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 (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2002-11-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: State aid, building, competitiveness, control of State aid, economic cooperation, investment, mass media, provision of services, scientific cooperation, small and medium-sized enterprises

C 288/6

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

23.11.2002

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 288/03)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XS 06/02

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: South West

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Heritage economic regeneration scheme for
Falmouth

Legal basis: Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas)
Act 1990, Sections 57, 77, 79 and 80. The National Heritage
Act 1983, Section 33

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: Total
ERDF grant GBP 357 360. Total common fund GBP 748 610.

No grant to an SME under this block exemption is estimated
likely to be over GBP 70 000.

The project funding package for the scheme is as follows:

Carrick District Council
English Heritage
Single regeneration budget
Objective 1 (ERDF)

GBP 91 250
GBP 150 000
GBP 150 000
GBP 357 360.

Contractors undertaking works will be appointed through open
tender

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors excluding: Agri-
aquaculture/Coal mining/Steel/Ship-
culture/Fisheries
building/Synthetic
transport
vehicles/Maritime
system/Other transport services/Financial services

fibres/Motor

and

Name and address of the granting authority:

Government Office South West (Philip Charlesworth)
Mast House
Shepherds Wharf
24 Sutton Road
Plymouth PL4 OHJ
United Kingdom

Other information:

The grant will be managed by
Carrick District Council (Tim Kellett)
Planning and Leisure Services Department
Carrick House
Pydar Street
Truro
Cornwall TR1 1GT
United Kingdom

SMEs will match a grant from the common fund with their
own resources

Aid No: XS 100/01

Maximum aid intensity: The maximum aid intensity is 50 %.

Member State: United Kingdom

A maximum of 35 % ERDF and the remainder from other
public bodies.

Region: West Midlands

The grant will be used within Cornwall which has Objective 1
status

Date of implementation: First grant 1 January 2002

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Accelerate Action Plan for the West Midlands

Legal basis: The DTI funding is provided under the Industrial
Development Act (1982), Sections 7, 8 and 11.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Final claim by
30 September 2005

The ERDF funds are provided through the Single Programming
Document for the West Midlands, which was drawn up under
Council Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 of 21 June 1999

Objective of aid: To facilitate the regeneration of buildings
owned by SMEs so as to maintain their economic use through
restoration to vacant
and some
external
floorspace.

improvements

This work is one element of a wider image enhancement
programme for Falmouth Town Centre.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: This new
scheme will provide funding of some GBP 26 million (EUR 41
million) over a period of six years from 1 January 2002 to 31
December 2007. This comprises both ERDF and United
Kingdom Government funding. The final year is subject to
renewal of the SME block exemption.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 288/7

The estimated annual funding profile is as follows:

such records as will allow compliance with Article 9(2)) will
be fulfilled.

— 2002: GBP 4,5 million (EUR 7,1 million)

— 2003: GBP 6,0 million (EUR 9,5 million)

— 2004: GBP 5,5 million (EUR 8,7 million)

— 2005: GBP 4,0 million (EUR 6,3 million)

— 2006: GBP 3,0 million (EUR 4,8 million)

— 2007: GBP 2,0 million (EUR 3,2 million)

This funding will be used to support SMEs (which meet the
definition set out in Annex 1 to Commission Regulation (EC)
No 70/2001) located in the West Midlands region. In the case
of consultancy, the support offered will be for one-off and
non-recurring activities in accordance with Article 5(a) of
selected
the
that Regulation and
competitively
in
shortlist of
from a
accordance with the practice of United Kingdom ‘Business
Link’ organisations.

consultanes will be

companies

three

The award of grants will be monitored by local Business Link
organisations under a framework set out by the granting
authority. These organisations are already familiar with the
application of the de minimis ceiling and the requirement to
ensure that aid from different sources is not awarded such that
individual SMEs exceed the rolling three-year threshold. The
provisions of Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 will be clarified
and the records kept by the Business Links will be examined
to ensure that they are sufficient and correctly maintained

Maximum aid intensity: The maximum aid intensity will be
50 % for advice, consultancy and network support and 25 %
for assistance with capital investment.

