12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/1

---

Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 159/01)

Date of adoption of the decision	29.5.2007
Reference number of the aid	N 732/06
Member State	Netherlands
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	BioGeneration Ventures Fund
Legal basis	Wet van 7 juli 1987, houdende herziene regeling van de Nederlandse organisatie voor zuiver-wetenschappelijk onderzoek; Convenant Nationaal Regioorgaan Genomics, 30 augustus 2001
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Risk capital, Innovation
Form of aid	Provision of risk capital
Budget	Overall budget: EUR 6 million
Intensity	—
Duration	Until 1.10.2018
Economic sectors	All sectors
Name and address of the granting authority	Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO) Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indië 300 2593 CE Den Haag Nederland
Other information	—

The authentic text(s) of the decision, from which all confidential information has been removed, can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/community_law/state_aids/

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/2

---

Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 159/02)

Date of adoption of the decision	22.5.2007
Reference number of the aid	NN 5/07
Member State	Italy
Region	Nuoro
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Aiuto al salvataggio del Gruppo Legler
Legal basis	Decreto legge n. 35 del 17 marzo 2005, modificato dalla legge del 14 maggio 2005«Fondo per il finanziamento degli interventi consentiti dagli orientamenti UE sugli aiuti di stato per il salvataggio e la ristrutturazione delle imprese in difficoltà»
Type of measure	Individual aid
Objective	Rescue of firms in difficulty Regional development
Form of aid	Guarantee
Budget	Overall budget: EUR 13 million
Intensity	—
Duration	6 months
Economic sectors	Textiles
Name and address of the granting authority	Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico Via Molise n. 2 I-00187 Roma
Other information	—

The authentic text(s) of the decision, from which all confidential information has been removed, can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/community_law/state_aids/

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/3

---

Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case COMP/M.4720 — Doughty Hanson/Axcom)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 159/03)

On 5 July 2007, the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration and to declare it compatible with the common market. This decision is based on Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. The full text of the decision is available only in English and will be made public after it is cleared of any business secrets it may contain. It will be available:

—	from the Europa competition website (http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/mergers/cases/). This website provides various facilities to help locate individual merger decisions, including company, case number, date and sectoral indexes,

—	in electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32007M4720. EUR-Lex is the on-line access to European law. (http://eur-lex.europa.eu)

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/3

---

Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case COMP/M.4722 — PAI/Kaufman&Broad)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 159/04)

On 5 July 2007, the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration and to declare it compatible with the common market. This decision is based on Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. The full text of the decision is available only in English and will be made public after it is cleared of any business secrets it may contain. It will be available:

—	from the Europa competition website (http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/mergers/cases/). This website provides various facilities to help locate individual merger decisions, including company, case number, date and sectoral indexes,

—	in electronic form on the EUR-Lex website under document number 32007M4722. EUR-Lex is the on-line access to European law. (http://eur-lex.europa.eu)

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/4

---

Euro exchange rates (1)

11 July 2007

(2007/C 159/05)

1 euro=

	Currency	Exchange rate
USD	US dollar	1,3753
JPY	Japanese yen	167,39
DKK	Danish krone	7,4395
GBP	Pound sterling	0,67695
SEK	Swedish krona	9,1663
CHF	Swiss franc	1,6535
ISK	Iceland króna	83,40
NOK	Norwegian krone	7,9655
BGN	Bulgarian lev	1,9558
CYP	Cyprus pound	0,5841
CZK	Czech koruna	28,475
EEK	Estonian kroon	15,6466
HUF	Hungarian forint	246,83
LTL	Lithuanian litas	3,4528
LVL	Latvian lats	0,6966
MTL	Maltese lira	0,4293
PLN	Polish zloty	3,7745
RON	Romanian leu	3,1352
SKK	Slovak koruna	33,377
TRY	Turkish lira	1,7830
AUD	Australian dollar	1,5963
CAD	Canadian dollar	1,4569
HKD	Hong Kong dollar	10,7501
NZD	New Zealand dollar	1,7719
SGD	Singapore dollar	2,0839
KRW	South Korean won	1 264,24
ZAR	South African rand	9,7000
CNY	Chinese yuan renminbi	10,4015
HRK	Croatian kuna	7,2885
IDR	Indonesian rupiah	12 422,40
MYR	Malaysian ringgit	4,7468
PHP	Philippine peso	63,470
RUB	Russian rouble	35,1150
THB	Thai baht	42,153

---

(1)  

Source: reference exchange rate published by the ECB.

