Brussels, 02/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - On 2 July, the European Commission authorised training aid of €1.6 million for the new DHL site at Leipzig-Halle, Germany, but rejected aid of €6.1 million, which it believes would have constituted illegal operating aid. Having carried out its in-depth investigation, the Commission concluded that the aid of €1.6 million would genuinely be used for additional training in line with Community rules governing state aid to training. However, the Commission took the view that aid of 6.1 million, which would have been used to fund training activities to have been carried out by DHL in any case, whether or not the aid was granted, was incompatible, and concluded that this would therefore be used to cover ordinary operating costs of DHL. The Commissioner for Competition, Neelie Kroes, said that "the bulk of the aid would not have been used for additional training and would have seriously distorted competition". (O.L./trans.fl)