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 280/07)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XS 09/02

Member State: Spain

Region: Community of Madrid

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Madrid Business Innovation Plan 2002-2005 (text of Section IV for the purposes of this notification)

Legal basis: Orden 16/2002, de la Consejería de Economía e Innovación Tecnológica, por la que se regula el Plan de Innovación Empresarial de la Comunidad de Madrid (2002-2005). (texto del capítulo IV)

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: A maximum of EUR 18,03 million per year

Maximum aid intensity: Up to 15 % for small firms and up to 7,5 % for medium-sized firms. There is a ceiling of EUR 300505 per year per firm

Date of implementation: 11 January 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 2002-2005 (31 December 2005 is the last date on which aid can be granted)

Objective of aid: Support for investment in new tangible assets by small and medium-sized firms as part of their innovation plans

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors except for those covered by the ECSC Treaty, transport, fisheries and agriculture, including the processing or marketing of agricultural products, without prejudice to the specific rules laid down in regulations, frameworks and guidelines relating to state aid in certain sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: Instituto Madrileño de Desarrollo - (IMADE) ( Consejería de Economía e Innovación Tecnológica - Comunidad de Madrid ) José Abascal, 57 E - 28003 Madrid

Other information: Order No 16/2002 of the Community of Madrid Secretariat for Economic Affairs and Technological Innovation was adopted pursuant to Order No 1939/2001 of 7 March 2001 of the Secretariat for Economic Affairs and Employment (now the Secretariat for Economic Affairs and Technological Innovation) on the Madrid Business Innovation Plan. The Plan, which covers the period 2001-2005, was previously authorised by the Commission by letter of 19 December 2000 (state aid N 670/2000 - Spain (Madrid)).

The new Order reproduces textually the provisions of the earlier Order and introduces a new Section IV on investments in new tangible assets, which is the subject of this notification. Section IV is entitled "Investment in assets for technological innovation" and covers Articles 23 to 26 of the new Order.

Since the new Section IV has been incorporated in the earlier Order setting up the aid scheme, the annual expenditure cannot be determined in advance. Such expenditure will in any event be included in the ceiling of EUR 18,03 million per year authorised for the Plan as a whole by the Commission in its decision on State aid N 670/2000, and there will be no increase in the total annual expenditure.

The incorporation of Section IV into the earlier aid scheme authorised by the Commission is intended to complete the set of instruments for supporting SMEs in the Community of Madrid by providing grants for the introduction of new technology (acquisition of assets) as part of firms' innovation plans.

The aim is therefore to group together in a single legal instrument all the support measures provided for by the Community rules on small and medium-sized firms

Aid No: XS 17/01

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 for the impementation of projects to harness renewable energy resources

Legal basis: - Estatuto de Autonomía de la Región de Murcia.

- Decreto n° 30/2000 de reorganización de la Administración Regional.

- Decreto legislativo 1/1999 de 2 de diciembre. Texto refundido de la Ley de Hacienda de la Región de Murcia.

- 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 local government: ESP 20000000 (EUR 120202,42);

- Aid allocated to private enterprises (SMEs): ESP 15000000 (EUR 90151,18);

- Aid allocated to households and non-profit institutions: ESP 65000000 (EUR 390657,87)

Maximum aid intensity: For private enterprises, the maximum aid intensity is 40 % of eligible expenditure. In any event, the aid may not exceed the maximum of ESP 2000000, with the exception of local government and demonstration projects where the amount may be greater in accordance with the report of the evaluation committee

Date of implementation: The Order came into force on 16 March 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Aid may be granted until 30 November 2001

Objective of aid: Aid to local government, private enterprises (SMEs), households and non-profit institutions for the implementation of projects to harness renewable energy resources.

- Solar,

- Thermal,

- Photovoltaic,

- Wind,

- Biomass,

- Geothermal,

- Municipal solid waste,

- Biofuels

Economic sector(s) concerned: - Local government,

- Households and non-profit institutions,

- Private firms (SMEs) in any sector of activity apart from those engaged in the production, processing or marketing of agricultural products listed in Annex I to the EC Treaty, and activities which ecourage the use of domestic products as opposed to imported products

Name and address of the granting authority: Sr. Patricio Valverde Megías Consejero de Tecnologías, Industria y Comercio San Cristóbal, 6 E - 30071 Murcia

Aid No: XS 26/02

Member State: Spain

Region: Catalonia

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Promoting the social economy, programme 2, aid for productive investment to stimulate employment growth and competitiveness