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/5

---

Opinion of the Advisory Committee on restrictive practices and dominant positions given at its 421st meeting on 11 december 2006 concerning a draft decision in Case COMP/F/39.234 — Alloy surcharge readoption

(2007/C 159/06)

1.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission on the applicability of Article 65(1) of the ECSC Treaty despite its expiry.

2.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission's assessment of the facts as an agreement and/or concerted practice within the meaning of Article 65(1) of the ECSC Treaty.

3.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission's assessment of the product and geographic market affected by the cartel in the draft decision.

4.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission's draft decision as regards the addressee of the decision, in particular with reference to imputation of liability to TKS for the behaviour of TS-AG.

5.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission's finding that the principle of ‘ne bis in idem’ does not forbid the adoption of the present decision.

6.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission's finding that the limitation period has not expired.

7.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission on the basic amount of the fine.

8.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission on the decrease of the basic amount due to an attenuating circumstance.

9.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission on the amount of the reduction of the fine based on the 1996 Commission Notice on the non-imposition or reduction of fines in cartel cases.

10.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission on the final amount of the fine.

11.	The Advisory Committee recommends the publication of its opinion in the Official Journal of the European Union.

12.	The Advisory Committee asks the Commission to take into account all the other points raised during the discussion.

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/6

---

Final report of the Hearing Officer in Case COMP/F/39.234 — Alloy Surcharge Re-adoption

(pursuant to Articles 15 and 16 of Commission Decision 2001/462/EC, ECSC of 23 May 2001 on the terms of reference of Hearing Officers in certain competition proceedings — OJ L 162, 19.6.2001, p. 21)

(2007/C 159/07)

The draft Decision in the above-mentioned case gives rise to the following observations:

The background of the case

The draft Decision is a readoption of Commission Decision 98/247/ECSC of 21 January 1998 (1) which the Commission had addressed, among others, to ThyssenKrupp Stainless GmbH (‘TKS’). The Decision of 21 January 1998 established their participation in a price cartel in the steel sector and imposed a fine of EUR 4 536 000 million on TKS for its own cartel infringement, and a fine of EUR 3 564 000 on TKS for the cartel infringement committed by Thyssen Stahl AG (‘TS-AG’). TKS had accepted responsibility for TS-AG's actions for the period from December 1993 to 1 January 1995 in a letter dated 23 July 1997.

The Commission Decision was annulled on procedural grounds, as far as concerns TKS's liability for this infringement of Article 65 of the ECSC Treaty, by the CFI's judgment of 13 December 2001 in Joined Cases T-45/98 and T-47/98. This judgment was confirmed upon appeal and cross-appeal in the ECJ's judgment of 14 July 2005 in Joined Cases C-65/02 P and C-73/02.

The procedural defect identified by the Community Courts which led to the annulment related to the exercise of the rights of defence by TKS in respect of the fine imposed on them for the conduct of TS-AG. The Commission had sent separate Statement of Objections (‘SO’) to the two parties. This was followed by a statement of TKS according to which it had explicitly assumed liability for the infringing actions of TS-AG. The Courts held that the Commission, by neglecting to ask TKS whether it wished to submit observations concerning the objections addressed specifically to TS-AG (for which TKS ultimately was fined), violated TKS's rights of defence. Since the Commission sent separate SOs to TKS and TS-AG, and they replied separately, ‘it was incumbent on the Commission to question and hear the views of TKS concerning [TS-AG's] actions before deeming it to be responsible for the latter and imposing on it a fine for the infringement attributed to [TS-AG].’ (2)

The service of the SO and the reply time

A new SO was sent on 5 April 2006 and was received by TKS on 6 April 2006. It essentially took up the objections as set out in the initial SO which had been sent to TKS in April 1997. In addition, this SO sought to remedy the procedural defect by putting TKS in a position to comment on the allegations for which it had accepted liability in principle. TKS was first given the opportunity to comment by 18 May 2006. TKS' comments were received on 17 May 2006.

Access to file and oral hearing

Access to the Commission's file was first granted on 24 April 2006 by allowing TKS's representatives to access the file at the Commission's premises. On 2 May 2006, the relevant Commission service supplemented the access to file by submitting further documents which had been considered confidential in the first place. In response to issues raised in TKS's reply to the SO and further to an exchange of letters between the relevant Commission service, TKS and me, the Commission granted access to some further documents, which had also been classified as confidential in the first place.

In view of the fact that TKS maintained their request, I decided to verify the remaining confidentiality requests. I came to the conclusion that one of the information provider's requests for confidentiality did not seem to be sufficiently reasoned. After their representatives were contacted, the company provided a more meaningful non-confidential version for certain pages of the Commission's file which had not been submitted to TKS up until this stage. I sent this additional information to TKS on 20 September 2006.

By contrast, contrary to the view of TKS's legal representative, I took the view that a request for access to documents in the file not disclosed in the first place because of their prima facie confidential contents requires reasons that explain why the information in question could be useful for the company's defence. This necessity becomes evident when bearing in mind that only such a reasoned request puts the Commission in a position to balance the interest in obtaining information for purposes of a company's defence and a third party's legitimate interest in confidentiality. In order to put TKS in a position to submit such a reasoned request, I verified that TKS had been provided with appropriate non-confidential versions of the documents classified as confidential. However, as TKS did not provide any substantial reasoning as to why they needed the prima facie confidential documents for its defence, I decided not to disclose them.

The oral hearing took place on 15 September 2006.

The draft Decision

The draft Decision is based on the final Decision of 21 January 1998. In addition, it addresses legal issues which arise in view of the time that elapsed and in view of the judgments of the Court of First Instance and Court of Justice that were taken between 21 January 1998 and the intended readoption of the Decision.

In particular, the draft decision provides further explanations on the following points:

—

The Commission's power to impose fines is subject to a limitation period of five years which starts to run on the day when the infringements ceased. The Commission takes the view that a possible prescription vis-à-vis TS-AG would not exclude fining TKS for TS-AG's behaviour, as TKS's liability for TS-AG's behaviour is not necessarily of derivative, accessory or subsidiary nature, as has been alleged by TKS.

—	The ECSC Treaty expired on 23 July 2002. However, it is considered that by virtue of the principle of succession of norms within a single legal order, the Commission remains competent to sanction the infringement committed before the date of expiry.

The draft Decision submitted to the Commission only contains objections in respect of which the parties have been afforded the opportunity of making known their views.

I conclude that the rights of the parties to be heard have been respected in the present case.

---

(1)  OJ L 100, 1.4.1998, p. 55.

(2)  Judgment of the ECJ in Joined Cases C-65/02 P and C-73/02 P, ThyssenKrupp Stainless GmbH and ThyssenKrupp Acciai speciali Terni SpA v Commission, 14 July 2005, par. 86.

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/8

---

Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 1628 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty to national regional investment aid

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 159/08)

Aid No	XR 21/07
Member State	United Kingdom
Region	Northern Ireland
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Tourism Development Scheme
Legal basis	Tourism (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 — Article 11
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Annual budget	GBP 1,5 million
Maximum aid intensity	30 %
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Date of implementation	1.1.2007
Duration	31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors eligible for regional investment aid
Name and address of the granting authority	Northern Ireland Tourist Board St Anne's Court 59 North Street Belfast BT1 1NB United Kingdom Tel. (44-28) 90 23 12 21 info@nitb.com
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	http://www.nitb.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1369
Other information	—

Aid No	XR 58/07
Member State	Spain
Region	Extremadura
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Financiación prioritaria
Legal basis	Decreto 19/2007, de 6 de febrero, por el que se establece un programa de financiación prioritaria del tejido empresarial de esta Comunidad autónoma /D.O.E. no 18 de 13 de febrero)
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Annual budget	EUR 10 million
Maximum aid intensity	40 %
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Date of implementation	14.02.2007
Duration	31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors eligible for regional investment aid
Name and address of the granting authority	Junta de Extremadura Consejería de Economía y Trabajo Dirección General de Promoción Empresarial e Industrial Paseo de Roma, s/n E-06800 Mérida — Badajoz Correo electrónico: dgpei@eco.juntaex.es
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	http://doe.juntaex.es/pdfs/doe/2007/180O/07040020.pdf
Other information	—

Aid No	XR 67/07
Member State	Spain
Region	Murcia
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Programa de Promoción de Infraestructuras y Equipamientos Económicos
Legal basis	Orden de 15 de febrero de 2007, por la que se aprueban las Bases Reguladoras y la Convocatoria para 2007 de las ayudas del Instituto de Fomento de la Región de Murcia dirigidas a las empresas (anexo 1)
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Annual budget	EUR 0,45 million
Maximum aid intensity	30 %
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Date of implementation	23.2.2007
Duration	31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors eligible for regional investment aid
Name and address of the granting authority	Instituto de Fomento de la Región de Murcia Avda de la Fama, 3 E-30003 Murcia
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	http://www.ifrm-murcia.es
Other information	—

Aid No	XR 72/07
Member State	Sweden
Region	Övre Norrland, Mellersta Norrland, Norra, Mellansverige, Östra Mellansverige,Västsverige, Småland med öarna
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Förordning om regionalt investeringsstöd
Legal basis	Förordning (2007:61) om regionalt investeringsstöd
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Annual budget	SEK 500 million
Maximum aid intensity	15 %
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Date of implementation	8.3.2007
Duration	31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors eligible for regional investment aid
Name and address of the granting authority	Verket för näringslivsutveckling nutek@nutek.se (46-8) 681 91 00
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	www.lagrummet.se
Other information	—

Aid No	XR 76/07
Member State	Spain
Region	Castilla y León
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Ayudas regionales a la inversión en la Comunidad de Castilla y León en aplicación del Reglamento (CE) no 1628/2006
Legal basis	Decreto 25/2007, de 15 de marzo, por el que se regulan las ayudas regionales a la inversión en la Comunidad de Castilla y León en aplicación del Reglamento (CE) no 1628/2006
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Annual budget	EUR 192 million
Maximum aid intensity	30 %
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Date of implementation	22.3.2007
Duration	31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors eligible for regional investment aid
Name and address of the granting authority	Junta de Castilla y León Consejería de Economía y Empleo Jesús Rivero Meneses, 3 E-47014 Valladolid
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	http://www.jcyl.es/AyudaEstado20072013
Other information	—

Aid No	XR 79/07
Member State	Spain
Region	Galicia
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Subvenciones a los proyectos dinamizadores de las áreas rurales de Galicia
Legal basis	Resolución de 23 de marzo de 2007 del Director General de Agader (Diario Oficial de Galicia de 12 de abril de 2007)
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Annual budget	EUR 5 million
Maximum aid intensity	30 %
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Date of implementation	28.5.2007
Duration	31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors eligible for regional investment aid
Name and address of the granting authority	Axencia Galega de Desenvolvemento Rural, Agader Avda do Camiño Francés, 10, baixo E-15771 Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña)
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	http://agader.xunta.es
Other information	—

Aid No	XR 81/07
Member State	Belgium
Region	Région wallonne
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Incitants en faveur des petites ou moyennes entreprises (en ce qui concerne les compléments d'aides pour les PME situées en zone de développement)
Legal basis	Décret du 11 mars 2004 relatif aux incitants régionaux en faveur des PME, (N 16/a/2003 et N 16/b/2003). Arrêté du GW du 6 mai 2006 portant exécution du décret du 11 mars 2004 précité modifié par l'arrêté du Gouvernement wallon du 6 décembre 2006, (mise en conformité avec le règlement No 1628/2006 du 24.10.2006). Arrêté du GW du 6 décembre 2006 déterminant les zones de développement pour la période 2007-2013 (en vigueur le 21 mars 2007).
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Annual budget	EUR 103,171 million
Maximum aid intensity	21 %
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Date of implementation	21.3.2007
Duration	31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors eligible for regional investment aid
Name and address of the granting authority	Gouvernement wallon, représenté par Monsieur Jean-Claude MARCOURT, Ministre de l'Economie de l'Emploi et du Commerce extérieur Direction général de l'Economie et de l'Emploi, Direction de la Politique économique, Monsieur Daniel COLLET, Directeur Place de la Wallonie, 1, bât. 1, B-5100 Jambes Tél. (32-81) 33 39 17 d.collet@mrw.wallonie.be
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	http://wallex.wallonie.be
Other information	—

Aid No	XR 85/07
Member State	Belgium
Region	Région wallonne
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Incitants en faveur des grandes entreprises
Legal basis	Décret du 11 mars 2004 relatif aux incitants régionaux en faveur des grandes entreprises (N17/A/2003 et N17/B/03) Arrêté du GW du 6 mai 2006 portant exécution du décret du 11 mars 2004 précité modifié par l'arrêté du Gouvernement wallon du 6 décembre 2006, (mise en conformité avec le règlement No 1628/2006 du 24.10.2006). Arrêté du GW du 6 décembre 2006 déterminant les zones de développement pour la période 2007-2013 (en vigueur le 21 mars 2007).
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Annual budget	EUR 50,248 million
Maximum aid intensity	20 %
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Date of implementation	21.3.2007
Duration	31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors eligible for regional investment aid
Name and address of the granting authority	Gouvernement wallon, représenté par Monsieur Jean-Claude MARCOURT, Ministre de l'Economie de l'Emploi et du Commerce extérieur Direction général de l'Economie et de l'Emploi, Direction de la Politique économique, Monsieur Daniel COLLET, Directeur Place de la Wallonie, 1, bât. 1, B-5100 Jambes Tél. (32-81) 33 39 17 d.collet@mrw.wallonie.be
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	http://wallex.wallonie.be
Other information	—

Aid No	XR 86/07
Member State	Greece
Region	87.3.a, 87.3.c
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Kinitra idiotikon ependyseon gia tin oikonomiki anaptyxi kai tin perifereiaki sygklisi
Legal basis	n. 3229/2004, ar. 37 ν.3552/2006
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Overall budget	EUR 2 080 million
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Duration	2007-2013
Economic sectors	All sectors eligible for regional investment aid
Name and address of the granting authority	Ypourgeio Oikonomias kai Oikonomikon, hellasKps@mnec.gr
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	www.mnec.gr/επενδυτικός νόμος/Ν.3229/2004 www.ependyseis.gr
Other information	—

Aid No	XR 94/07
Member State	Spain
Region	Galicia
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Subvenciones a empresas turísticas para el fomento del turismo en el medio rural
Legal basis	Orden de 19 de abril de 2007 de la Consellería de Innovación e Industria por la que se establecen las bases reguladoras para la concesión, en régimen de concurrencia competitiva, de las subvenciones a empresas turísticas para el fomento del turismo en el medio rural y se procede a su convocatoria para el año 2007 (DOG no 85, de 3 de mayo de 2007)
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Annual budget	EUR 2,4 million
Maximum aid intensity	20 %
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Date of implementation	23.04.2007
Duration	31.12.2013
Economic sectors	Limited to specific sectors:
	92
Name and address of the granting authority	Dirección Xeral de Turismo Plaza de Mazarelos, 15 E-15703 Santiago de Compostela (A Coruña)
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	http://www.conselleriaiei.org
Other information	—

Aid No	XR 95/07
Member State	Belgium
Region	Bruxelles-Capitale
Title of aid scheme or the name of the undertaking receiving ad hoc aid supplement	Aides régionales pour les investissements généraux en faveur des micro, petites et moyennes entreprises dans la zone de développement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.
Legal basis	Arrêté du Gouvernement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale du 22 mars 2007 modifiant l'arrêté du 20 octobre 2005 du Gouvernement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale portant exécution de l'ordonnance du 1er avril 2004 relative aux aides régionales pour les investissements généraux en faveur des micro, petites et moyennes entreprises (publié au Moniteur belge du 3 mai 2007); Arrêté du Gouvernement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale du 22 mars 2007 déterminant la zone de développement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale (publié au Moniteur belge du 30 avril 2007).
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Annual budget	EUR 5 million
Maximum aid intensity	25 %
	In conformity with Article 4 of the Regulation
Date of implementation	3.5.2007
Duration	31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors eligible for regional investment aid
Name and address of the granting authority	Ministère de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale Administration de l'Economie et de l'Emploi Boulevard du Jardin Botanique 20 B-1035 Bruxelles Tél. (32-2) 800 34 64 E-mail: izerard@mrbc.irisnet.be
Internet address of the publication of the aid scheme	http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi/article.pl
Other information	—

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/15

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CALL FOR PROPOSALS — DG EAC/29/07

European political foundations — Pilot Projects

(2007/C 159/09)

1.   Introduction/Background

In 2006, the European Parliament drafted an amendment to the 2007 EU budget proposing a ‘Pilot project — European political foundations’ to support the development of the European political foundations and their activities.

The Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) of the Commission is responsible for implementing the call for proposals.

2.   Description and Objectives

This call for proposals targets European political foundations that are affiliated with the political parties at European level.

The European political foundations are currently mainly under creation. The grants regarding this call for proposals will in this respect support the establishment, development and functioning of the foundations as well as the activities developed by them to underpin and facilitate the European political parties' efforts on political information and debate.

3.   Timetable

Deadline for submitting applications is 28 September 2007.

The intention is to inform applicants of the attribution of grants in November 2007. It is planned that beneficiaries will receive their agreements for signing in November 2007.

The period of eligibility of costs will start on the day the contract is signed by the Commission. If a beneficiary can demonstrate the need to start the action before the agreement is signed, expenditure may be authorised before the agreement is signed. In such cases, expenditure eligible for financing may not have been incurred prior to the date of submission of the grant application.

The eligibility period will end on 31 August 2008.

The European Commission reserves the right to extend the period of eligibility.

4.   Budget available

The financial envelope is EUR 1 million. As an indication, it shall be distributed on the basis of the same distribution key which applies for the European political parties according to the Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of 4 November 2003 on European political parties (1).

Financial contribution from the Commission cannot exceed 90 % of total eligible costs.

The European Commission reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.

5.   Eligibility criteria

Eligible establishments/bodies/types of beneficiary:

To be eligible for a grant, the applicant shall satisfy the following requirements:

a)	To be formally designated as a European political foundation by one of the European political parties recognised on the basis of Regulation (EC) no 2004/2003;

b)	To be non-profit-making organisation;

c)	To be endowed with a legal status or justify duly that this condition will be met at the time of the signature of the grant agreement;

d)	To have their seat in one of the Member States of the European Union.

