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

(2004/C 69/12)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XT 23/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Autonomous Province of Bolzano

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an individual aid: Measures to promote business, industry and territorial plans and the development of continuing training within the meaning of Act No 236/93 and Order (DD) No 511/V/2001 of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare

Legal basis: Il regime di aiuto si basa sulla Circolare 29 dicembre 2000, n. 92/2000 (GU n. 12 del 16.1.2001) con oggetto: "Interventi di piani formativi aziendali, settoriali e territoriali e sviluppo delle prassi di formazione continua" e del Bando Provinciale con oggetto: "Interventi di promozione di piani aziendali, settoriali, territoriali e sviluppo della prassi di Formazione Continua ai sensi della L. 236/93 e del D.D. n. 511/V/2001 del Ministero del Lavoro e della Previdenza Sociale" autorizzato con Delibera della G.P. n. 2869 del 27.8.2001

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company: ITL 2923491198 (EUR 1509857,20). Average annual expenditure cannot be forecast, because the notice provides that projects can be submitted every two months until the available funding is exhausted, but no later than 31 December 2006

Maximum aid intensity: Large enterprises:

Specific training: 25 %

General training: 50 %

SMEs:

Specific training: 35 %

General training: 70 %

The above rates of intensity are increased by: five percentage points where the measures are aimed at firms in areas which qualify for regional aid under Article 87(3)(c) of the Treaty; 10 percentage points where the training is given to disadvantaged workers within the meaning of Article 2(g) of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001

Date of implementation: 25 September 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until the exhaustion of the funding allocated to the Autonomous Province of Bolzano by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare for business, industry and territorial plans

Objective of aid: The aid is intended for general and special training. The provincial notice, authorised by order of the Provincial Executive No 2869 of 27 August 2001, gives precise definitions of the two kinds of training, in line with Regulation (EC) No 68/2001. For every project submitted, the applicant firm will have to say why it meets the definition of general or specific training; the assessment board will check whether it meets the definitions, and whether the intensity of the aid applied for is correct. If the aid intensity applied for does not comply, the board will revise the estimates and the total expenditure stated in the application accordingly

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano:

Training in Italian: Ripartizione 21 - Formazione Professionale in Lingua Italiana Via Santa Geltrude, 3 - I - 39100 Bolzano Direttrice di Ripartizione: Barbara Repetto Visentini

Training in German and Ladin: Ripartizione 20 - Formazione Professionale in Lingua Tedesca e Ladina Via Dante, 3 - I - 39100 Bolzano Direttore di Ripartizione: Peter Duregger

Other information: The aid scheme applies to the financing of training for staff of one firm or several firms in the same industry or the same area.

Applicant firms must be based in the province of Bolzano; the application must be for financing for the training of the firm's own employees.

The notice announcing the scheme was published in the official gazette of the region, BUR No 39, supplemento 2, 25.9.2001; it allows recipient firms to choose between aid scheme status under Regulation (EC) No 68/2001, and de minimis status under Regulation (EC) No 69/2001.

Since the scheme was announced ten projects have been authorised, for a total cost of EUR 1031035,47. The funding will be granted to the firms as de minimis aid or training aid in accordance with the option they expressed at the time of application.

No money has yet been paid out