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 (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2003-03-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: State aid, aid to undertakings, business management, cooperative, ecology, exchange of information, less-favoured region, social economy, vocational training

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Official Journal of the European Union

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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

(2003/C 64/06)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Objective of aid:

Aid No: XT 04/02.

Member State: Spain.

Region: Extremadura.

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Grants for training, creation of associations and
technical assistance in the cooperative, mutual and non-profit
sector.

Legal basis: Decreto autonómico no 169/2001, de 6 de no-
viembre (DOE no 131 de 13.11.2001).

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: The
scheme has an annual budget of some ESP 100 364 000
the different aid measures
(EUR 603 199,79)
provided for in Decree 169/2001 of 6 November 2001. That
instrument covers not only training aid but also other measures
which are not exempted from notification to the European
Commission, and so the aid scheme has been duly notified
and registered as aid No 836/2000.

to finance

Maximum aid intensity:

Where the beneficiary is an association of cooperatives or
worker-owned companies:

75 % of
1 500 000 ESP.

the cost of

the operation, with a ceiling of

Where the beneficiary is a cooperative or worker-owned
company:

1. Specific training: 35 % in the case of large firms and 45 % in

the case of small and medium-sized firms,

1. Organisation by aid beneficiaries of conferences, seminars
or presentations to be attended by members and employees
of cooperatives, worker-owned companies or associations,
provided that the topics covered by such events are relevant
to the activities of the organisers and/or to the cooperative,
mutual and non-profit sector.

2. Attendance of members and employees of cooperatives,
worker-owned companies or associations at conferences,
seminars or presentations organised by public or private
entities, provided that the topics covered by such events
are relevant to the activities of the organisers and/or to
the cooperative, mutual and non-profit sector.

sector(s)

Economic
sectors,
provided that applicants possess the requisite legal status to
qualify as beneficiaries.

concerned: All

economic

Name and address of the granting authority:

Consejería de Trabajo de la Junta de Extremadura
Avenida de Extremadura, 43
E-06800 Mérida, Badajoz

Other information: As regards the documentation establishing
that operations eligible for aid under this scheme are to be
classed as general training, since grants are to be provided
for both general and specific training (Article 6.1 of Decree
169/2001 of 6 November 2001) the circumstances prompting
classification in one category or the other are to be assessed in
each specific case in the light of the documents included in
each application submitted. No applications have so far been
processed.

2. General training: 60 % in the case of large firms and 80 % in

the case of small and medium-sized firms,

Aid No: XT 10/02.

with a ceiling of ESP 1 000 000 in both cases.

Member State: United Kingdom.

Date of implementation: Aid may be granted in respect of
operations carried out following the entry into force of the
legal basis for the scheme, i.e. from 14 November 2001.

Region: Northern Ireland.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: The scheme is
to expire on 31 December 2006.

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Training aid for business management in less-
favoured areas.

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Legal basis:

Objective of aid:

Agriculture Act 1949,

Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland)
1970.

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

2001/02: GBP 0,29 million,

2002/03: GBP 0,51 million,

2003/04: GBP 0,51 million,

2004/05: GBP 0,45 million,

total: GBP 1,8 million to cover 12 000 trainees.

No individual recipient will receive more than EUR 1 million.

The average aid per trainee amounts to GBP 150.

Maximum aid intensity: The actual aid intensity of
the
programme is 70 %. This is below the maximum allowable
aid intensity of 80 %/90 %, based on:

— 70 % for general training for small and medium sized enter-
prises. All trainees come from SMEs as defined in Annex 1
of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001. The training is general as
the qualification is
sectors and
improves the employability of the individual. Eligibility of
trainees will be monitored when they register for the
course,

transferable to other

— 10 % regional aid. Northern Ireland qualifies for regional

aid under Article 87(3)(a) of the Treaty,

for

— 10 % training aid support

‘disadvantaged workers’.
Many of the trainees on this programme (> 70 %) will be
over 45 years of age and will not have attained an upper
secondary educational qualification or its equivalent. They
could therefore qualify for an extra 10 % aid. However, this
is not included because with the large number of trainees it
is impossible to identify those who qualify for the aid.

Date of implementation: February 2002.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: February 2002
to March 2005.

