do-me/EUR-LEX huggingface dataset:
Euro exchange rates
Date: 2004-11-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: euro, exchange rate

23.11.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 285/1

I

(Information)

COMMISSION

Euro exchange rates (1)

22 November 2004

(2004/C 285/01)

1 euro =

Currency

Exchange rate

Currency

Exchange rate

USD

JPY

DKK

GBP

SEK

CHF

ISK

NOK

BGN

CYP

CZK

EEK

HUF

LTL

US dollar

Japanese yen

Danish krone

Pound sterling

Swedish krona

Swiss franc

Iceland króna

Norwegian krone

Bulgarian lev

Cyprus pound

Czech koruna

Estonian kroon

Hungarian forint

Lithuanian litas

1,3033

LVL

Latvian lats

134,47

MTL Maltese lira

7,4312

PLN

Polish zloty

0,70255

ROL

Romanian leu

8,9569

1,5157

87,04

SIT

SKK

TRL

Slovenian tolar

Slovak koruna

Turkish lira

8,1680

AUD Australian dollar

1,9559

0,5784

CAD

HKD

Canadian dollar

Hong Kong dollar

31,090

NZD New Zealand dollar

15,6466

SGD

Singapore dollar

246,20

KRW South Korean won

3,4528

ZAR

South African rand

0,6809

0,4325

4,2283

39 678

239,79

39,255

1 877 000

1,6657

1,5517

10,1316

1,8360

2,1436

1 388,54

7,8312

(1) Source: reference exchange rate published by the ECB.
Action brought on 23 November 2004 by the Bankers' and Securities Dealers' Association of Iceland against the EFTA Surveillance Authority (Case E-9/04)
Date: 2004-11-23
Institutions: EFTA Court
Subjects: EFTA, Iceland, bank, competition law, real estate credit

C 40/18

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

17.2.2005

Action brought on 23 November 2004 by the Bankers' and Securities Dealers' Association of
Iceland against the EFTA Surveillance Authority

(Case E-9/04)

(2005/C 40/11)

An action against the EFTA Surveillance Authority was brought before the EFTA Court on 23 November
2004 by the Bankers' and Securities Dealers' Association of Iceland, represented by Dr. Hans-Jörg Niemeyer
of Hengeler Mueller, avenue Cortenbergh 1118, B-1000 Brussels and Dr. Ralf Sauer of Hengeler Mueller,
Charlottenstraße 35/36, 10117 Berlin, Germany.

The applicant claims that the Court should:

1. Annul the decision of the EFTA Surveillance Authority of 11 August 2004, Decision 213/04/COL

(Icelandic Housing Financing Fund); and

2. Order the EFTA Surveillance Authority to pay the costs of the proceedings.

Legal and factual background and pleas in law adduced in support:

— The applicant is the business association of all Icelandic commercial banks and acts as their service and

clearing bank.

— The Icelandic Housing Financing Fund (‘HFF’) provides general loans to individuals for the purpose of
constructing or purchasing residential housing, and additional loans to individuals with low income.

— The applicant claims that the general loans are normal banking services, and that HFF's de facto state
monopoly contravenes the freedom to provide services, the right of establishment, and the free move-
ment of capital.

— The EFTA Surveillance Authority's Decision 213/04/COL of 11 August 2004 declared the HFF system

to be compatible with the State aid rules according to Article 59(2) EEA.

— The applicant claims that the EFTA Surveillance Authority:

— violated its obligation to initiate formal proceedings;

— infringed essential procedural requirements by not providing adequate reasons as required by

Article 16 SCA; and,

— wrongfully interpreted and applied Article 59(2) EEA.
Judgment of the Court of  23 November 2004  in Case E-1/04 Fokus Bank ASA and The Norwegian State, represented by Skattedirektoratet (the Directorate of Taxes)  (Free movement of capital — taxation of dividends — tax credit granted exclusively to shareholders resident in a Contracting Party — denial of procedural rights to shareholders resident in other Contracting Parties)
Date: 2004-11-23
Institutions: EFTA Court
Subjects: EFTA Court, European Economic Area, Norway, free movement of capital, interpretation of the law, ruling, shareholder, tax on investment income

C 45/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

23.2.2006

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA

EFTA COURT

JUDGMENT OF THE COURT

of 23 November 2004

in Case E-1/04 Fokus Bank ASA and The Norwegian State, represented by Skattedirektoratet (the
Directorate of Taxes)

(Free movement of capital — taxation of dividends — tax credit granted exclusively to shareholders resident in a
Contracting Party — denial of procedural rights to shareholders resident in other Contracting Parties)

(2006/C 45/06)

In Case E-1/04 between Fokus Bank ASA and the Norwegian State, represented by Skattedirektoratet, —
REQUEST to the Court by Frostating lagmannsrett (Frostating Court of Appeal) on the interpretation of the
rules of free movement of capital within the EEA, the Court, composed of Carl Baudenbacher, President
and Judge-Rapporteur, Per Tresselt and Thorgeir Örlygsson, Judges, gave judgment on 23 November 2004,
the operative part of which is as follows:

1. Article 40 EEA precludes legislation whereby shareholders resident in a specific Contracting Party are
granted a tax credit on dividends paid by a company resident in that Contracting Party, whereas non-
resident shareholders are not granted such a tax credit. Whether the taxpayer is resident in another
Contracting Party which, in a tax agreement with the Contracting Party wherein the dividend is distrib-
uted, has undertaken to grant credit for withholding tax, or whether the taxpayer in the specific case
actually is granted, or will be granted, credit for the withholding tax, is of no legal significance.

