Brussels, 22/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Commission has closed the probe it had opened into porcelain manufacturer Grupo de Empresas Álvarez (GEA) with a negative decision. Previous aid to this company had been cleared on condition that it would receive no new subsidies. This condition has not been fulfilled. In 1997 the Commission authorised certain aid measures granted in favour of GEA on condition that no further aid be provided to the group during the implementation of its restructuring plan. In the meantime, the Commission received several complaints from GEA competitors and former workers indicating that the company would have benefited, at least since January 1997, from a favourable treatment with regard to its debts towards the Social Security and the Tax Administration amounting to several billion Spanish pesetas. It is apparent from the available information that GEA and its affiliated company VANOSA were able for several years to continue trading without complying at least with their Social Security obligations. The investigation has discovered that the persistent and systematic non-payment of social security contributions (and of an unknown but probably substantial amount of taxes) at least between January 1997 and January 2001 constitutes a transfer of public resources to GEA and VANOSA. This transfer gave them a competitive advantage, the costs of which they should have borne themselves. The Commission therefore considers that this new aid cannot be authorised on the basis of the guidelines for restructuring aid since its does not meet the conditions applicable for such kind of aid.