— To provide ‘general training’
improve the competence of
provide a stepping stone to higher qualifications.

in business management to
the trained individual and

— to provide business management training (NVQ 2/3) inte-
grating use of a simplified business recording system.

— to

encourage

business
management practices such as financial management and
record keeping.

businesses

adopt

basic

to

— the programme will be targeted at farmers and members of
the farming family in small and medium-sized enterprises
within less-favoured areas and will provide the following
number of training places:

— 2001/02: 1 500,

— 2002/03: 3 500,

— 2003/04: 3 500,

— 2004/05: 3 500.

— Total training places: 12 000.

sector(s)
Economic
forestry and land-based businesses.

concerned: Agriculture,

including

Name and address of the granting authority:

Mr Ian Duff, Head of Technical Support, Agri-Food Devel-
opment Service, Education and Finance Division, Department
of Agriculture and Rural Development, Room 544, Dundonald
House, Upper Newtownards Rd, Belfast BT4 3SB, Northern
Ireland.

for

aid

The

‘Training

information:

Other
business
management in less-favoured areas’ initiative will improve the
farmers and
business management and enterprise skills of
members of the farming family. It will raise and broaden the
skill levels of the workforce and hence improve the employa-
bility of the trainees. The aim of the programme will be to
encourage businesses to adopt basic business management
practices through integrating the use of a simplified business
recording system.

Those who successfully complete the course will be awarded a
certificate and will be offered the opportunity to undergo
assessment and receive accreditation through the Northern
Ireland Open College Network. On completion of this initial
course participants will be able to progress on to an inter-
mediate level programme within their local areas.

Participants applying for the programme provide farm regis-
tration details that enable us to verify that trainees are from
small and medium-sized enterprises within the LFA and qualify
for general training.

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the

training DARD staff will monitor

the
Throughout
programme and ensure it
is being delivered in accordance
with Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 and within the permissible
aid intensities for general training in small and medium-sized
enterprises.

Aid No: XT 11/02.

Member State: United Kingdom.

Region: Northern Ireland.

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Training in environmental best practice in less-
favoured areas.

Legal basis:

Agriculture Act 1949,

Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act (Northern Ireland)
1970.

for

— 10 % training aid support

‘disadvantaged workers’.
Many of the trainees on this programme (> 70 %) will be
over 45 years of age and will not have attained an upper
secondary educational qualification or its equivalent. They
could therefore qualify for an extra 10 % aid. However, this
is not included because with the large number of trainees it
is impossible to identify those who qualify for the aid.

Date of implementation: February 2002.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: February 2002
to March 2005.

Objective of aid:

— To provide ‘general

to increase environmental
management
that potentially
improve the employability of the trainees and provide a
stepping stone to higher qualifications.

competences

and skills

training’

— to increase competences relating to environmental

issues
such as biodiversity, water quality (including eutrophi-
cation) and the protection of Northern Ireland's land-based
heritage.

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

— to encourage and enable participants to take informed
decisions about the future of their businesses based on
objective information.

2001/2002: GBP 0,29 million,

2002/2003: GBP 0,82 million,

2003/2004: GBP 0,74 million,

2004/2005: GBP 0,75 million,

Total: GBP 2,6 million to cover 12 000 trainees.

— the programme will be targeted at farmers, family members
and farm employees from small and medium-sized enter-
prises within the LFA and will provide the following
number of training places:

— 2001/2002: 1 500,

— 2002/2003: 3 500,

No individual recipient will receive more than EUR 1 million.

— 2003/2004: 3 500,

The average aid per trainee amounts to GBP 216.

— 2004/2005: 3 500,

the
Maximum aid intensity: The actual aid intensity of
programme is 79 %. This is below the maximum allowable
aid intensity of 80 %/90 %, based on:

— Total training places: 12 000.

