2000/796/EC: Commission Decision of 21 June 2000 on State aid granted by Germany to CDA Compact Disc Albrechts GmbH, Thuringia (notified under document number C(2000) 1728) (Text with EEA relevance) (Only the German text is authentic)

• Articles: 4

Article 1

1. DEM 260,57 million of the aid granted to R.E. Pilz GmbH & Co. Beteiligungs KG, the Pilz & Robotron GmbH & Co. Beteiligungs KG and Pilz Albrechts GmbH by Germany for the establishment, operation and consolidation of the CD plant in Albrechts (Thuringia) was used elsewhere within the Pilz Group.

This amount consists in DEM 63,45 million from the Freistaat Thüringen, DEM 77,12 million of the Freistaat Bayern and DEM 120 million from the Treuhandanstalt.

The wrongful use constitutes a misuse of aid within the meaning of Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty and the aid is therefore incompatible with the Treaty.

2. The aid totalling DEM 166,3 million for the restructuring of CDA Compact Disc Albrechts GmbH is incompatible with the provisions of the EC Treaty pursuant to Article 87(1) thereof.

Article 2

1. Germany shall take the necessary measures to recover from the respective beneficiaries the aid referred to in Article 1 and unlawfully made available to them.

2. Recovery shall be effected in accordance with the procedures of national law. The sums to be recovered shall bear interest from the date on which they were made available to the beneficiaries until their actual recovery. Interest shall be calculated on the basis of the reference rate used for calculating the grant-equivalent of regional aids.

3. For the purposes of this Article the term "beneficiaries" shall include CDA Datenträger Albrechts GmbH and LCA Logistic Center Albrechts GmbH as well as any other undertaking to which R.E. Pilz GmbH & Co. Beteiligungs KG's, the Pilz & Robotron GmbH & Co. Beteiligungs KG's and Pilz Albrechts GmbH's assets and/or infrastructure have been transferred or will be transferred in such a way as to evade the consequences of this Decision.

Article 3

Germany shall inform the Commission within one month of being notified of this Decision of the measures it has taken to put it into effect and the results they have produced.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Done at Brussels, 21 June 2000.

For the Commission

Mario Monti

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 83, 27.3.1999, p. 1.

(2) OJ C 390, 15.12.1998, p. 7.

(3) See footnote 2.

(4) N 464/93; N 613/96, valid until the end of 1999.

(5) DEM 330,55 million in the start-up base + DEM 166,3 million for restructuring + DEM 15 million TAB/LfA takeover of claims + 44,4 million TAB waiver of claims = DEM 556,27 million.

(6) DEM 9,9 million in liabilities towards suppliers and TAB loan of DEM 25,4 million.

(7) First and 2nd Treuhand schemes; NN 108/91 and E 15/92.

(8) OJ C 368, 23.12.1994, p. 12.

(9) Case C 301/87, France v Commission [1990] ECR I-307, confirmed by Joined Cases C 324/90 and C-342/90 Germany and Pleuger Worthington v Commission [1994] ECR I-1173.

(10) Twenty-sixth framework plan: N 123/97.

(11) In addition to pursuing its claims in the context of the bankruptcy proceedings, the Land of Thuringia is also seeking compensation in three civil cases:

Thuringia v Reiner E, Pilz, appeal proceedings before the Intermediate Court of Appeal [OLG] in Munich, 21 U 3653/97;

Thuringia v Pilz and others, Appeal to the Federal Supreme Court, IX ZR 247/98;

Thuringia v Reiner E. Pilz, Preliminary proceedings before the Munich District Court, 9 O 18336/98.

(12) Betriebsgeheimnis.

(13) Landgericht Mülhausen, 350 Js 41163/95.

(14) Staatsanwaltschaft Mühlhausen, 30 Js 55107/96.

(15) Order of the Bavarian Ministry of Finance of 7 August 1973, No L 6511-1/7-43358.

(16) State aid NN 108/91, letter of 26 September 1991 (SDG (91) D/17825) and State aid E 15/92, letter of 8 December 1992 (SG(92) D/17613) - not published.

(17) See State aid Case NN 152/98, Commission letter dated 22.6.1999 (SG(99) D/4499).

(18) See footnote 8.

(19) See Commission notice concerning Iritecna (OJ C 328, 25.11.1999, p. 2), Decision 94/662/EC (OJ L 258, 6.10.1994, p 26), Joined Cases C-278/92, C-279/92 and C-280/92 Spain v Commission 94] ECR, I-4103 (point 67), and Article 6(1)(b) of the GATT Agreement on subsidies (OJ L 336, 23.12.1994, p. 1).

(20) Case C 47/91 Italy v Commission [1994] ECR, I-4635 and with reference to Case C 301/87 France v Commission, [1990] ECR I-307, confirmed by Joind Cases C 324/90 and C 342/90 Germany and Pleuger Worthington v Commission [1994], ECR, I-1173.

(21) See Case C-303/88 Italy v Commission, (1991) ECR, I-1433, point 60.

(22) Letter of the Commission to the Member States SG (91) D/4577 of 4.3.1991; also Case C-142/87, Belgium v Commission [1990] ECR I-959.

(23) See footnote 21.