97/238/EC: Commission Decision of 2 October 1996 concerning aid granted by the French State to the audiovisual production company Société française de Production (Only the French text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance)

• Articles: 4

Article 1

The aid of FF 1 110 million granted by the French authorities in the period from 1993 to 1996 to SFP is illegal since it was awarded in breach of the procedure provided for in Article 93 (3). The aid is also incompatible with the common market.

Article 2

The French Government shall recover from SFP the amount of FF 1 110 million referred to in Article 1, together with interest covering the period from the date when the illegal aid was granted to the date of repayment. The interest rate shall be the reference interest rate for France used by the Commission in assessing the aid element in regional investment aid.

Article 3

The French Government shall inform the Commission within two months of the notification of this Decision of the measures taken to comply with it.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to the French Republic.

Done at Brussels, 2 October 1996.

For the Commission

Karel VAN MIERT

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ No C 80, 1. 4. 1995, p. 7 and

OJ No C 171, 15. 6. 1996, p. 3.

(2) Confidential.

(3) Strategy options to strengthen the European programme industry in the context of the audiovisual policy of the European Union - Green Paper, COM(94) 96 final of 6 April 1994.

(4) Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty, (OJ No C 368, 23.12.1994).