2. In a situation such as the one at issue in the main proceedings, it is not consistent with the EEA Agree-
ment that a Contracting Party deals solely with the distributing company when assessing and reassessing
the withholding tax without notifying the non-resident shareholders.
Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case COMP/M.3476 — CARGILL/SEARA)Text with EEA relevance
Date: 2004-11-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: agro-industry, economic concentration, foodstuff, livestock farming, marketing, merger control, poultry, restrictive-practice authorisation, swine

C 285/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

23.11.2004

Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case COMP/M.3476 — CARGILL/SEARA)

(2004/C 285/02)

(Text with EEA relevance)

On 28 October 2004, the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration and to
declare it compatible with the common market. This decision is based on Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regu-
lation (EC) No 139/2004. The full text of the decision is available only in English and will be made public
after it is cleared of any business secrets it may contain. It will be available:

— from the Europa competition web site (http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/mergers/cases/) free of
charge. This web site provides various facilities to help locate individual merger decisions, including
company, case number, date and sectoral indexes,

— in electronic form in the ‘CEN’ version of the CELEX database, under document number 32004M3476.
CELEX is the computerized documentation system of European Community law. (http://europa.eu.int/
celex)
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2004/2004 of 23 November 2004 establishing the standard import values for determining the entry price of certain fruit and vegetables
Date: 2004-11-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: agri-monetary policy, citrus fruit, fruit vegetable, import price, pip fruit

L 348/14

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

24.11.2004

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2004/2004

of 23 November 2004

establishing the standard import values for determining the entry price of certain fruit and vege-
tables

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(2)

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

In compliance with the above criteria,
the standard
import values must be fixed at the levels set out in the
Annex to this Regulation,

Having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 3223/94 of
21 December 1994 on detailed rules for the application of the
fruit
arrangements
import
and in
particular Article 4(1) thereof,

and vegetables (1),

for

Whereas:

(1)

Regulation (EC) No 3223/94 lays down, pursuant to the
outcome of the Uruguay Round multilateral trade nego-
tiations, the criteria whereby the Commission fixes the
standard values for imports from third countries,
in
respect of the products and periods stipulated in the
Annex thereto.

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The standard import values referred to in Article 4 of Regu-
lation (EC) No 3223/94 shall be fixed as indicated in the Annex
hereto.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on 24 November 2004.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 23 November 2004.

For the Commission

J. M. SILVA RODRÍGUEZ
Director-General for Agriculture and
Rural Development

(1) OJ L 337, 24.12.1994, p. 66. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 1947/2002 (OJ L 299, 1.11.2002, p. 17).

24.11.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 348/15

to Commission Regulation of 23 November 2004 establishing the standard import values for determining the
entry price of certain fruit and vegetables

ANNEX

CN code

0702 00 00

0707 00 05

0709 90 70

0805 20 10

0805 20 30, 0805 20 50, 0805 20 70,
0805 20 90

0805 50 10

0808 10 20, 0808 10 50, 0808 10 90

0808 20 50

Third country code (1)

Standard import value

(EUR/100 kg)

052
070
204
999

052
204
999

052
204
999

204
999

052
624
999

052
388
524
528
999

388
400
404
720
800
999

720
999

119,4
62,9
92,3
91,5

104,6
41,8
73,2

100,2
92,7
96,5

58,7
58,7

73,2
79,4
76,3

47,2
49,8
65,7
21,1
46,0

139,3
80,8
103,4
67,1
194,4
117,0

69,7
69,7

(1) Country nomenclature as fixed by Commission Regulation (EC) No 2081/2003 (OJ L 313, 28.11.2003, p. 11). Code ‘999’ stands for

‘of other origin’.
Prior notification of a concentration (Case COMP/M.3626 — PERMIRA/PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS/MARAZZI) — Candidate case for simplified procedureText with EEA relevance
Date: 2004-11-23
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: ceramics, economic concentration, exchange of information, financial institution, investment, merger control

23.11.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 285/5

Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.3626 — PERMIRA/PRIVATE EQUITY PARTNERS/MARAZZI)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(2004/C 285/04)

(Text with EEA relevance)

1.
On 15 November 2004, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration
pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which the undertakings Permira
Europe II (‘Permira’, Guernsey), Private Equity Partners (‘PEP’, Italy) and Marazzi Group S.p.A. (‘Marazzi’,
Italy) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation joint control of Marazzi
Gruppo Ceramiche S.p.A. (‘MGC’, Italy) by way of purchase of shares.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

— for Permira: private equity firm,

— for PEP: private equity firm,

— for Marazzi: investment holding that control in particular MGC,

— for MGC: ceramic tiles.

3.
On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the
scope of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. However, the final decision on this point is reserved. Pursuant to
the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council
Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the
procedure set out in the Notice.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed

4.
operation to the Commission.

Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication.
Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (No (32-2) 296 43 01 or 296 72 44) or by post,
under reference number COMP/M.3626 — Permira/Private equity partners/Marazzi,
to the following
address:

European Commission
Directorate-General for Competition,
Merger Registry
J-70
B-1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

(1) OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1.
(2) Available on DG COMP website:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/mergers/legislation/consultation/simplified_tru.pdf.