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: 2004-01-09
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Germany, Greece, Italy, State aid, United Kingdom, aid to undertakings, control of State aid, small and medium-sized enterprises

C 5/34

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

9.1.2004

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

(2004/C 5/03)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XS 9/03

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Scotland

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Consultancy Support Scheme
for Credit
Unions (1)

Legal basis: Section 10(1) of the Social Work (Scotland) Act
1968

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: The
budget for the scheme will not exceed GBP 200 000

Maximum aid intensity: The aid provided under this scheme
is discretionary aid and will not exceed 50 % (gross) of the
non-routine consultancy costs incurred by credit unions (2).
This may include consultancy services for such matters as oper-
ational
reviews, business planning reviews and feasibility
assessments of new ventures. A credit union's usual operating
expenditure will not be eligible

Date of implementation: 16 January 2003

scheme is

Other information: This
in accordance with
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,
published in the Official
the European Communities
Journal of
on 13 January 2001 (3)

(1) A credit union is a financial cooperative owned and controlled by
its members. The objectives of credit unions are defined by law in
Section 1(3) of the Credit Unions Act 1979 as;
(a) the promotion of thrift among members by the accumulation of

savings;

(b) the creation of sources of credit for the benefit of the members

at a fair and reasonable rate of interest;

(c) the use and control of members' savings for their mutual

benefit; and

(d) the training and education of the members in the wise use of

money and in the management of their finances.

(2) All credit unions supported under this scheme meet the definition
of SMEs in the Commission recommendation of 3 April 1996 (OJ
C 107, 30.4.1996, p. 4).
(3) OJ L 10, 13.1.2001, p. 33.

Aid No: XS 119/02

Member State: United Kingdom

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 14
September 2004

Region: North East (Tees Valley Subregion)

Objective of aid: As part of the strategy of meeting the targets
of the Scottish Executive's Credit Union Action Plan, funding is
being made available to help make sure that all credit unions in
Scotland are strong and sustainable over the long term. To do
this, funding is being given to buy non-routine consultancy
services for credit unions. The primary aim of the work is to
assist all credit unions with their development as sustainable
social enterprises and to add value to the services received by
credit union members

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

Legal basis: Regional Development Agency Act 1998

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of
individual aid granted to the company:
GBP 72 000 of public money will be given to Onyx out of
project costs of GBP 240 000

Economic sector(s) concerned: This support is open only to
credit unions which are social enterprises within the finance
sector and are SMEs (2)

Maximum aid intensity: 30 % (Article 87(3)(c) area: 20 % +
SME bonus of 10 percentage points)

Name and address of the granting authority:

Date of implementation: 8 November 2002

Scottish Executive
Social Inclusion Division
Area 2F
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH6 6QQ
United Kingdom

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 30 September
2003

Objective of aid: The aim of this project is to provide support
to Onyx Internet (an SME) in order to pilot wireless broadband
internet access, primarily on Riverside Park and Belasis Hall
Technology Park, for one year.

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The aid will go only towards the costs specifically incurred as a
result of the investment made by Onyx in this project. These
costs are in line with the eligible costs outlined in Regulation
(EC) No 70/2001 and include:

Aid No: XS 14/03

Member State: Germany

1. Capital costs for the broadband infrastructure/equipment in

Region: Berlin

order to provide the service.

2. The capital cost of setting up/installing a specific new
to market

telesales and project management department
and run the pilot project (though not staff salary costs).

The provision of
the
commercial risk for Onyx Internet of piloting this emerging
technology and will provide a range of benefits, including:

assistance will

financial

reduce

— Enabling up to 100 SMEs to take part in the pilot and to
benefit from the use of this technology. (There will be no
State aid to these end-users as their connection will not be
subsidised.)

— Enabling up to 10 Middlesbrough Council buildings which
currently do not have access to broadband internet to be
linked into the project free of charge.

— Enable the Tees Valley to be at the pioneering end of the
the
to provide cheaper and faster access to the

this new technology, which has

development of
potential
internet.

— Supporting the regeneration of the Tees Valley at business

and community level.

— Supporting the development of

the knowledge-based
economy as identified in the RES and through the Tees
Valley Visioning Study.

— Supporting the work of

the Tees Valley Development
Company in attracting inward investment, especially that
associated with R & D, ICT and knowledge-based businesses

Economic sector(s) concerned: ICT Media

Name and address of the granting authority:

Martin Simpson
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (on behalf of Tees Valley
Partnership through the RDA subregional fund)
Municipal Buildings
Church Road
Stockton on Tees

and

ONE NorthEast (Regional Funding)
20 Manor Way
Bellasis Hall Technology Park
Billingham
Stockton on Tees
TS23 4HN
United Kingdom

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid:
Innovation and technology consultancy in
Berlin (ITB)

Legal basis: § 44 der Landeshaushaltsordnung (LHO) vom
5.10.1978 (GVBl. S. 805), zuletzt geändert durch Gesetz vom
24.7.2001 (GVBl. S. 303) in Verbindung mit § 49 und 49a des
Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetzes (VwVfG) und die Bestimmungen
über den Einsatz von Mitteln aus dem Europäischen Fonds für
regionale Entwicklung (EFRE)

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of
individual aid granted to the company:
Approximately EUR 0,6 million

