Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises
Date: 2007-04-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Belgium, State aid, control of State aid, exchange of information, organic farming, small and medium-sized enterprises

5.4.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 77/17

Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regu-
lation (EC) No 70/2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to
small and medium-sized enterprises

(2007/C 77/07)

XA Number: XA 7001/07

Member State: Belgium

Region (indicate the name of the region if
granted by a subcentral authority): Flemish Region

the aid is

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving indivi-
dual aid (indicate the name of the aid scheme or, in the
case of individual aid, the name of the beneficiary): Aid to
inspection bodies for organic production

Legal basis (indicate the precise national legal reference for
the aid scheme or for the individual aid):

Titel: Koninklijk Besluit van 17 april 1992 inzake de
biologische productiemethode en aanduidingen dienaangaande
op landbouwproducten en levensmiddelen, artikel 8bis; gewij-
zigd bij het KB van 10 juli 1998 en 3 september 2000
(B.s. 20-05-2000).

Referentie:
1992-04-17/32.

Belgisch

staatsblad

20-05-2000,

dossier

nr.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company (amounts
are to be given in euros or, if applicable, national currency):
EUR 60 000 for 1 year (renewable annually)

Maximum aid intensity (indicate the maximum aid intensity
or the maximum aid amount per eligible item):

Taking into account the fact
Flemish organic farmers:

that there are a total of 233

1. A total

annual

expenditure up to a maximum of
EUR 18 000 is anticipated to compensate inspection bodies
for obligations imposed by the Flemish authorities (infor-
mation provided as part of the report referred to in Article
15 of Council Regulation (EC) No 2092/91).

2. A total

annual

expenditure up to a maximum of
EUR 42 000 as compensation for obligations imposed by
the Flemish authorities (including carrying out
tests and
random checks in line with the general provisions set out in
Point 5 of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 2092/91. This
covers:

— up to a maximum of 25 % (or a maximum of EUR 128
per producer) of the producer's total inspection costs;

Date of implementation (indicate the date from which aid
may be granted under the scheme or when the individual
aid is granted):

Aid may be granted in the course of 2007 and, at the earliest,
15 days after submission of an application.

Aid can be granted by means of an implementation decree.
These decrees are drawn up annually. A draft implementation
decree has yet to be drawn up, and will
include a ‘standstill
clause’.

Duration of scheme or individual aid award (indicate the
date (year and month) until which aid may be granted
under the scheme or, in the case of individual aid and if
appropriate, the expected date (year and month) of the last
instalment to be paid): Expiry date: 31 December 2007

Objective of aid (it is understood that the primary objec-
tive is aid to SMEs) (indicate the further (secondary) objec-
tives pursued and indicate which one of Articles 4 to 17 is
used and the eligible costs covered by the scheme or indivi-
dual aid):

To support small and medium-sized enterprises and sectoral
development.

More specifically,
‘aid to encourage the production of quality
agricultural products’ on the basis of Article 14 of Commission
Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006 of 15 December 2006 on the
application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty to State aid to
small and medium-sized enterprises active in the production of
agricultural products
and amending Regulation (EC) No
70/2001.

Sector(s) concerned (indicate the subsectors by mentioning
the type of animal production (e.g. pig/poultry) or type of
plant production (e.g. apple/tomato) concerned): Organic
farming

Name and address of the granting authority:
Vlaamse overheid
Beleidsdomein Landbouw en Visserij
Departement Landbouw en Visserij
Afdeling Duurzame Landbouwontwikkeling
WTC III — 12de verd.
Simon Bolivarlaan 30
B-1000 Brussel

Other information:
Belgisch Staatsblad/Moniteur Belge website:
http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi/welcome.pl
http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/doc/rech_n.htm

— the administrative costs incurred by inspection bodies as

a result of the aid scheme.

Jules Van Liefferinge
Secretary-General