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: 2003-09-25
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: State aid, aid to undertakings, control of State aid, small and medium-sized enterprises

C 229/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

25.9.2003

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

(2003/C 229/02)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XS 102/02

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Wales

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

Legal basis: Welsh Development Agency Act 1975, as
amended

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: The
scheme will provide funding to support SMEs over a 3½
year period as follows:

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors, without prejudice
to special rules in regulations and directives concerning state
aid in certain sectors

Name and address of the granting authority:

Mike Firth
Welsh Development Agency
Principality House
The Friary
Cardiff CF10 3FE
United Kingdom

Other information: Larger companies may be provided with
similar support under the de minimis rule

2002/03: GBP 67 000

2003/04: GBP 200 000

2004/05: GBP 200 000

2005/06: GBP 133 000

The funding will support a maximum of 80 SMEs which meet
the definition in Annex 1 to the SME Block Exemption

Maximum aid intensity: The maximum aid intensity will be
45 % of the consultancy costs. It is estimated that no one SME
will receive more than GBP 10 000 worth of aid

Aid No: XS 103/02

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Wales

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

Legal basis: Welsh Development Agency Act 1975, as
amended

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: The
scheme will provide funding to support SMEs over a three-year
period as follows:

Date of implementation: 10 September 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31
March 2006

2003/04: GBP 200 000

2002/03: GBP 70 000

Objective of aid: The scheme will assist SMEs to clarify their
objectives and provide support, through specialist consultancy,
to implement strategy and strategic change.

2004/05: GBP 200 000

The funding will support a maximum of 156 SMEs which meet
the definition in Annex 1 to the SME Block Exemption

The development and monitoring/change of strategy is essential
for the success of all companies. Many companies, in particular
smaller companies, benefit
from the wider perspective that
external consultants can bring to this process

Maximum aid intensity: The maximum aid intensity will be
50 % of the consultancy costs. It is estimated that no one SME
will receive more than GBP 4 750 worth of aid

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 229/3

Date of implementation: 1 October 2002

2004: GBP 41 436

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31
March 2005

2005: GBP 20 135

Objective of aid: The scheme is intended to provide tactical
sales and marketing support
increasing sales and
profitability through consultancy support.

to SMEs,

Maximum aid intensity: 50 % of
the cost of consultancy
support. No one SME will receive more than GBP 100 000
in aid

The scheme will not support advertising costs.

Date of implementation: 1 July 2002

Many SMEs with otherwise
experience
difficulty in attracting new business and supporting short/
medium-term profitability. Consultancy will
focus on brand
development, account management and development, internet
usage and other areas

sound strategies

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors, without prejudice
to special rules in regulations and directives concerning state
aid in certain sectors

Name and address of the granting authority:

Mike Firth
Welsh Development Agency
Principality House
The Friary
Cardiff CF10 3FE
United Kingdom

Other information: Larger companies may be provided with
similar support under the de minimis rule.

This scheme will be partly funded by ERDF Objective 1 and
WAG Pathway to Prosperity support

Aid No: XS 66/02

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: West Midlands Objective 2

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Growth Sector Support in Lichfield 2002-05

Legal basis: Section 2 of Local Government Act 2000/
Industrial Development Act 1982, Sections 7 and 11

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 1 July 2002 to
30 June 2005

Objective of aid: To provide SMEs with consultancy services
in the tourism, leisure and creative industries sectors in order
to enable them to expand their business opportunities and to
create and safeguard jobs in an industry typically comprising
micro businesses. These businesses are normally too small to
be able to afford the necessary consultancy advice which they
need in order to be sustainable

Economic sector(s) concerned: Other
(tourism,
leisure and creative sectors). Without prejudice to special
rules in regulations and directives concerning state aid in
certain sectors

services

Name and address of the granting authority:

