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: 2005-07-28
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, State aid, United Kingdom, aid to undertakings, control of State aid, small and medium-sized enterprises

C 185/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

28.7.2005

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 185/02)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XS 4/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Tuscany

Title of aid scheme: Aid for productive investment by SMEs
in the fashion business

Legal basis:

— Delibera Giunta regionale n. 1206 del 4 novembre 2002 ‘Riso-
luzione del Consiglio regionale n. 18/2002. Approvazione dello
schema per la definizione del progetto pilota integrato per il
sistema moda’.

— Decisione Giunta regionale n. 13 dell'11 luglio 2001 ‘Direttive

per l'attuazione dei regimi di aiuto’.

— Decreto Giunta regionale n. 6818 del 21 novembre 2002 Bando
per l'accesso al regime di aiuto Misura 1.1 ‘Aiuti agli investimenti
produttivi e ambientali delle PMI’ del PRSE 2001.

— Decreto Giunta regionale n. 6876 del 3 dicembre 2002 Bando
per l'accesso al regime di aiuto Misura 1.2 ‘Aiuti agli investimenti
di imprese artigiane’ del PRSE 2001-2005.

— DB — Manufacture of textiles and textile products

— DC — Manufacture of leather and leather products

— DN 36.2 — Manufacture of jewellery and related articles

Name and address of granting authority:

Regione Toscana
Via di Novoli, 26
I-50127 Firenze

Aid No: XS 38/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Title of aid scheme: Regional Programme of ERDF Innovative
Actions ‘FreNeSys’ — Action 2 ‘e-Cooperative business’ —
Measure 2.6 ‘support for demonstration projects’

Legal basis: Delibera Giunta regionale n. 4236 del 6.12.2002

Annual expenditure planned under
25 000 000

the scheme: EUR

Annual expenditure planned under
700 000

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 investment cost in the case of small enter-
prises or 7,5 % in the case of medium-sized enterprises. 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 enterprises and 14 % gge for medium-sized enterprises.

Date of implementation: January 2003. Date on which the
Commission received the notification.

Duration of scheme: Period 2003-05.

Objective of aid: To assist and to facilitate access to credit for
SMEs in the fashion business investing in tangible and intan-
gible assets.

Maximum aid intensity:

A. Gross intensity of aid for investment

in equipment shall not

exceed:

— 15 % in the case of small businesses;

— 7,5 % in the case of medium-sized businesses.

For businesses which have their head office and/or plant in
areas exempted under Article 87(3)(c) of the EC Treaty as
identified in Decision C(2000) No 2752 final, corrigendum
of 20 September 2000, the aid intensity shall not exceed
8 % nge + 10 % gge for small businesses and 8 % nge
+ 6 % gge for medium-sized businesses.

B. Gross intensity of aid for services provided by external consultants

Economic sector(s) concerned: Firms classified as falling
mainly under the following codes in the 1991 Italian Statistical
Office (ISTAT) classification:

shall not exceed:

— 50 % for SMEs.

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Date of implementation: 19 February 2003.

Duration of scheme: Until 30 June 2004.

Objective of aid: To support the competitiveness of regional
firms by creating or developing telematic networks for the
promotion of e-business. The projects, carried out by groupings
of firms and other bodies, will be publicised as examples of
good practice.

Economic sector(s) concerned:

(a) Industrial or craft businesses active in mining, processing

or manufacturing goods and construction;

(b) businesses providing services,

identified as among those
which can have positive effect on the development of all
the above production activities;

(c) businesses active in tourism and in retail and wholesale

trade.

This does not concern sectors not covered by Regulation (EC)
No 70/2001 and the transport sector. The sectoral ceilings laid
down by specific Community regulations or directives shall
apply.

Name and address of granting authority:

Regione Autonoma Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Direzione regionale degli Affari europei
Via Trento, 2
I-34132 Trieste
e-mail: Affari.europei@regione.fvg.it; s.promo@regione.fvg.it

Other information: The measure is carried out in collabora-
tion with the four regional chambers of commerce, industry,
agriculture and craft
(Gorizia, Udine, Pordenone, Trieste),
responsible for the administrative procedures.

Annual expenditure planned or overall amount of indivi-
dual aid granted to the company (Rural Conversion Grant
Funds (RCG)):

2003/04: GBP 415 000

2004/05: GBP 715 000

Total: GBP 1,13 million

Maximum aid intensity: 50 % of costs of tangible and intan-
gible investment (Article 87(3)(a) area — 35 % + 15 % for
SMEs). In some cases, investment aid will be calculated based
on job creation. No SME will receive more than GBP 20 000
per job created.

Up to 50 % of consultancy costs.

