Brussels, 18/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission on Wednesday approved ten aid schemes totalling €1.8 billion in favour of French overseas departments (DOM). The ten schemes concern tax and social security contribution exemptions with the aim of compensating for the specific handicaps of outermost regions, which include the DOM, recognised in the EC Treaty in article 299(2). They had previously been approved by the Commission under the EU guidelines for the period 2000-2006 on regional aid and were notified again for re-examination under the new guidelines for the period 2007-2013. The DOM programme law and guarantee funds include investment aid which complies with the regional ceilings laid out in the regional aid map, i.e.: - for Guyana: 60% for large enterprises, 70% for medium-sized enterprises and 80% for small enterprises; - for Martinique, Guadeloupe and Réunion: 50% for large enterprises, 60% for medium-sized enterprises and 70% for small enterprises.
Because of the constraints on outermost regions, the EU guidelines also envisage operating aid covering up to 10 % of the beneficiary's turnover, which can be granted without any specific justification. However, this provision has never been able to be applied in this case because the nature of these measures, which consist of exemptions from tax or social security charges, leaves no means to ensure that the aid granted does not exceed 10% of turnover. (hb)