computer and related activities, 73: Research and development, and 74: Other business activities)

Name and address of the granting authority: Regione Veneto Palazzo Balbi Venezia

Other information: The Veneto Region awards the grants to loan guarantee institutions, including second-tier loan syndicates, organised as consortia, companies set up by consortia and cooperative firms and classed as financial intermediaries in accordance with the legislation on credit (Article 106 of Legislative Decree No 385 of 1 September 1993).

The grants are to be used to set up or strengthen risk capital funds linked to the provision of guarantees of which SMEs are the ultimate beneficiaries.

With regard to the maximum allowable aid intensity, the ultimate beneficiaries may opt for application of exemption Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 or the de minimis rules laid down in Regulation (EC) No 69/2001 of 12 January 2001, published in the Official Journal of the European Communities No L 10 of 13 January 2001

Aid No: XS 83/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Tuscany

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Aid towards investment in technological, organisational and commercial innovation for the protection of the environment and safety in the workplace

Legal basis: Art. 11 L. 598/94 "Aiuti agli investimenti per l'innovazione tecnologica, organizzativa e commerciale, per la tutela ambientale e per la sicurezza sui luoghi di lavoro"

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 15000000

Maximum aid intensity: The aid intensity for the individual firm, expressed in gross grant equivalent (gge), may not exceed 15 % of the total investment cost in the case of small firms or 7,5 % in the case of medium-sized firms.

Where the areas covered by the scheme qualify for exemption under Article 87(3)(c) of the Treaty, the aid ceiling is 18 % gge for small firms and 14 % gge for medium-sized firms.

In the case of consultancy services, however, the aid may not exceed 50 % of the total admissible costs

Date of implementation: June 2003, when the Commission received the notification

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Period 2003 to 2006

Objective of aid: To assist small and medium-sized manufacturing and craft enterprises to carry out integrated business projects

Economic sector(s) concerned: ISTAT Codes 1991

- Section C- Mining and quarrying

- Section D- Manufacturing

- Section E- Electricity, gas and water supply

- Section F- Construction

- Division K 72- Computer and related activities

- Division K 73- Research and development

- Division K 74- Other business activities

- Division I 63- Supporting and auxiliary transport activities; but the activities of travel agencies and tour operators are excluded.

Firms engaged in the production, processing or marketing of products listed in Annex I to the EC Treaty and firms in the shipbuilding industry are excluded.

The recipient firms must be financially and economically sound

Name and address of the granting authority: Regione Toscana Via di Novoli, 26 I - 50127 Firenze