02/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - France. On 1st February, the European Commission authorised an extension until 31 December 2011 of a temporary French scheme for granting aid in the form of loans with subsidised interest rates for companies experiencing financing difficulties as a result of the credit crunch. The scheme was first approved on 4 February 2009 (see EUROPE 9834) and covered interest payments until 31 December 2012. This has now been extended by 12 months, to 31 December 2013 at the...