— 70 % for general training for small and medium-sized enter-
prises. All trainees come from SMEs as defined in Annex 1
of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001. The training is general as
the qualification is
sectors and
improves the employability of the individual. Eligibility of
trainees will be monitored when they register for the
course,

transferable to other

— 10 % Regional Aid. Northern Ireland qualifies for regional

aid under Article 87(3)(a) of the Treaty,

Economic
sector(s)
forestry and land-based businesses.

concerned: Agriculture,

including

Name and address of the granting authority:

Mr Ian Duff, Head of Technical Support, Agri-Food Devel-
opment Service, Education and Finance Division, Department
of Agriculture and Rural Development, Room 544, Dundonald
House, Upper Newtownards Rd, Belfast BT4 3SB, Northern
Ireland.

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 64/13

issues. This

requirements

Other information: The ‘Training in environmental best
practice in less-favoured areas’ programme aims to enhance
in the application of management practices
competences
relating to environmental
initially centres on
such as biodiversity, water
environmental
quality and the protection of land-based heritage. Central to
the programme are the key skills of interpreting and applying
concepts within existing environmental
legislation, auditing,
benchmarking and problem solving. While the training is
demonstrated on farms, the environmental skills acquired by
the trainees can be easily transferred to other sectors such as
local
and private
environmental companies.

environmental organisations

councils,

Large enterprises

Specific training

General training

Non-assisted areas

Assisted areas under Article
87(3)(c)

25

30

50

55

SMEs

Specific training

General training

Non-assisted areas

Assisted areas under Article
87(3)(c)

35

40

70

75

Good environmental practice is an EU requirement for Member
States, forming an integral part of the new LFA support and
agri-environment schemes within the Northern Ireland Rural
Development Regulation Plan.

The above intensities are increased by 10 percentage points if
the training is given to disadvantaged workers, as defined in
Article 2(g) of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001.

Participants applying for the programme provide farm regis-
tration details that enable us to verify that trainees are from
small and medium-sized enterprises within the LFA and qualify
training. Those who successfully complete the
for general
course will be awarded a certificate and will be offered the
opportunity to undergo assessment and receive accreditation
through the Northern Ireland Open College Network.

the

training DARD staff will monitor

the
Throughout
programme and ensure it
is being delivered in accordance
with Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 and whithin the permissible
aid intensities for general training in small and medium-enter-
prises.

Aid No: XT 21/01.

Member State: Italy.

Region: Tuscany.

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Aid for firms operating in Tuscany in sectors
exposed to international competition in connection with initial
training, retraining and refresher training for their employees.

Legal basis: Delibera della giunta regionale della Toscana n.
383 del 13 aprile 2001. Modificata con deliberazione della
giunta regionale della Toscana n. 909 del 6 agosto 2001.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
individual aid granted to the company:
amount of
EUR 9 726 604,933 per
in the period 2001-06,
year
amounting in total to EUR 58 359 629,597 in the form of
reimbursements of eligible expenditure actually incurred in
respect of training programmes and supported by documentary
evidence.

Maximum aid intensity: In accordance with Article 4(2) to (6)
of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001, the maximum admissible aid
intensities (as %) are:

Where the aid is granted in the maritime transport sector, it
may reach an intensity of 100 %, regardless of whether the
training project
training,
concerns
provided that the following conditions are met:

specific

general

or

— the trainee may not be an active member of the crew but

must be supernumerary on board, and

— the training must be carried out on board ships on

Community registers.

Date of implementation: 13 April 2001.

Duration of
December 2006.

scheme or

individual

aid award: Until

Objective of aid: The aid scheme covers general and specific
training.

General training within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regu-
lation (EC) No 68/2001 involves
training which is not
applicable only or principally to the employee's present or
future position in the assisted firm but which provides qualifi-
cations that are largely transferable to other firms or fields of
work and thereby substantially improve the employability of
the employee.

For the purposes of implementing this aid scheme,
training means:

‘general’

— inter-enterprise training,

i.e. training organised jointly by
independent enterprises (under the Community
different
rules defining SMEs) or in which employees of different
enterprises may take part. Checks are made on supporting
documents during the project selection procedure to ensure
that these requirements are fulfilled (the training is inter-
enterprise and the enterprises are independent);

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is

catalogue

— company training relating to job profiles included in the
regional classification or training relating to profiles for
which inclusion in the
requested. The
relevant certificate is issued by the region or province
concerned. The legal basis for the certification system is
Regional Law No 70 of 31 August 1994 (new rules on
training), and more specifically Article 11
vocational
thereof, which provides for
the issue of a vocational
training or specialisation certificate for certain training
test, and Article 18
activities
thereof, which confers on the Regional Council
the
powers to determine the job profiles included in the
regional classification and in respect of which the voca-
tional training or specialisation certificate is issued.

following an aptitude

Economic sector(s) concerned:

— Farming,

— fisheries and aquaculture,

— coalmining,

— steel,

— shipbuilding,

— synthetic fibres,

— motor vehicle industry,

— other manufacturing industries,

— all services.

