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: 2008-05-06
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, State aid, aid to undertakings, control of State aid, exchange of information, small and medium-sized enterprises

C 111/22

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

6.5.2008

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

(2008/C 111/08)

Aid No: XA 7054/07

Member State: Italy

Region: Umbria

the European Commission is currently examining for
approval,
for aid to integrated agri-food projects in the
remaining part of the region

Maximum aid intensity:

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an indi-
vidual aid award:

1. For primary production, the aid is granted in the form of
capital contributions for the following maximum amounts:

Progetti integrati di filiera a favore delle PMI attive nel settore
della produzione,
trasformazione e commercializzazione dei
prodotti di cui all'allegato I del trattato. Criteri per la conces-
sione degli aiuti

Legal basis:

Deliberazione della Giunta regionale n. 1798 del 12 novembre
2007 avente per oggetto «Modifiche ed integrazioni alla DGR
1449/2007 concernente: progetti
filiera a favore
delle PMI attive nel settore della produzione, trasformazione e
commercializzazione dei prodotti di cui all'allegato I del trattato,
criteri per la concessione degli aiuti».

integrati di

This aid scheme must be regarded as a modification of the
preceding exempted aid scheme registered by the Commission,
pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1/2004, under XA 02/05. It
will be launched with a specific call for applications setting out
the terms and conditions for submitting applications. The call
will be published only after the Commission has confirmed, in
accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 70/2001,
receipt of this summary information sheet and its publication
on the Commission's website.

For all aid categories relating to the production of products
listed in Annex I to the Treaty, it should be pointed out that the
legal basis, which is the above-mentioned exempted aid scheme
XA 02/05,
is revised to take account of Regulation (EC)
No 1857/2006. Consequently, pursuant to Article 20 of the
above-mentioned Regulation, we will send the Commission,
jointly with this summary information, the summary informa-
tion which constitutes the legal prerequisite for launching the
exempted aid scheme in that sector

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

EUR 5,45 million broken down as follows:

— 40 % of expenditure for the following interventions/

operations:

(a) construction or improvement of immovable property
and purchase of agricultural land for up to 10 % of
the total costs borne by each implementing party;
immovable property may also be purchased, if essen-
tial to attain the aims of the project, for a maximum
eligible expenditure of EUR 516 per usable square
metre;

(b) expenditure for the introduction of company quality
systems in compliance with the ISO 9000 standard,

— 20 % of the expenditure borne to purchase machinery

and equipment, including computer equipment,

— 12 % for overheads related to the expenditure described
in points (a) and (b), including the purchase of patents
and licences.

The above rates shall be increased by 10 percentage points if
the intervention/operation takes place in mountainous or
less-favoured areas as established in the 2007-2013 Rural
Development Programme for Umbria pursuant to Articles 50
and 94 of Regulation (EC) No 1698/2005 and by a further
10 points if it is carried out by young farmers.

The maximum amount of aid granted to an individual enter-
prise must not exceed EUR 400 000 over any period of
three financial years or EUR 500 000 if the enterprise is situ-
ated in a mountainous or less-favoured area as established in
the 2007-2013 Rural Development Plan for Umbria
pursuant
to Articles 50 and 94 of Regulation (EC)
No 1698/2005.

— EUR 5 million primarily for enterprises in the area of Lake
Trasimeno in the province of Perugia (Magione, Panicale,
C. del Lago, Tuoro, Passignano, Città della Pieve, Piegaro,
Paciano),

— EUR 450 000 as a first allocation and according to the sche-
dule established in the 2007-2013 RDP for Umbria, which

The primary production sector also includes any investment
in the agricultural holding needed to prepare animal or vege-
table products for the first sale. The term ‘first sale’ means
the sale effected by a primary producer to retailers or proces-
sors, including any operation needed to prepare the product
for this first sale, and the sale to the final consumer provided
it takes place in premises that are not separate from other
premises used for the primary activity.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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The following expenditure is not eligible:

— the purchase of production rights, animals and annual

plants,

— drainage works,

irrigation equipment and irrigation

works,

— the planting of annual plants,

— simple replacement investments,

— investments

the manufacture and marketing of
products which imitate or substitute for milk and milk
products.

for

2. For processing and marketing, the aid is granted in the form of
capital contributions up to 40 % of expenditure for the
following interventions/operations:

immovable property may also be purchased,

(a) the construction or improvement of immovable prop-
if
erty;
essential
for a
maximum eligible expenditure of EUR 516 per usable
square metre;

to attain the aims of

the project,

(b) expenditure for the introduction of company quality
systems in compliance with the ISO 9000 standard;

(c) the purchase of machinery,

equipment,

including

computer equipment, and technological installations;

(d) up to 12 % of overheads related to the expenditure
described in points (a), (b) and (c), including the purchase
of patents and licences.