Contact Sue Smith
Lichfield District Council
District Council House
Frog Lane, Lichfield
Staffordshire WS13 6YZ
United Kingdom
Tel. (44-1543) 30 87 70
Fax (44-1543) 30 98 99

Other information:

Also monitored by:

Tom Blackmore
Government Office
West Midlands
77 Paradise Circus
Birmingham B1 2DT
United Kingdom

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

Aid No: XS 72/02

2002: GBP 26 912

2003: GBP 41 621

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Art. 87(3)(a) assisted area

C 229/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

25.9.2003

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
Economic Development Grants

Legal basis: Local Government and Housing Act 1989

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

GBP 265 000 (2002/03)

GBP 305 000 (2003/04)

GBP 325 000 (2004/05)

Maximum aid intensity: Not exceeding 50 %

Date of implementation: 5 August 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 31 August
2005

Objective of aid: As a result of a council pilot scheme and
drawing on best practice from other local authorities in the
region, the scheme aims to support indigenous SMEs through
the provision of finance. In particular, finance will be available
(where market failure exists) for capital investment projects via
the capital assets, tourism and energy efficiency grants and for
consultancy via the web and business planning grants. The
to encourage growth and improve the
programme aims
survival rate of businesses in the County Borough of Merthyr
Tydfil

Economic sector(s) concerned: Other manufacturing and
other services.

Without prejudice to special rules in the regulations and
directives concerning state aid in certain sectors

Name and address of the granting authority:

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
Civic Offices
Castle Street
Merthyr Tydfil CF47 8AN
United Kingdom

Contact for queries: Lesley Kirkpatrick
Economic Development Officer
Tel. (44-1685) 72 51 61
e-mail: lesley.kirkpatrick@merthyr.gov.uk

Aid No: XS 74/02

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: West Midlands Objective 2

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Black Country Learning Network SME support
— (Objective 2/O2/1/1.04.1.05.1.06)

Legal basis:
Industrial Development Act 1982, Section 11/
Industrial Development Act 1982, Section 7/Learning Skills
Council Act 2000

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

2002/03: GBP 81 000

2003/04: GBP 66 160

2004/05: GBP 67 180

2005/06: GBP 67 180

2006/07: GBP 66 160

2007/08: GBP 66 160

2008/09: GBP 66 160

Total: GBP 480 000

Maximum aid intensity: Aid for
dissemination of knowledge up to 50 % gross

consultancy and the

Date of implementation: 1 August 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 1 August
2002–30 June 2007,
current
Regulation. Following this, the scheme will comply with the
regulations then in force

in accordance with the

Objective of aid: Consultancy support will be given to SMEs
to identify general training programmes that benefit both the
SME and its employees.

No money will be given to fund training directly

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors, without prejudice
to the rules governing sensitive sectors

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Coalmining, steel, shipbuilding, synthetic fibres, motor vehicles,
transport, financial services, fisheries, aquaculture or agriculture

business. Capital grants will be made to support improvements
in internal systems where necessary, e.g. IT equipment.

Name and address of the granting authority:

This will
safeguard jobs

improve the survival of SMEs in the area and

Jaine Clarke
Black Country Learning and Skills Council
Black Country House
Rounds Green Road
Oldbury
West Midlands
B69 2DG
United Kingdom
Tel. (44-121) 345 47 90

Aid No: XS 75/02

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: West Midlands Objective 2

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Coventry City Council — assistance for SMEs

Legal basis: Industrial Development Act 1982, Sections 7 and
11/Local Government Act 2000, Section 2

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: Total
public expenditure: GBP 530 000

2002: GBP 100 000

2003: GBP 100 000

2004: GBP 100 000

2005: GBP 100 000

2006: GBP 100 000

2007: GBP 30 000

Total: GBP 530 000

Maximum aid intensity: Max. 50 %. Not exceeding 50 % for
consultancy. Not exceeding 25 % for direct capital grants as per
the ceiling for Article 87(3)(c) areas

Date of implementation: 2 September 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 31 March
2007 in accordance with Commission requirements