Comments: The aid scheme applies to all sectors covered by
Regulation (EC) No 68/2001. Secondly, it does not apply to aid
for the training or retraining of workers of 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), as part of rescuing and restructuring measures.
Such aid will be assessed in the light of the above guidelines.
Thirdly, the aid scheme does not apply if the amount of aid
granted to one enterprise for a single training project exceeds
EUR 1 million, in which case the individual aid grant must be
notified to the Commission for its approval.

Aid No: XT 32/02.

Member State: Italy.

Region: Autonomous Province of Trento.

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Funding for company, sectoral and regional
training schemes — 2002.

Legal basis: Deliberazione della Giunta provinciale n. 480 del
15 marzo 2002 avente ad oggetto «Procedure e criteri di at-
tuazione, gestione e rendicontazione dei piani formativi azien-
dali, settoriali e territoriali riferibili alla gestione dei fondi di cui
all'articolo 9, comma 3, della legge 19 luglio 1993, n. 236 —
anno 2002.» (pubblicata sul BURTAA n. 14 del 2.4.2002), in
attuazione decreto direttoriale n. 511/V/2001 «Interventi di
promozione di piani formativi aziendali, settoriali, territoriali
e sviluppo della prassi di formazione continua per l'esercizio
finanziario 2001, di cui all'articolo 118 della legge n. 338 del
23 dicembre 2000» (GU 12 del 15.1.2002) che ripartisce tra le
Regioni italiane le risorse derivanti dal contributo integrativo di
cui all'articolo 25 della legge 21 dicembre 1978 n. 845.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of
individual aid granted to the company:
EUR 1 394 433,63 for the Autonomous Province of Trento.

Maximum aid intensity:

— Specific

training

for

large

enterprises:

Intensity not

exceeding 25 %,

— Specific training for SMEs: Intensity not exceeding 35 %,

— General

training

for

large

enterprises:

Intensity not

exceeding 50 %,

— General training for SMEs: Intensity not exceeding 70 %.

The above intensities are increased by ten percentage points
where the training is given to disadvantaged workers as defined
in Article 2(g) of Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 of 12 January
2001.

Date of implementation: 15 March 2002.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 31 December
2002.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Objective of aid: The aid is intended for general and special
training.

Regione Toscana
Dipartimento delle Politiche formative e dei beni culturali
Servizio FSE e sistema della formazione professionale
Piazza della Libertà 15
I-50129 Firenze.

‘ “general

The definition of general training given in Regulation (EC) No
68/2001 has been adopted as it is considered sufficiently clear
shall mean training
and exhaustive:
involving tuition which is not applicable only or principally
to the employee's present or future position in the assisted
firm, but which provides qualifications that are largely trans-
ferable
fields of work and thereby
substantially improve the employability of the employee’.

to other

firms or

training”

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Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors.

Aid No: XT 33/02.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Member State: United Kingdom.

Provincia Autonoma di Trento — Servizio Addestramento e
Formazione professionale, via Gilli, 3 — I-38100 Trento.

Other information: Since this is an aid scheme,
it is not
possible to give a description of the content of each project
in order to confirm that it corresponds to the definition of
general training.

Region: West Midlands.

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Alstom Transport Limited 2002.

Legal basis: Employment Act 1973 Section 2(1) and 2(2), as
substantiated by Section 25 of the Employment and Training
Act 1998 and the Industrial Development 1982, Section 11.

The prior verification procedure applied by the Province to
ensure that
the highest aid intensity is granted only to
general training projects comprises the following steps:

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: Total
public assistance will be GBP 70 000 under this scheme.

— on submitting the project, the applicant declares whether it

involves general or specific training;

Maximum aid intensity: 25 %.

