EN Official Journal of the European Union L 139/33

EFTA SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY DECISION

No 197/03/COL

of 5 November 2003

amending for the thirty-ninth time the Procedural and Substantive Rules in the Field of State Aid by introducing a new chapter 34: Reference rates and discount rates and interest rates to be applied for the recovery of unlawful state aid

THE EFTA SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY,

HAVING REGARD TO the Agreement on the European Economic Area (1), in particular to Articles 61 to 63 and Protocol 26 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, Article 5 (2) (b) and Article 1 in Part I of Protocol 3 thereof (3),

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 (4) adopted on 19 January 1994 by the EFTA Surveillance Authority (5),

WHEREAS, on 8 May 2003, the European Commission published a new Communication on the interest rates to be applied when aid granted unlawfully is being recovered (6),

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 European Commission,

WHEREAS, the former Chapter 33.2 of the State Aid Guidelines on Reference Rates of Interest also deals with interest rates and should therefore become part of the same chapter as the provisions for the interest rates to be applied for the recovery of unlawful aid,

HAVING consulted the European Commission,

RECALLING that the EFTA Surveillance Authority has consulted the EFTA States in a multilateral meeting on 20 June 2003 on the subject,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

1. The State Aid Guidelines shall be amended by adding a new Chapter 34 ‘Reference and discount rates and interest rates to be applied for the recovery of unlawful aid’.

2. Chapter 33.2 of the State Aid Guidelines will become Chapter 34.1. Chapter 33.2 will be deleted.

3. The title of Chapter 33 ‘Other provisions’ will be replaced by the title of Chapter 33.1 and will now read ‘Conversions between national currencies and the Euro’. Any reference in this chapter to ECUs should now read ‘Euro’. The title of Chapter 33.1 will be deleted.

4. The new Chapter 34 can be found in Annex to this Decision.

5. The EFTA States shall be informed by means of a letter, including a copy of this Decision and including the Annex.

6. 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 the Annex.

7. The Decision, including the Annex, shall be published in the EEA Section of and in the EEA Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union.

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

Done at Brussels, 5 November 2003. 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) Protocol 3 to the Surveillance and Court Agreement as amended by the EFTA States on 10 December 2001. The amendments entered into force on 28 August 2003.

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

(5) Initially published in OJ L 231, 3.9.1994, and in the EEA Supplement thereto No 32 on the same date, last amended by College Decision No 196/03/COL of 5 November 2003, not yet published.

(6) Commission Communication on the interest rates to be applied when aid granted unlawfully is being recovered (OJ C 110, 8.5.2003, p. 21, corrigendum OJ C 150, 27.6.2003, p. 3).