The maximum amount available to any one company will be
GBP 200 000 (EUR 317 000) over the six-year period. No
company will receive more than GBP 120 000 ( EUR190 000)
from this scheme over any three-year period

Date of implementation: 1 January 2002

The programme will fund the following activities (with the
level of support expressed on a gross basis):

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Six years, but
this notification applies to the first five years only

— consultancy and company networking to develop best

practice in business processes (up to 50 % support),

— advice to improve the flexibility and skills of the company

workforce (up to 50 % support),

— grants towards capital equipment used for product or
process innovation in companies (up to 25 % support).

For the avoidance of doubt, the level of support shown above
comprises both ERDF and United Kingdom Government funds.

Note on capital grants

For capital grants offered to SMEs within the agreed assisted
areas, the level of support offered will be dependent on the
status of the individual ward (administrative division) within
which the SME operates.

either be offered under

For capital grants offered to SMEs outside the assisted areas,
support will
de minimis
arrangements or reduced to a level compatible with Article 4
of Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 and will then be included
within this notification.

the

Objective of aid: The objective of this aid is to improve the
competitiveness of small and medium-sized component manu-
facturing companies through the development of new products
and the improvement of business processes.

The objective will be achieved through business planning and
benchmarking, consultancy, advice on workforce development,
supply chain activity, networking and capital
investment.
Companies will be assisted in participating in these activities
by advisers from the United Kingdom Small Business Service.

The resulting improvements will be measured by comparing
company performance before and after the activities funded by
the Accelerate Action Plan in areas such as quality, cost,
delivery performance, return on capital and employment

Economic sector(s) concerned: The sector to be supported
will be ‘all manufacturing’. The companies receiving support
are typically in the subsectors of:

— plastic moulding and processing,

— metal finishing and heat treatment,

In all cases, SMEs will contribute at least 25 % (and, in most
cases, the entire remaining amount) of the capital cost of the
investment, in accordance with Article 4(3) of that Regulation.

— machining,

— surface finishing and plating,

Monitoring and reporting

appropriate

Records of assistance to companies will be maintained for ten
years from the date on which individual assistance is granted
and
to the
Commission on an annual basis in accordance with Article 9
of Regulation (EC) No 70/2001.
In addition, all other
requirements of Article 9 (in particular, the maintenance of

information will

be notified

— presswork,

— tool making,

— rubber moulding,

— forging and casting (but see note below).

C 288/8

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Official Journal of the European Communities

23.11.2002

including

The recipient companies under the Accelerate Action Plan
manufacture and process a diverse product portfolio across
many manufacturing
automotive
sectors,
components, which account for a significant proportion of
manufacturing activity in the West Midlands. However,
recipients will not
first-tier
suppliers, or steel manufacturing companies as defined in the
Community Framework for State aid to the motor vehicles
industry (OJ C 279, 15 September 1997, p. 1) and the Steel
Aid Code (Commission Decision No 2496/96/ECSC of 18
December 1996 establishing Community rules for state aid
to the steel industry)

include automotive OEM or

Name and address of the granting authority:

Accelerate Programme Team
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry
75 Harborne Road
Birmingham B15 3BU
United Kingdom

low value-added activities

Other information: Companies that are eligible to apply for
funds from the Accelerate Action Plan may also be eligible to
receive funding for diversification of their activities away from
traditional
such as automotive
components. A separate aid scheme providing assistance for
diversification activity is being notified at the same time as
the Accelerate Action Plan, although this will begin sooner
funded
(1 November 2001). The nature of
under that scheme are different
from the
subject of this application, but SMEs may, if they wish, apply
to take part in both schemes.

from those that

the activities

Additional funds within the Accelerate Action Plan totalling
independent
GBP 5,2 million (EUR 8,3 million) will assist
companies in the West Midlands that do not fall within the
SME definition, employing more than 250 but fewer than 400
employees. These funds, which will be granted under the de
minimis exemption to eligible companies, are not included in
the GBP 26 million shown above since they do not form part
of this notification.

