EFTA Surveillance Authority Decision No 144/05/COL of 17 June 2005 amending, for the 50th time, the Procedural and Substantive Rules in the Field of State Aid, by re-enacting Chapter 17a: short-term export-credit insurance
Date: 2005-06-17
Institutions: EFTA Surveillance Authority
Subjects: EFTA, European Economic Area, State aid, credit insurance, export

10.11.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 294/9

EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA

EFTA SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY

EFTA SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY DECISION

No 144/05/COL

of 17 June 2005

amending, for the 50th time, the Procedural and Substantive Rules in the Field of State Aid, by
re-enacting Chapter 17a: short-term export-credit insurance

THE EFTA SURVEILLANCE AUTHORITY,

HAVING REGARD to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (1), in particular to Articles 61 to 63
and Protocol 26 thereof,

HAVING REGARD to the Agreement between the EFTA States on the establishment of a Surveillance
Authority and a Court of Justice (2), in particular to Article 24 and Article 5(2)(b) thereof and Article 1
in Part I of Protocol 3 thereof,

WHEREAS under Article 24 of the Surveillance and Court Agreement, the EFTA Surveillance Authority shall
give effect to the provisions of the EEA Agreement concerning State aid;

WHEREAS under Article 5(2)(b) of the Surveillance and Court Agreement, the EFTA Surveillance Authority
shall issue notices or guidelines on matters dealt with in the EEA Agreement, if that Agreement or the
Surveillance and Court Agreement expressly so provides or if the EFTA Surveillance Authority considers it
necessary;

RECALLING the Procedural and Substantive Rules in the Field of State Aid (3) adopted on 19 January 1994
by the EFTA Surveillance Authority (4);

WHEREAS, on 11 December 2004, the Commission of the European Communities (5) published a commu-
nication concerning the prolongation of the Communication on short-term export-credit insurance (6);

WHEREAS this communication is also of relevance for the European Economic Area;

WHEREAS the rules corresponding to the Communication on short-term export-credit insurance were taken
into Chapter 17A of the State Aid Guidelines;

WHEREAS Chapter 17A of the State Aid Guidelines expired on 31 December 2004;

WHEREAS a uniform application of the EEA State aid rules is to be ensured throughout the European
Economic Area;

(1) Hereinafter referred to as the EEA Agreement.
(2) Hereinafter referred to as the Surveillance and Court Agreement.
(3) Hereinafter referred to as the State Aid Guidelines.
(4) Guidelines on the application and interpretation of Articles 61 and 62 of the EEA Agreement, adopted and issued by
the EFTA Surveillance Authority on 19 January 1994, published in OJ L 231, 3.9.1994, p. 1, and EEA Supplement to
last amended by the Authority’s Decision No 371/04/COL, published in the OJ L 63,
the OJ No 32, 3.9.1994,
10.3.2005, p. 29, and EEA Supplement to the OJ No 11, 10.3.2005; hereinafter the ‘State Aid Guidelines’.

(5) Hereinafter referred to as the EC Commission.
(6) Commission communication concerning the prolongation of the Communication from the Commission to the
Member States pursuant to Article 93(1) of the EC Treaty applying Articles 92 and 93 of the Treaty to short-term
export-credit insurance, published in OJ C 307, 11.12.2004, p. 12.

L 294/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

10.11.2005

WHEREAS, according to point II under the heading ‘GENERAL’ at the end of Annex XV to the EEA
Agreement, the EFTA Surveillance Authority is to adopt, after consultation with the EC Commission,
acts corresponding to those adopted by the EC Commission;

HAVING consulted the EC Commission;

RECALLING that the EFTA Surveillance Authority has consulted the EFTA States in letters on the subject to
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway dated 22 April 2005,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

1. The State Aid Guidelines shall be amended by re-enacting Chapter 17A on short-term export-credit
insurance. The re-enacted Chapter 17A of the State Aid Guidelines will be valid until 31 December
2005. Chapter 17A of the State Aid Guidelines is contained in the Annex to this Decision (1).

2. The Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal

of the European Union.

3. The EFTA States shall be informed by means of a letter, including a copy of this Decision and the Annex.

4. The EC Commission shall be informed,

in accordance with point (d) of Protocol 27 of the EEA

Agreement, by means of a copy of this Decision, including the Annex.

5. This Decision shall be authentic in the English language.

Done at Brussels, 17 June 2005.

For the EFTA Surveillance Authority

Einar M. BULL

President

Bernd HAMMERMANN

College Member

(1) The Annex to this Decision is not published in the Official Journal of the European Union. For a full text of the
unchanged Chapter 17A of the State Aid Guidelines, please refer to the publication in OJ L 120, 23.4.1998, p. 27.