Brussels, 13/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has decided to:
a) Partially reject aid granted to SCI (computer assembly) in the Netherlands. The Commission felt that the part of aid intended for the creation of jobs was authorised. On the other hand, it decided that aid from the sale of land at a price undercutting the market price, or the low cost renting of provisional production installations was illegal, and should therefore be recovered by the Dutch authorities.
b) to approve aid for the German company Kataleuna (chemical hydro-generation catalysts). The Commission concluded that the aid of 25,287 million euro granted to KataLeuna was compatible with Community guidelines for State aid to rescue and restructure a company in difficulty. The aid in question will serve to finance the company's second privatization;
c) to approve aid in favour of Viridian Growth Fund (venture-capital fund) in Ireland. With £10 million, this new venture-capital fund is earmarked to fill gaps noted in the supply of venture-capital to small and medium-sized enterprises in Northern Ireland. The Commission authorised the aid granted to the company, given the status of assisted region of which Northern Ireland benefits in application of guidelines on aid for regional purposes.
EUROPE will return in more detail to these decisions.