Brussels, 27/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 27 March, the European Commission decided that Greek state aid for Larco General Mining and Metallurgical Company S.A. (Larco) gave the company an undue advantage over its competitors, in breach of EU state aid rules. In total, the capital injections and public guarantees were worth €136 million. The Commission has decided that Larco must pay back the amount with interest to mitigate the distortions of competition resulting from the incompatible aid. In March 2013, the Commission opened an in-depth investigation into a €45 million capital increase and several state guarantees between 2008 and 2010. Certain assets of Larco, a state-owned company, are currently being privatised and, in a separate decision, the Commission has decided that the repayment obligation will not be passed on to the buyers of those assets. (EL)