Brussels, 12/03/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has taken the following decisions on State aid:
Italian post: the Commission has closed the enquiry it initiated in 1998, considering that the financial measures that the Italian postal service benefited from between 1994 and 1999 were not State aid. The amounts granted did not exceed the level authorised in the framework of its mission of a general interest;
Irish post: the Commission has decided not to raise objections over a plan by the Irish Republic to inject 12.7 million euro in An Post to develop the network;
Neue Erba Lautex: the Commission has taken a negative decision over aid of 61.63 million euro granted to the textiles company Erba Lautex and calls on Germany to take the necessary steps to recover the sums, plus interest;
Airline companies: the Commission has authorised a compensation scheme in the United Kingdom (65 million euro) for losses suffered by airline companies when the American skies were closed between 11 and 14 September.
Shipping: the Commission has approved the Danish system of taxation per tonnage, aimed at encouraging the development of maritime freight. It has already approved such systems for 4 Member states;
Passenger shipping: the Commission has approved a scheme to lighten the social burden on European sailors, set up in Finland to make its passenger shipping competitive in relation to the Russian sector.
Fruit trees: the Commission has authorised France to pay, for a four-year period, aid of 74.5 million euro to producers of apples, peaches and nectarines
BSE: Germany has received the go-ahead to pay some 1 million euro to cattle farmers in the region of Rheinland-Norh-Westphalia to compensate them for the loss in revenue linked to BSE;
Olive oil: the Commission has initiated a formal examination procedure over an aid scheme granted to industries specialised in olive oil.