Date of implementation: April 2002.

— as provided for by point 5 of the operative part of Decision
No 480 adopted by the Provincial Council on 15 March
2002, a committee makes a prior assessment of whether
individual projects are to be classed as general or specific
training;
its findings are set out on an assessment grid
signed by the experts and attached to the minutes of the
committee meeting;

— on the basis of

the Province
determines the intensity of the funding to be granted to
each individual project;

the above assessment,

— the Province then adopts the project-funding decision,
which also reproduces the committee's assessment of the
nature of each project (general or specific training);

— the Province notifies

the
outcome of the committee's assessment and, consequently,
the intensity of the funding allocated to them.

the individual applicants of

The committee is composed of:

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 11 months.

the individual employees of

training plans. The
regular

Objective of aid: The objective of the aid is to encourage the
company to give individually targeted training to meet the
the company rather
needs of
company has 1 200
than general
employees and undertakes
the
funds will provide individual skills diagnostics and individual
training plans so that employees can chose which nationally
agreed national vocational qualifications (NVQs) would be most
beneficial to them. This service will also be provided to the
employees of SMEs in the company's supply chain. The
company will then support in the delivery of the NVQs, but
will provide most of the cost of the training delivery them-
selves.

training. However,

Economic sector(s) concerned: Transport services.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Birmingham and Solihull Learning Skills Council,
Chaplin Court,
80 Hurst Street,
Birmingham B5 4TG.

— three experts on training and the assessment of training
activities from outside the Province (all highly qualified
university lecturers),

— one official from the Province, appointed by the Provincial

Council.

Other information:

Contact officer:

Paul Cornick.

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Aid No: XT 38/01.

Member State: Spain.

Region: Basque Country.

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Training aid scheme for undertakings in the
Álava Province.

Legal basis: Decreto Foral no 45/2001 del Consejo de Diputa-
dos de la Diputación Foral de Álava de 3 de abril, publicado en
el Boletín Oficial del Territorio Histórico de Álava (BOTHA) no 41
de 9 de abril de 2001.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: The
expenditure scheduled for 2001 is EUR 601 012,1.

Maximum aid intensity: The aid provided for under the
present scheme may be awarded up to the following limits:

Retraining courses:

(a)

for SMEs: up to a maximum of 75 % and 40 % of the
training and specific
approved expenditure on general
training measures respectively.

(b) for all other undertakings: up to a maximum of 55 % and
30 % of the approved expenditure on general training and
specific training measures respectively.

The maximum total grant that may be awarded to any one
applicant
retraining courses offered is
EUR 30 050,61.

the range of

for

Work-related training courses: up to a maximum of 85 % of
approved expenditure, with a limit of EUR 30 050,61 per
applicant and range of courses offered, although this figure
may be exceeded for those projects judged to be of particular
interest.

Exploratory studies: the aid granted may amount to 50 % of
approved expenditure, with a limit of EUR 6 010,12 per

applicant for the study itself. This figure may be increased to
EUR 18 030,36 in the case of a group of undertakings.

The percentages referred to may be increased by a further 10 %
for courses involving certain disadvantaged groups or with
particular difficulties entering the labour market, although the
total amount granted in aid may not exceed 100 % of approved
expenditure. The aid will be increased in proportion to the
number of people from the disadvantaged groups on the
courses.

Date of implementation: Aid was first granted under the
present scheme on 14 September 2001.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Aid may be
granted under the present scheme until 31 December 2001.

Objective of aid: The scheme applies to both general and
specific training.

As laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 68/2001, the
training aid scheme for firms in the Álava Province 2001 has
taken general
training to cover training relating to quality
control, management and administrative systems, IT, occupa-
tional safety and health, etc. This is because the training
provided is relevant outside the undertaking in question, and
can be applied throughout
the sector concerned and even
beyond.

By contrast, specific training has been deemed to cover courses
on subjects that are highly particular to the recipient, such as
internal training, i.e. training provided by in-house experts in
areas directly related to the business.

Economic sector(s) concerned: All industrial sectors.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Diputación Foral de Álava
Dirección de Economía
Plaza de la Provincia, 4, 3a planta
E-01001 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava.