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: 2005-06-24
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: State aid, control of State aid, small and medium-sized enterprises

C 153/16

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

24.6.2005

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

(2005/C 153/07)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XS 21/02

Member State: Italy

Region: Veneto

Economic sector(s) concerned:

The aid is intended for SMEs operating in the following indus-
tries:

— mining and quarrying;

Title of aid scheme: Measures to assist investment in organi-
sational and commercial innovation

— manufacturing;

Legal basis:

— Legge 27.10.1994, n. 598, art.11

— Decreto legislativo 31.03.98, n. 123

— Legge 23.12.1999, n. 488, art.54 comma 3

— Decreto legislativo 31.03.98, n.112, art.19

— Delibera di Giunta della Regione Veneto del 31.12.02, n. 3971

e relative schede allegate

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme: (in million
EUR)

— production and distribution of electric power;

— construction;

— computer and related activities;

— sewage and refuse disposal, sanitation and similar activities.

Name and address of granting authority:

Regione Veneto
Direzione Industria
Corso del Popolo, 14
30172 Mestre (VE)

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Aid No: XS 35/03

10

10

10

10

10

Member State: United Kingdom

Maximum aid intensity:

The aid intensities are within the permissible ceilings.

The intensities are as follows, in gross grant equivalent (gge) for
transactions carried out using a reference rate of 5 %:

— 7,1 gge for SMEs in areas qualifying for exemption under

Article 87(3)(c) of the EC Treaty;

— 5,7 gge for small enterprises in other parts of the Region;

— 2,8 gge for medium-sized enterprises in other parts of the

Region.

Region: County of Gwynedd, Wales

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an indi-
vidual aid: Gwynedd Business Development Package

Legal basis: Section 2(1) of the Local Government Act 2000

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

2003 — GBP 384 870,00

2004 — GBP 532 870,00

2005 — GBP 545 260,00

This funding will support a maximum of 203 SMEs which
meet the definition of Annex 1 of the SME Block Exemption.

The interest subsidy is calculated on the basis of an amortisa-
tion plan based on constant capital repayments.

Maximum aid intensity:

Date of implementation: 9 February 2002

Duration of scheme: Until 31 December 2006

The maximum aid intensity will be 50 %. The maximum grant
for most applications will be GBP 5 000 although grant up to
GBP 50 000 will be considered in exceptional cases where
grant assistance is not available from other sources.

Objective of aid: To support the development and dissemina-
tion of technology in SMEs by financing investment in organi-
sational and commercial innovation.

Grant will be for investment costs (Art 87(3)(a) — 35 %
+ 15 %) except in the case of business planning and marketing
where consultancy costs may be included.

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 153/17

Date of implementation: 1 February 2003

Maximum aid intensity:

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: November
2005

Objective of aid: The objective of the aid is to improve the
competitiveness and job creation capabilities of SMEs
in
Gwynedd (an Article 87(3)(A) area) through development of
new products and improvement of business processes. The
objectives will be achieved through consultancy support and
capital investment. The scheme aims to provide support to 160
existing SMEs and help to create 63 new SMEs thereby creating
200 new jobs and safeguarding 256 existing jobs.

Economic Sector(s) concerned:

All sectors excluding

— Coalmining

— Steel

— Shipbuilding

The maximum aid intensity for small and medium-sized enter-
prises is 50 % of the total amount of the consultancy cheques.

Subject to available resources, small and medium-sized enter-
prises can reserve a maximum of 820 consultancy cheques per
calendar year with a nominal value of EUR 30 per cheque;
maximum value EUR 24 600.

Date of implementation: 5 March 2003

Duration of scheme or duration of the individual aid: In
an initial phase the scheme will run for three years, after which
the measure will be assessed. The minister can then decide to
extend, adjust or terminate the scheme in the light of the
measure's effectiveness, political priorities and the available
budget.

— Synthetic fibres, textiles & clothing

Objective of aid:

— Motor vehicles

— Agriculture

— Food processing

— Retail

— Old people's homes and nursing homes

Name and address of the granting authority:

Colin Morris
Planning and Economic Development Department
Gwynedd Council
Council Offices
CAERNARFON
Gwynedd LL55 1SH

Aid No: XS 51/03

Member State: Belgium

Region: Flanders

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving indivi-
dual aid: Consultancy cheques — aid measure to promote
external consultancy services for Flemish small and medium-
sized companies.

Legal basis: Besluit van de Vlaamse regering van 14 februari 2003
betreffende de adviescheques. Dit besluit valt onder het toepassingsge-
bied van de Verordening (EG) nr. 70/2001 van de Commissie van
12 januari 2001 betreffende de toepassing van artikel 87 en 88 van
het EG-Verdrag op staatssteun voor kleine en middelgrote onderne-
mingen, en eventuele latere wijzigingen van deze verordening.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of aid granted to the company: The total budget
allocated for the ‘consultancy cheques’ measure in all eligible
sectors is EUR 5 million per year.

The measure is designed to promote affordable, high-quality
external consultancy services for small and medium-sized enter-
prises. In practice, these firms are often reluctant to make use
of external consultants either because they are concerned about
the high price, because they assume that the advice is not
tailored to their needs or simply because they are not aware
that these services are available.

With a view to guaranteeing the quality of consultancy services,
an independent body (Raad voor Advies en Consultancy)
endorses quality certificates. The Flemish Government grants
recognitoin to consultancy bodies with a quality certificate of
this type. The list of recognised consultancy bodies can be
accessed on the Flemish Government's website. Companies
decide themselves which consultancy body they wish to
contact.

Companies can also order consultancy cheques, worth EUR 30
each, from the Flemish Government. The cost is shared equally
by the company and the Flemish Government. A company can
purchase 820 consultancy cheques each year which are valid
for 14 months from the date of issue. Since this is an e-gov
measure, cheques must be ordered via the internet.

Economic sector(s) concerned: The measure is covered by
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.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Ministerie van de Vlaamse Gemeenschap
Afdeling Economisch Ondersteuningsbeleid
Cel Adviescheques
Markiesstraat 1
1000 Brussels

C 153/18

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

24.6.2005

Aid No: XS 64/01

Member State: Italy

Region: Piedmont

Title of aid scheme: Single programming document 2000 —
Region of Piedmont 2006 — Measure 2.2 ‘Financial and
consultancy systems for the development and creation of busi-
nesses’ — Item 2.2.b ‘Financial engineering via participating
loans’

Legal basis:

(a) Atto deliberativo della Giunta Regionale n. 12-3626 del 31
luglio 2001 ‘Reg. 1260. Ob. 2. DOCUP Regione Piemonte,
periodo di programmazione 2000/2006. Approvazione progetti
di aiuto in esenzione ai sensi del Reg. Ce 70/2001 — Allegato
4 — 2.2.b Interventi di ingegneria finanziaria tramite prestiti
partecipativi.’

(b) Determina Dirigenziale n. 149 dell'8 ottobre 2002 in Bollettino
Ufficiale della Regione Piemonte n. 42 del 17 ottobre 2002, p.
59 e ss.

the scheme: The
Annual expenditure planned under
money envisaged is to be provided under the scheme set up by
Item 2.2.b ‘Financial engineering via participating loans’ and
consists of funding for Objective 2 and phasing-out.

Year

2002

2003

2004

Expenditure (EUR)

7 000 000

4 200 000

2 800 000

Maximum aid intensity:

Tangible and intangible investment

7,5 % gge for medium-sized firms;

15 % gge for small firms;

no bonus for Article 87(3)(c) areas.

Date of implementation: 18 November 2002

Duration of scheme: 30 June 2007

Objective of aid:

Aid for investment.

Item 2.2.b forms part of the single programming document for
Piedmont 2000-2006, Part 2 ‘System upgrading and support’,
Measure 2.2 ‘Financial and consultancy systems for the devel-
opment and creation of businesses’; it is intended to strengthen
the capital base of SMEs in order to promote productive invest-
ment, contribute to the development and creation of busi-
nesses, and provide a basis for the consolidation of the business
and production sector, thus helping to maintain and develop
employment.

Economic sector(s) concerned:

All sectors

All services

Observations

The scheme will apply to small and medium-sized enterprises,
as defined in Annex I to 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 (OJ L 10, 13.1.2001), that are active in manu-
facturing, construction, crafts, tourism and services and are
located in an Objective 2 area, a phasing-out area and/or an
Article 87(3)(c) area.

The item provides for the setting up of a revolving fund to be
used to grant participating loans to financially sound SMEs
with solid development prospects whose shareholders have
approved but not paid up a share capital increase of between
EUR 50 000 and EUR 1 000 000.

The aid intensity may not exceed 7,5 % gge in the case of
medium-sized firms and 15 % gge in the case of small firms.

The increase in the share capital must be linked to an invest-
ment programme aimed at technological
innovation and the
expansion and development of the business at a cost at least
equal to the public financing to be provided under the single
programming document. The
increase must be
approved by a specific resolution of an extraordinary general
meeting of the applicant company.

capital

The item is intended to encourage the injection of fresh liquid
resources into businesses.

Accordingly, capital increases under Articles 2440 and 2442 of
the Civil Code (goods in kind and loans, and conversion of
reserves to equity) are not admissible; nor are those which
make use of reserves or other existing balance-sheet items.

The aid cannot be combined with other public assistance
towards the same measure.

Admissible applications must relate to measures not yet taken:
capital
increases already paid up before the application is
submitted will not be considered.

the

technical

admissibility,

At
implementation and final
reporting stages the implementing body must establish among
other things that the capital increase approved is strictly linked
to the investment planned (and that the financing provided will
be recoverable if and to the extent that the increase does not
comply with the objectives and requirements which the item
lays down) and that the admissible expenditure complies with
Articles 2(c) and (d) and 4(5) of Regulation (EC) No 70/2001.

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 153/19

The Region of Piedmont has undertaken not to exceed the aid
intensity laid down in Regulation (EC) No 70/2001,
i.e.
7,5 % gge for medium-sized firms and 15 % gge for small
firms, by inserting a ‘containment clause’ into the item: such a
clause is included in the single programming document, the
programme complement and the invitations to tender.

The aid will be granted without prejudice to regulations, direc-
tives and guidelines under the EC Treaty governing the granting
of State aid in specific sectors within the meaning of Article 1
of Regulation (EC) No 70/2001.
If applications for aid are
received from firms in the sectors governed by specific Com-
munity rules on State aid, the implementing body will examine
them in the light of the rules applicable and will comply with
their requirements.

Name and address of granting authority:
Regione Piemonte
Direzione Industria
Via Pisano n. 6
10152 Torino

Other information:
Person to contact:
Dott. Giuseppe Benedetto,
Via Pisano, 6
Torino
Tel. 011/4323195
Fax 011/4323483
E-mail: direzione16@regione.piemonte.it

Aid No: XS 119/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Tuscany

Title of aid scheme: Automatic fiscal aid measures to support
the productive base.

Legal basis:

— Art. 1 legge 341/95 e s.m. e i. di cui alla legge 266/97

— Decreto legislativo 112/98, art. 19

— Decreto legislativo 123/98

— Decreto Giunta regionale n. 6108/03

Annual expenditure planned under
20 000 000

the scheme: EUR

Maximum aid intensity:

The aid intensity for the individual firm, expressed in gross
grant equivalent (gge), may not exceed 15 % of the total invest-
ment cost in the case of small firms or 7,5 % in the case of
medium-sized firms.

Where the areas covered by the scheme qualify for exemption
under Article 87(3)(c) of the Treaty, the aid ceiling is 18 % gge
for small firms and 14 % gge for medium-sized firms.

Date of implementation: November 2003, date on which the
Commission received the notification.

Duration of scheme: 2003-2006

Objective of aid: The aid in the form of a tax bonus is
intended for expenditure on measures to set up new plant, and
to expand, modernise, restructure, convert, reactivate and relo-
cate production plant.

Economic sector(s) concerned:

ISTAT Codes 1991

— Section C — Mining and quarrying

— Section D — Manufacturing

— Section F — Construction

— Division K 72 — Computer and related activities

— Division K 74 — Other professional and business activities

— Division I 63 — Supporting and auxiliary transport activ-

ities.

Firms engaged in the production, processing or marketing of
products listed in Annex I to the EC Treaty and firms in the
shipbuilding industry are excluded.

The recipient
sound.

firms must be financially and economically

Name and address of granting authority:
Regione Toscana
Via di Novoli, 26
I-50127 Firenze

Other information:

The aid scheme does not apply to export-related activities, i.e.
aid directly linked to the quantities exported, to the establish-
ment and operation of a distribution network or to other
current expenditure linked to the export activity, and aid
contingent upon the use of domestic over imported goods.

Only expenditure incurred since the date on which the aid
application was submitted is eligible. Only consultancy services
that are not continuous or regular, or connected with the
normal operating expenses of the firm are eligible for aid.