Eligible countries (European Union Member States):

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

6.   Further information

The full text of the call for proposals and its annexes are available on the following website:

http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/index_en.html

Applications must comply with the requirements set out in the full text of the call and be submitted using the forms provided.

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(1)  OJ L 297, 15.11.2003, p. 1.

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/17

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Notice concerning a request in accordance with Article 30 of Directive 2004/17/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

Request from a Member State

(2007/C 159/10)

On 29 June 2007 the Commission received a request in accordance with Article 30(4) of Directive 2004/17/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 coordinating the procurement procedures of entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors (1). The first working day following receipt of the request is 2 July 2007.

This request, made on behalf of the Kingdom of Sweden, concerns the production and sale of electricity in that country. The above-mentioned Article 30 provides that Directive 2004/17/EC is not applicable when the relevant activity is directly exposed to competition in markets to which access is not restricted. These conditions are evaluated solely for the purposes of Directive 2004/17/EC and are without prejudice to the application of competition rules.

The Commission is allowed a period of three months to take a decision on this request, commencing on the working day referred to above. The period therefore expires on 2 October 2007.

The provisions of the third subparagraph of the above-mentioned paragraph 4 are applicable. Consequently, the period allowed to the Commission may be extended by one month. Any such extension must be published.

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(1)  OJ L 134, 30.4.2004, p. 1.

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/18

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Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.4639 — Gabetti Property Solutions/Marcegaglia/Pirelli Real Estate/Italia Turismo)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 159/11)

1.

On 3 July 2007, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which the undertakings Gabetti Property Solutions S.p.A. (‘GPS’, Italy), Pirelli & C. Real Estate S.p.A. (‘PRE’, Italy) and Marcegaglia S.p.A. (‘Marcegaglia’, Italy) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation joint control together with Sviluppo Italia S.p.A. (‘Sviluppo Italia’, Italy) of the undertaking Italia Turismo S.p.A. (‘IT’, Italy) by way of purchase of shares in a vehicle company (Turismo & Immobiliare S.p.A., Italy).

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are: — for undertaking GPS: management of real estate and related financial services; — for undertaking PRE: real estate investments; — for undertaking Marcegaglia: steel and metallurgic sector; ship-building, home products, tourist, financial and environmental services; — for undertaking Sviluppo Italia: Italian national agency for the economic development of disadvantaged areas; — for undertaking IT: management of tourist complexes.

3.

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. However, the final decision on this point is reserved. Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.

4.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission. Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax ((32-2) 296 43 01 or 296 72 44) or by post, under reference number COMP/M.4639 — Gabetti Property Solutions/Marcegaglia/Pirelli Real Estate/Italia Turismo, to the following address: European Commission Directorate-General for Competition Merger Registry J-70 B-1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1.

(2)  OJ C 56, 5.3.2005, p. 32.

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12.7.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 159/19

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Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.4782 — Delek/Texaco Benelux)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 159/12)

1.

On 4 July 2007, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which the undertaking Delek Benelux B.V., ultimately owned by Delek Group Ltd. (‘Delek’, Israel), acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation control of the whole of the undertakings Texaco Nederland B.V. (the Netherlands), Texaco Belgium SPRL (Belgium) and Texaco Luxembourg SARL (Luxembourg), hereafter jointly referred to as ‘Chevron Benelux companies’, by way of purchase of shares.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are: — for Delek: marketing of fuel products, exploitation of convenience stores, investments and property management in the energy, infrastructure, automotive, media, finance and wealth management sectors, prime real estate investments; — for Chevron Benelux companies: wholesale and retailing sale of motor fuels.

3.

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. However, the final decision on this point is reserved. Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.

4.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission. Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax ((32-2) 296 43 01 or 296 72 44) or by post, under reference number COMP/M.4782 — Delek/Texaco Benelux, to the following address: European Commission Directorate-General for Competition Merger Registry J-70 B-1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1.

(2)  OJ C 56, 5.3.2005, p. 32.

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