Maximum aid intensity:
Objective 2 areas 50 %

In Objective 1 areas 25 %,

in

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: To end 2006

Objective of aid: SMEs get external advice on how to develop
interdisciplinary cooperation and exploit Berlin's
research
potential
in improving or bringing in new products and
processes. The funds are awarded to consultancies

Economic sector(s) concerned: All economic sectors

Name and address of the granting authority:

Senatsverwaltung für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Frauen
Referat II E

Other information: The measure has so far been implemented
under the de minimis Regulation

Aid No: XS 21/03

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: West Midlands Objective 2

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Developing the creative industries in Coventry
through Business Support 2002-2006

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

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EN

Official Journal of the European Union

9.1.2004

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

Aid No: XS 71/02

Total: GBP 392 984

2002: GBP 74 470

2003: GBP 76 700

2004: GBP 79 004

2005: GBP 81 379

2006: GBP 81 431

Maximum aid intensity: The maximum aid intensity will not
exceed 50 % for consultancy costs.

Total all years: 383 SMEs assisted.

The maximum support any individual SME would receive
under the programme is GBP 80 000. We expect that in the
majority of cases it will be very much less than this

Date of implementation: 1 December 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31
December 2006 — five years

Objective of aid: To provide support to existing and new
SMEs in the creative industries via business advice,
in order
to ensure the sustainability and survival rate of businesses. The
majority of SMEs in this sector are microbusinesses without
essential business management skills or the funds needed to
purchase professional advice. By granting this assistance, the
jobs of existing SMEs will be safeguarded

Economic sector(s) concerned: Other services: (SMEs in the
high-growth sector of creative industries). Without prejudice to
special rules, regulations and directives concerning State aid in
certain sectors

Name and address of the granting authority:

Roger Vaughan
Coventry City Council
Herbert Art Gallery and Museum
Jordan Well, Coventry
CV1 5QP
United Kingdom
Tel. 024 76 83 23 75

Other information:

Marion Doyen
Chief Executive
Arts+Media Training Consortium (Coventry) Ltd
57-61 Corporation Street
Coventry CV1 1GQ
United Kingdom
Tel. 024 76 23 17 02

Member State: Greece

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Creation or extension of technology transfer
and innovation services

Legal basis: Προεδρικό ∆ιάταγµα 274/2000 «Όροι, προϋποθέσεις
και διαδικασία χρηµατοδότησης (επιχορήγησης ή συνδροµής) έργων
και προγραµµάτων που υποβάλλονται από βιοµηχανικές ή άλλες
παραγωγικές µονάδες» (ΦΕΚ 225/Α/17.10.2000)

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

Year

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Annual expenditure (EUR million)

0,10

2,40

1,00

0,84

0,50

Maximum aid intensity: The aid intensity will not exceed the
ceiling for regional investment aid determined in the regional
aid map approved for Greece by the Commission and will
amount to not more than 50 % of the eligible costs

Date of implementation: September 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: September
2002 to December 2006

the development and networking of

Objective of aid: The main objective of the scheme is to
support
small and
medium-sized enterprises specialized in technology transfer
and innovation services. These SMEs will act as intermediate
agencies creating better partnerships between academic and
research centres and the private and banking sectors,
in
relation to technology transfer (technology brokers, patent
intellectual property experts, technology assessors).
attorneys,
The scheme will support activities in connection with:

— evaluation of the technological needs of enterprises,

— examination of the existing technology market and search
for the most appropriate technology for the enterprise or
sector concerned,

— search for investors in Greece or abroad willing to finance

technology transfer investment,

— provision of information and technical advice concerning

patents,

— organization of seminars for enterprises on best practices in

technology management,

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— search for licensing opportunities,

— finding investors for spin-off companies,

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: A total
of EUR 33 370 429,34

— search for research and technology personnel in Greece or

abroad.

Maximum aid intensity: Maximum aid intensity: capital grant
with a maximum of 35 % nge + 15 % gge

The main eligible costs relate to tangible assets (investment in
fixed physical assets for the creation of a new establishment or
the extension of an existing establishment) and intangible
investment (investment in transfer of technology, know-how
or unpatented technical knowledge).

The scheme is in full accordance with the EU policy on
fostering enterpreneurship,
in
the European Union

innovation and employment

Date of implementation: 14 September 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: December
2006

Objective of aid: Aid for initial
capital grants for SMEs operating in the Region of Sicily

investment in the form of

Economic sector(s) concerned:

Economic sector(s) concerned: All sectors, all services

— sport,

Name and address of the granting authority:

General Secretariat for Research and Technology
Ministry of Development
Avenue Messogion 14-18
GR-115 10 Athens

— entertainment,

— publishing,

— information and communication technologies,

Other information: The aid is part-financed by the CFS
2000-2006

— activities relating to the upgrading of cultural areas, leisure
time, promoting cultural heritage and locally-generated
resources,

Aid No: XS 99/02

Member State: Italy

Region: Sicily

Title of aid scheme or name of the company receiving an
individual aid: Measure 4.03. Sub. B — New entrepreneurship
for young people and women

Legal basis: Normativa regionale di riferimento: Legge regio-
nale n. 32 del 23.12.2000, artt. 29, 30

— services to tourism,

— services for small and medium-sized firms,

— home help,

— childcare

Name and address of the granting authority:

Regione Siciliana
Dipartimento Industria
Viale Regione Siciliana
I-4580 Palermo