The Accelerate Action Plan aims to assist SMEs across the
whole of the West Midlands region. It is expected that the
majority (over 70 %) of SMEs assisted will be located in the
Objective 2 region of the West Midlands, although the actual
proportion will depend on the level of demand and quality of
applications

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Section 10(2) of the guidelines on aid for
cultural
Fonds GmbH
and media by nordmedia
(nordmedia Fonds)

films

Legal basis:

1. Anspruch der nordmedia Fonds auf Gewährung einer Fi-
nanzhilfe (zur Förderung Dritter) aus Konzessionsabgaben
nach § 9a des Niedersächsischen Gesetzes über das Lotterie-
und Wettwesen vom 21. Juli 1997, zuletzt geändert durch
Artikel 7 des Niedersächsischen Haushaltsbegleitgesetzes
2001 vom 15. Dezember 2000.

2. Verpflichtung des NDR zur Vergabe von Fördermitteln ge-
mäß § 64 Absatz 3 des Niedersächsischen Landesrundfunk-
gesetzes vom 9. November 1993, zuletzt geändert durch
Gesetz vom 15. Dezember 2000 (Nds. GVBL. Nr. 24/2000).

3. Vertrag über Vergabe von Mitteln des Landes Bremen aus

dem Landesförderprogramm „Bremen in Time“.

4. Vertrag über Vergabe freiwilliger Beiträge des NDR.

5. Vertrag über Vergabe freiwilliger Beiträge von Radio Bre-

men.

6. Vertrag über Vergabe freiwilliger Beiträge des ZDF

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of
individual aid granted to the company:
EUR 100 000

Maximum aid intensity: Aid amounts to up to 50 % of
calculated total costs. The rules on the cumulation of aid are
complied with

Date of implementation: 7 December 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 7 December
2001 to 31 December 2004

Objective of aid: The aid is designed to provide advisory
services for the completion of projects and for the estab-
rationalisation and
lishment,
conversion
(including
of
associations and organisations).

audiovidual/media

expansion or

fundamental

businesses

Aid No: XS 102/01

Member State: Germany

Region: Land of Lower Saxony and the Hanseatic city of
Bremen

The costs of permanent or recurrent services are excluded, as is
normal business expenditure, e.g. on routine tax advice, regular
legal services or advertising.

Rescue and restructuring aid for firms in difficulty (within the
meaning of the Community guidelines on state aid for rescuing
and restructuring firms in difficulty: OJ C 288, 9.10.1999) is
not covered by the measure.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 288/9

The aid is granted in the form of investment grants

Economic sector(s) concerned: SMEs and start-ups in the
audiovisual/media field are eligible.

Aid may not be granted to firms in sensivtive sectors

Name and address of the granting authority:

Nordmedia Fonds GmbH
Expo-Plaza 1
D-30539 Hannover

Other information:

Mr Coldewey
Tel. (49-511) 12 34 56-0
Fax (49-511) 12 34 56-29
E-Mail: j.coldewey@nord-media.de

Aid No: XS 103/01

Member State: Germany

Region: Bavaria

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Industry 2001

Legal basis:

Decreto 29/1997, de 18 febrero

Decreto 70/1998, de 17 de julio

Decreto 17/2001, de 2 de febrero

Orden del conseller d'Economia, Comerç i Indústria, no 4311,
de 19 de febrero del 2001

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of
individual aid granted to the company:
ESP 415 676 000 (EUR 2 498 263)

Maximum aid intensity: 30 % for all the areas covered by this
Regulation

Date of implementation: 1 March 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31
December 2001

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid:

Objective of aid:

Logistik-Kompetenz-Zentrum Prien, Joseph-von-Fraunhofer-Str.
9, D-83209 Prien am Chiemsee.