Legal basis: TRE/383/2002, de 22 de febrero, por la cual se abre una nueva convocatoria excepcional para el año 2002 para la concesión de ayudas sobre el fomento de la economía social (DOGC núm. 3587 4.3.2002), de acuerdo con la Orden de 17 de diciembre de 2001, por la cual se aprueban las bases reguladoras sobre el fomento de la economía social en Cataluña

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: EUR 601012,10

Maximum aid intensity: A maximum of 15 % of the eligible investment costs incurred by small firms, and a maximum of 7,5 % of the eligible investment consts incurred by medium-sized firms. The maximum aid per firm is EUR 24040,48, or EUR 36060,73 for investment in areas of demographic and industrial decline

Date of implementation: 4 March 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 1 May 2001 to 21 December 2001

Objective of aid: To finance investments made by cooperative societies and worker-owned firms requiring a minimum effective outlay of EUR 42070,85 exclusive of tax on productive elements of tangible fixed assets, provided that this is directly related to the undertaking's business aims

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: Manuel Romero i Colomé

Director General d'Economia Social, Cooperatives i Autoempresa

Departament de Treball Generalitat de Catalunya Sepúlveda, 148-150 7a planta E - 08011 Barcelona

Other information: The present call is exceptional as the activities were carried on between 1 May and 31 December 2001 when the deadline for the ordinary call for this type of aid in the 2001 financial year expired on 30 April 2001, as set out in the Order of 12 February 2001

Aid No: XS 63/01

Member State: Italy

Region: Piedmont

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: SPD 2000-2006 for the Piedmont region, Measure 2.1 - Support for business investment, Line 2.1.b - Loans for business investment

Legal basis: Atto deliberativo della giunta regionale n. 12-3626 del 31 luglio 2001 Reg. 1260. Ob. 2. Docup Regione Piemonte, periodo di programmazione 2000-2006. Approvazione progetti di aiuto in esenzione ai sensi del Reg. CE 70/2001 - Allegato 1 - 2.1.b - Finanziamenti per gli investimenti delle imprese

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: The amounts relate to the aid scheme "Line 2.1.b - Loans for business investment".

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Maximum aid intensity: The scheme finances refundable loans to businesses. Loans from the Fund may not exceed 50 % of the investment, with a maximum of EUR 500000, and will be granted interest-free. They will be combined with loans for the same amount granted at normal market rates by credit institutions under contract. The loan is to be reimbursed in 48 equal monthly instalments, possibly preceded by a 12-month grace period.

For firms in the hotel sector the maximum loan from the Fund is EUR 1 million. The funds are to be employed preferably for the re-use of existing structures.

The aid may not exceed 7,5 % gge for medium-sized firms and 15 % gge for small firms.

The top-ups for Article 87(3)(c) areas are not applied

Date of implementation: 10 December 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 30 June 2007

Objective of aid: Aid for investment.

Under the single programming document (SPD) 2000-06 for the Piedmont region (Priority 2 - System qualification and support, Measure 2.1 - Support for business investment, Line 2.1.b - Loans for business investment), the scheme in question will contribute to improving business efficiency, safeguarding and creating jobs, and expanding the productive base.

Operations under the scheme will enhance business productivity and improve products and production processes (but will not support research and development work)

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: Regione Piemonte - Assessorato Industria, Lavoro, New Economy, Formazione Professionale, Politiche Comunitarie, Affari Internazionali, Commercio interno ed estero Via Pisana, 6 I - Torino.

Contact person: Dott. Vito Valsania Via Pisano, 6 I - Torino Tel. (39) 011 432 31 95 Fax (39) 011 432 34 83 E-mail: direzione16@regione.piemonte.it

Other information: The SPD identifies the Piedmont region as the implementing body with responsibility for carrying out the measure via a managing body to be selected in accordance with the Community rules on public service contracts.

The scheme will apply to small and medium-sized firms in the industrial, construction, crafts, retail (only in municipalities belonging to mountain communities or in disadvantaged upland municipalities), tourism and service sectors, as defined in Annex I to 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) located in an Objective 2 area, a phasing-out area and/or an Article 87(3)(c) area.

The aid will be granted without prejudice to regulations, directives and guidelines under the EC Treaty governing the granting of state aid in specific sectors within the meaning of Article 1 of Regulation (EC) No 70/2001. If applications for aid are received from firms in the sectors governed by specific Community rules on state aid, the implementing body will examine them in the light of the rules applicable and will comply with their requirements.

Aid from the ERDF will not be granted to firms producing, processing or marketing agricultural products (Annex I to the Treaty)