Date of implementation: 1 October 2003

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

Objective of aid: To support tangible and intangible invest-
ment costs and soft aid (consultancy)
in relation to SMEs.
Investment in premises will be where intervention is required
to ensure appropriate provision of accommodation to enable
the business to grow. The investment aid will encourage
growth and development within the County and stimulate
economic regeneration within urban and rural town and com-
munity centres by supporting the costs of investment in land,
buildings and equipment intended to create or extend a busi-
ness.

Support for consultancy costs will usually be limited to 10 % of
costs. Consultancy support will include one off payments to
support design and supervision of projects. The grant will not
be given to activity relating to the enterprise's usual operating
expenditure such as routine tax consultancy services, regular
legal services or advertising.

Economic sectors: All eligible industry sectors without preju-
dice to special rules concerning State aid in certain sectors —
Article 1(2) of the SME block exemption Regulations

Name and address of the granting authority:

Aid No: XS 106/03

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: West Wales & the Valleys

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving indivi-
dual aid: Carmarthenshire County Council Strategic Towns &
Villages Initiative, including: Rural Conversion Grant

Legal basis: Local Government Act 2000, Part 2 (Promotion
of wellbeing, subsection 4)

Sarah L Veck
Head of Economic Development
Economic Development Division
Carmarthenshire County Council
Business Resource Centre
Parc Amanwy
New Road
Ammanford
Carmarthenshire
SA18 3EP

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Official Journal of the European Union

28.7.2005

Aid No: XS 135/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Lombardy

Title of aid scheme: Aid to firms in the transport sector in
Brescia to set up ‘Vision 2000’ (2003/2004) business quality
systems.

Legal basis: Art. 12 L. 7 agosto 1990, n. 241.

Deliberazioni
29.9.2003.

camerali n. 240 del 10.12.2002 e n. 185 del

Determinazione dirigenziale n. 93/AV del 9.10.2003.

Annual expenditure planned under
50 000

the scheme: EUR

Maximum aid intensity: 50 % of the costs incurred up to a
maximum of EUR 2 066 for each firm.

Date of implementation: 20 October 2003

Maximum aid intensity: 35 % nge + 15 % gge

Date of implementation: From 11 August 2003

Duration of scheme: Until 31 December 2003

Objective of aid: To promote the development and competi-
tiveness of industrial districts and local productive clusters in
Sardinia by improving the networks of services to firms via the
introduction of innovative productive, commercial and promo-
tion processes and productive, technological and commercial
interaction between firms operating in the same district or
local productive cluster.

sector(s)

Economic
sectors
concerned: All
excluding activities relating to the production, processing or
marketing of products listed in Annex 1 to the Treaty.

economic

For the cork sector only the following sectors in the EC
combined nomenclature are eligible:

— CN code 4502 (Natural cork, debacked or roughly squared,
or in rectangular (including square) blocks, plates, sheets or
strip (including sharp-edged blanks for corks or stoppers);

Duration of scheme: From 20 October 2003 to 19 October
2004

— CN code 4503 (Articles of natural cork);

Objective of aid: To promote the setting up of business
quality systems in firms in Brescia based on the ‘Vision 2000’
standards for product and process certification.

— CN code 4504 (Agglomerated cork (with or without a

binding substance) and articles of agglomerated cork).

Economic sector(s) concerned: Transport

Name and address of granting authority:

Camera di commercio industria artigianato e agricoltura di
Brescia
Via Orzinuovi, n. 3
I-25125 Brescia
E-mail: costantino@bs.camcom.it

Name and address of granting authority:

Regione Autonoma della Sardegna
Assessorato dell'Industria — Servizio Infrastrutture
Viale Trento n. 69 — I-09123 Cagliari

Other information: The aid recipients are consortia and
companies set up by consortia of SMEs operating in the indus-
trial districts identified by decree No 377 of 7 August 1997 of
the Assessore responsible for industry and local productive
clusters identified by Delibera Giunta Regionale No 21/38 of
2 July 2002. The recipients retain their status as SMEs.

Aid No: XS 136/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Sardinia

Title of aid scheme: Financing of networks of services for
firms in industrial districts and in local productive clusters.

Legal basis: L.R. 24.12.1998, n. 37, art. 4

Delibera di Giunta n. 21/23 del 21.7.2003

Aid No: XS 137/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Title of aid scheme: Financing for craft firms for business
investment granted from the rotating fund for craft firms.

Annual expenditure planned under
6 713 940,38

the scheme: EUR

Legal basis: Decreto del Presidente della Regione n. 0259/Pres del
25.7.2003

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Annual expenditure planned under the scheme:

2003: EUR 6 000 000

2004: EUR 1 246 000

2005: EUR 1 000 000

Maximum aid intensity: Up to the ceilings laid down in
Community rules for aid to small and medium-sized firms and
in the regional aid map:

— 15 % gge for small

firms; 7,5 % gge for medium-sized

firms;

— for firms in areas qualifying for exemption under Article
87(3)(c) of the EC Treaty: 8 % nge + 10 % gge for small
firms; 8 % nge + 6 % gge for medium-sized firms.

