EN Official Journal of the European Union L 123/24

EFTA SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY DECISION

No 264/02/COL

of 18 December 2002

amending for the thirty-seventh time the Procedural and Substantive Rules in the Field of State Aid by introducing a new chapter 22: Rescue and restructuring aid and closure aid for the steel sector

THE EFTA SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY,

HAVING REGARD TO the Agreement on the European Economic Area (1), in particular to Articles 61 to 63 thereof,

HAVING REGARD TO the Agreement between the EFTA States on the establishment of a Surveillance Authority and a Court of Justice (2), in particular to Article 24 and Article 1 of Protocol 3 thereof,

WHEREAS, under Article 24 of the Surveillance and Court Agreement, the EFTA Surveillance Authority shall give effect to the provisions of the EEA Agreement concerning State aid,

WHEREAS, under Article 5(2)(b) of the Surveillance and Court Agreement, the EFTA Surveillance Authority shall issue notices or guidelines on matters dealt with in the EEA Agreement, if that Agreement or the Surveillance and Court Agreement expressly so provides or if the EFTA Surveillance Authority considers it necessary,

RECALLING the Procedural and Substantive Rules in the Field of State Aid (3) adopted on 19 January 1994 by the EFTA Surveillance Authority (4),

WHEREAS, on 7 March 2002, the European Commission adopted a new communication (5) setting out the principles on which it will assess rescue and restructuring aid and closure aid for the steel sector,

WHEREAS this Communication is also of relevance for the European Economic Area,

WHEREAS a uniform application of the EEA State aid rules is to be ensured throughout the European Economic Area,

WHEREAS, according to point II under the heading ‘GENERAL’ at the end of Annex XV to the EEA Agreement, the EFTA Surveillance Authority is to adopt, after consultation with the Commission, acts corresponding to those adopted by the EC Commission, in order to maintain equal conditions of competition,

HAVING consulted the European Commission,

RECALLING that the EFTA Surveillance Authority has consulted the EFTA States in a multilateral meeting on 19 October 2001 on the subject,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

1. The State Aid Guidelines shall be amended by introducing a new Chapter 22: Rescue and restructuring aid and closure aid for the steel sector, by the text contained in Annex I to this Decision.

2. The EFTA States shall be informed by means of a letter, including a copy of the Decision and Annex I. The EFTA States shall be requested to signify their agreement to the proposed appropriate measures as set out in Annex I within 20 working days, cf. also point 22.4 of Annex I.

3. The European Commission shall be informed, in accordance with point (d) of Protocol 27 of the EEA Agreement, by means of a copy of this Decision, including Annex I.

4. The Decision, including Annex I, shall be published in the EEA Section of and the EEA Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Communities after the EFTA States have signified their agreement to the appropriate measures.

5. The Decision shall be authentic in the English language.

Done at Brussels, 18 December 2002. For the EFTA Surveillance Authority Einar M. BULL President Hannes HAFSTEIN College Member

(1) Hereinafter referred to as the EEA Agreement.

(2) Hereinafter referred to as the Surveillance and Court Agreement.

(3) Hereinafter referred to as the State Aid Guidelines.

(4) Initially published in OJ L 231, 3.9.1994, EEA Supplement No 32.

(5) OJ C 70, 19.3.2002, p. 8.