Brussels, 17/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the Commission published a draft proposal to extend the possibilities of extending exemptions from notification for aid in the areas of culture and heritage conservation, and natural disasters. Ultimately, it also wants to ask the Council to empower it to adopt these kinds of exemptions for state aid for the production, processing and marketing of agricultural products and for aid which has a social character in the transport sector. Currently, de minimis aid for SMEs, research and development, environmental protection, employment and training, and regional aid are allowed exemptions under Article 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty.
From a procedural point of view, the Commission is also considering how to lighten the bureaucratic burden: (a) by using the internet to publish summaries of exempted aid (rather than the OJ); (b) through the systematic use of electronic transmission when Member States submit reports; (c) through using written consultation of Member States for the extension or minor amendment to an existing regulation (rather than holding meetings).
Interested parties have until 9 November to submit comments on this proposal which has been sent to Member States and for which the Commission plans to present a formal proposal in December. The text of the project is available on: http: //ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/state_aid/overview/sar.html (ab)