Legal basis: Zuwendungsbescheid vom 23.11.2001 i. V. m.
Artikel 44, 23 Bayerische Haushaltsordnung (BayHO)

Annual expenditure planned under the schme or overall
individual aid granted to the company:
amount of
DEM 29 999,95

Maximum aid intensity: 16 %

Date of implementation: 23 November 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 31 December
2001

Objective of aid: The aid is designed to promote successful
cooperation between business and science at trade fairs within
the meaning of Article 5(b) of Commission Regulation (EC) No
70/2001 of 12 January 2001

Economic sector(s) concerned: Services

Name and address of the granting authority:

Regierung von Mittelfranken
Promenade 27
D-91522 Ansbach

Aid No: XS 13/01

Member State: Spain

Region: Balearic Isles

Aid to SMEs to carry out investment in:

— the modernisation of production facilities

— transfers to industrial land

— micro-enterprises

— job creation

Economic sector(s) concerned: All industrial sectors

Name and address of the granting authority:

Conselleria d'Economia, Comerç i Indústria — Govern de les
Illes Balears
C/ San Felio, 10
E-Palma de Mallorca

Aid No: XS 46/01

Member State: Greece

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Support for and creation of science and tech-
nology parks and incubators

Legal basis: Νόµος 2741/1999, άρθρο 23 και νόµος 2919/2001
άρθρο 5

C 288/10

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Official Journal of the European Communities

23.11.2002

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

— entrepreneurial schemes which utilise and exploit

inno-

vations;

Annual expenditure (in EUR)

— private individuals active in the development, utilisation

and exploitation of innovations.

Year

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2 000 000

4 000 000

5 000 000

6 000 000

5 000 000

5 000 000

Maximum aid intensity: The aid intensity must not exceed
the regional investment aid ceiling specified in the regional aid
map approved for Greece by the Commission and will be
equivalent
to 40-50 % of the eligible costs. The maximum
amount per project is EUR 7 500 000

Date of implementation: November 2001

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: November
2001-December 2006

Objective of aid: The term ‘science and technology parks’
(STPs) refers to areas, or networks of areas that host:

— enterprises, especially high-tech enterprises,

— joint business ventures,

— networks of enterprises with or without the participation of

research and technological organisations,

— scientific and technological organisations

In order to achieve these objectives,
support for:

the scheme provides

— further development and growth of existing STPs and
acquisition of
assets, which
contribute to the establishment of new high-tech business
activities,

and intangible

tangible

— the creation of new STPs by consortia, possibly with the

cooperation of regional and local authorities,

— the creation of incubators in STPs

The term ‘S & T incubator’ refers to a legal entitiy which
provides, in specific areas, support services for:

— enterprises, especially high-tech enterprises, for the devel-
opment and exploitation of technological innovations;

In order to achieve these goals, the scheme provides support
for:

— the further development and growth of existing operational
S & T incubators in Greece and the acquisition of tangible
and intangible assets that contribute to the effective incu-
bation of new high-tech business activities;

— the establishment of new S & T incubators by business
initiatives, possibly with the cooperation of regional and
local authorities, universities and research centres.

Eligible organisations

Proposals may be submitted by legal entities established as
corporations and limited liability companies. The mission
statement of the entreprise's charter should include activities
related to the development and operation of S & T parks.

The recipients of the aid are S & T parks and incubators that
are private SMEs.

The beneficiaries of the parks' and incubators' services will be
SMEs (mainly micro-enterprises).

costs

eligible

investment

(business
concern tangible
The
start-ups, business expansions, basic equipment) and intangible
investments (acquisition of patent rights,
licences, know-how
or unpatented technical knowledge), subject to a ceiling of
50 %. The services concerned must not relate to a continuous
or periodic activity or to the enterprise's usual operating expen-
diture. Finally, eligible costs
the
additional costs incurred for renting, setting up and running
a stand when the enterprise participates for the first time in a
fair or exhibition.

include up to 50 % of

Economic sector(s) concerned: All Sectors and services

Name and address of the granting authority:

General Secretariat for Research and Technology/Ministry of
Development
Ave. Messogion 14-18
GR-11510 Athens

Other information: The scheme is in full accordance with the
EU policy of
innovation and
fostering enterpreneurship,
employment in the European Union. The aid is co-financed
by the CFS 2000-06