The following expenditure is not eligible:

— investments for the phases following the first processing
phase unless the first processing of a product listed in
Annex I to the Treaty is carried out at the enterprise,

— investments at retail level,

— up to 100 % of the costs borne by individual or asso-
ciated producers, and up to EUR 30 000 for each enter-
prise, for the following interventions:

(a) expenditure relating to checks carried out in connec-
tion with the issuing of the first certification required
for quality products recognised at Community level
IGT, PGI, TSG, and organic
(DOC, DOCG, PDO,
products),

— up to 50 % of

expenditure borne, up to
EUR 100 000, for each enterprise for the following inter-
ventions:

the

(b) expenditure for the introduction of environmental
quality systems in compliance with the ISO 14000
or EMAS standard,

— up to 80 % of

the

expenditure borne, up to

EUR 100 000, for each enterprise for the following:

(c) expenditure for

the introduction of certification

systems in the food chain,

— up to 70 % of expenditure borne by individual or asso-
ciated enterprises, and up to EUR 200 000, for interven-
tions relating to marketing support services, i.e.:

(d) publications,

as

such

catalogues

or websites,
presenting factual information on the sector product
provided the information is neutral and that all the
operators in the sector have equal opportunities to be
represented in the publications;

shows

and forums

(e) organising and participating in competitions, trade
fairs,
for knowledge-sharing
among businesses, provided it is for the following:
participation fees, travel costs, publication costs, the
rent of exhibition stands, symbolic prizes up to
EUR 250 per prize and per winner;

(f) quality products

(DOC, DOCG, PDO,
products):

recognised at Community level
IGT, PGI, TSG, and organic

— investments for processing or marketing products from

non-EU countries.

(i) the dissemination of scientific knowledge;

For each enterprise, maximum eligible expenditure is limited
to 40 % of the turnover of the last budget approved as of
the date of submission of the application, or to ten times the
share capital subscribed as of the same date.

In any case, for enterprises processing and marketing agri-
cultural products listed in Annex I to the Treaty, expenditure
may only be eligible for support if in compliance with Regu-
lation (EC) No 70/2001.

(ii) factual

information on the quality systems and
nutritional benefits of these products and their
use provided that the references to the origin
correspond exactly to those references which
have been registered by the Community.

Aid for technical support services does not involve direct
payments to farmers except in the cases provided for in
Article 14(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006

3. For

integrated management

environmental
protection, public health, animal and plant health, animal welfare
and safety at work, the aid is granted in the form of capital
contributions for the following amounts:

relating to quality,

Date of implementation: 1 October 2007

Duration of scheme: 31 December 2008

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Official Journal of the European Union

6.5.2008

Objective of aid: Support to SMEs involved in the production,
processing and marketing of agricultural products under Annex I
to the EC Treaty (except
forestry, bioenergy and fishery
products) aimed at stepping up competition in the main agri-
food sectors in Umbria by introducing product and process
innovations and integrated management as to quality, safety and
environmental protection and support services for marketing
agricultural products, mostly quality products.

For the production sector, the legal basis for the exemption of
this aid scheme is provided by Articles 4, 14 and 15 of Regu-
lation (EC) No 1857/2006.

For the processing and marketing sector, the legal basis for the
exemption of this aid scheme is provided by Articles 4 and 5 of
Regulation (EC) No 70/2001.

Eligible costs covered by the aid scheme are indicated under
‘Maximum aid intensity’ above

Sector(s) concerned: The sectors concerned by the aid scheme
are the production, processing and marketing of products listed
in Annex I to the EC Treaty (except forestry, bioenergy and
fishery products).

For all initiatives planned under this aid scheme, evidence must
be given of the existence of normal market outlets. Investments
to increase production capacity in sectors with specific limita-
tions under common market organisations are not eligible
unless justified by the purchase of the corresponding production
quotas

Name and address of the granting authority:

Regione Umbria — Direzione regionale Agricoltura e foreste,
aree protette, valorizzazione dei sistemi naturalistici e paesaggis-
tici, beni ed attività culturali, sport e spettacolo
Centro direzionale Fontivegge
I-06100 Perugia

Website:

www.regione.umbria.it

— select ‘aree tematiche’,

— select ‘agricoltura e foreste’ on the left,

— under ‘ultime notizie’, select ‘D.G.R. del’,

— select ‘clicca qui’

E-mail:

fgarofalo@regione.umbria.it

Other information: Aid for the production of agricultural
products listed in Annex I to the Treaty is implemented as
exempted aid pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1857/2006. As a
consequence,
the above-
in accordance with Article 20 of
mentioned Regulation, the summary information on exempted
aid for this sector is being forwarded to the Commission jointly
with this summary information