Brussels, 01/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has decided to authorise a programme of aid to vocational training set up by the authorities of the Spanish region of Catalonia for the period 1997-1999. This programme had raised objections on the part of the Community Executive as, although it was notified in December 1997, it had already been implemented since early-1997 and that right up to the end of 1999. The total amount of the aid ran to 56 million euro, most going to public and private non-profit bodies, with only around 5% granted to businesses for vocational training purposes. Aid intensity for businesses varied between 25% and 75% depending on whether the training was general or specific, or the company was large or small or was located inside or outside an assisted area. Despite the premature pay-outs, the Commission considered that the aid granted to non-profit public and private entities was not State aid in the sense of Article 87 of the Treaty and that only aid granted to companies came under the aforementioned provisions. Regarding this last part, the Commission considered that the Community framework on aid to training, in force since November 1998, did not apply and that, since no framework existed prior to that date, the scheme had to be assessed in the light of community practice in the field at that time. Whence, the Commission considered that all the aid granted was compatible.