Date of implementation: 26 September 2003

Duration of scheme: Until 31 December 2006, and for a
possible further adjustment period of not more than six
months, as provided for in Article 10 of Commission Regu-
lation (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.

Objective of aid: Aid to small and medium-sized craft firms
engaged in production activities and the provision of produc-
tion services in the form of subsidised loans for business invest-
ment in tangible and intangible assets.

Recipients: craft firms engaged in production activities and the
provision of production services, their consortia and companies
set up by their consortia, including cooperatives, falling within
the definition of small or medium-sized firms laid down in
to Commission Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 of
Annex I
12 January 2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of
the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enter-
prises.

Economic sector(s) concerned: All economic sectors, with
the exception of activities relating to the production, processing
or marketing of the products listed in Annex I to the EC
Treaty.

Name and address of granting authority:

Direzione regionale affari finanziari e patrimonio — Servizio
del credito
Corso Cavour, 1 — I-34100 Trieste
Tel. (040) 377 22 34
Fax (040) 377 20 84
E-mail: s.credito.ts@regione.fvg.it

Direzione regionale dell'artigianato e della cooperazione —
Servizio per lo sviluppo dell'artigianato
Via Giulia, 75/1 — I-34100 Trieste
Tel. (040) 377 48 22
Fax (040) 377 48 10
E-mail: dir.art.coop@regione.fvg.it

Other information: The scheme is in accordance with Regu-
lation (EC) No 70/2001 of 12 January 2001.

The regional authorities undertake to amend the definition of
small and medium-sized firms with effect
from 1 January
2005, in accordance with the Commission Recommendation of
6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and
medium-sized enterprises, published in OJ L 124 of 20 May
2003.

Aid No: XS 141/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Marche

Title of aid scheme: SPD Objective 2 2000-2006 — Measure
1.1 Aid to productive and environmental investment by small
sub-measure
and medium-sized industrial and craft
1.1.1. Aid to productive investment by small and medium-
sized industrial firms, intervention b1 Law 341/95 Article 1:
incentives for productive investment to set up new plant or to
expand, modernise, restructure, convert, reactivate or relocate
existing production plant.

firms,

Legal basis: Docup Ob. 2 2000-2006

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme:

Normal aid

EUR 1 840 615,00 for 2001

EUR 1 939 014,00 for 2002

EUR 2 308 531,40 for 2003

Total: EUR 6 088 160,40

Transitional aid:

EUR 625 682,40 for 2001

EUR 1 007 717,90 for 2002

EUR 938 681,80 for 2003

Total: EUR 2 572 082,10

Maximum aid intensity: In accordance with Regulation (EC)
No 70/2001, the following rates of aid will be applied: 15 %
gge for small firms and 7,5 % gge for medium-sized firms; in
areas that qualify for the derogation under Article 87(3)(c) of
the EC Treaty the rate will be 18 % for small firms and 14 %
for medium-sized firms, subject to the ceilings laid down by
the Commission decision on the derogation for Article 87(3)(c)
areas (8 % nge + 10 % gge for small
firms and 8 % nge
+ 6 % gge for medium-sized firms).

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Date of implementation: In accordance with Commission
guidelines, aid will be granted for costs incurred by the final
recipient from the date of publication of the call for applica-
tions.

— construction, production and distribution of electricity,
steam and hot water subject to the limitations imposed by
Ministerial Circular No 900315 of 14 July 2001;

— telecommunications;

Only expenditure incurred after the date on which the aid
application was submitted is eligible.

Duration of scheme: The scheme will not run as long as the
SPD 2 2000-2006 and will come to an end on 31 December
2003. As funds will be used up on a first come, first served
basis, aid applications should be submitted from 29 May 2003
to 28 July 2003.

Objective of aid: The aid is intended for small and medium-
sized industrial firms in Objective 2 and phasing out areas in
the Marche.

Economic sector(s) concerned:

— mining and quarrying, manufacturing;

— production services (information technology,

technology
technical and economic

transfer and IT intermediation,
consultancy).

The scheme excludes the manufacture of steel products listed
in Annex I to the ECSC Treaty, shipbuilding and ship repair,
the manufacture of synthetic fibres and the processing of agri-
cultural products. Specific restrictions are laid down for the
automobile industry, in accordance with Community law.

Activities involving the production, processing or marketing of
the goods listed in Annex I to the EC Treaty are excluded.

Name and address of granting authority:

Regione Marche
Servizio Industria e artigianato
Via Tiziano 44, I-60100 Ancona — tel. 0718061