Objective of aid: The consultancy will be used to improve
the
marketing and support

improvement of

continuous

sector(s)
Economic
excluding,
steel manufacture,
production and motor vehicle production.

concerned: All manufacturing —
synthetic fibre

shipbuilding,

Also other services — ICT-related businesses only

Name and address of the granting authority:

Coventry City Council (CCFI)
John Sinclair House
Coventry Canal Basin
Coventry CV1 4LY
United Kingdom

Other information:

Geoff Hyde
Tel. (44-24) 768 32 61

Aid No: XS 90/02

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Entire country

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: University Innovation Centre in B2B

Legal basis: Industrial and Development Act 1982, Sections 7
and 11, and Industrial Development Act 1988, Reference
Section 8

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: The
scheme will provide the following funding to support SMEs
over the period 2002-06:

2002: GBP 1 375 000

2003: GBP 2 750 000

2004: GBP 2 750 000

2005: GBP 2 750 000

2006: GBP 1 375 000

Total: GBP 11 000 000

C 229/6

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Official Journal of the European Union

25.9.2003

Maximum aid intensity: The maximum aid intensity will be
50 %. The maximum aid to a single SME will not exceed
GBP 100 000

Economic sector(s) concerned: All manufacturing and other
services, without prejudice to special rules, regulations and
directives concerning state aid in certain sectors

Date of implementation: 15 September 2002

Name and address of the granting authority:

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 1
December 2006

communicate,

Objective of aid: The scheme will provide consultancy in
order to ensure the effective adoption of business-to-business
(B2B) in internal and supply chain processes, which is essential
to the survival and growth of SMEs. B2B e-commerce can
share,
radically change how organisations
cooperate and make decisions both internally and across the
supply chain and network. The Warwick Manufacturing Centre
will provide a range of advice to SMEs to enable them to
understand
rapid
emergence of e-business. Without assistance SMEs would lack
the technical
the
in turn safeguard the jobs
e-business opportunity. This will
of SMEs
innovation and
diversification

skills and expertise required to exploit

region and encourage

opportunities

afforded

in the

the

the

by

Government Office for the West Midlands
77 Paradise Circus
Queensway
Birmingham B1 2DT
United Kingdom
Tel. (44-121) 212 50 68

Other information:

Denis Pelych
Warwick Manufacturing Group
University of Warwick
United Kingdom
Tel. (44-24) 76 57 42 53
e-mail: Denis.Pelych@warwick.ac.uk

Introduction of electronic licensing for imports of textiles and clothing products from Bangladesh

(2003/C 229/03)

The new paragraph 3 of Article 11 of Annex III of Council Regulation (EEC) No 3030/93 on common
rules for imports of certain textile products from third countries, introduced by Council Regulation (EC)
No 391/2001 of 26 February 2001 (1) states that ‘where a supplier country has entered into administrative
arrangements with the Community concerning electronic licensing the relevant information may be trans-
mitted by electronic means to replace the grant of export licenses in paper form’.

The Commission has entered into the necessary arrangements with Bangladesh for the electronic trans-
mision of data corresponding to export licenses. For Bangladesh, as from 1 September 2003, the presen-
tation of the original of the corresponding export license will no longer be required for the issuance of
import licenses by the licensing authorities of Member States. Consequently, these can therefore be issued
upon receipt by the competent authorities of Member Sates of the data transmitted in electronic form by
Bangladesh and confirmation from the Commission that the amounts requested are available and/or of the
validity of the electronic license. The competent authorities of Bangladesh may, however,
issue any
appropriate documents, including, if they consider it appropriate, formal export licenses, for the benefit
of operators in order to facilitate the transaction.

For any queries, economic operators are invited to contact the licensing authorities of Member States, the
addresses of which were published in the Official Journal of the European Communities C 99 of 24 April
2002, page 14.

(1) OJ L 58, 28.2.2001, p. 3.