Article 3
This Decision is addressed to the French Republic. Done at Brussels, 15 May 2002. For the Commission Mario Monti Member of the Commission (1) OJ C 60, 24.2.2001, p. 4. (2) [2000] ECR II-3145. (3) SG(97) D/3266. (4) The Commission lodged an appeal against the judgment. (5) See footnote 1. (6) Apart from BP Chemicals and the United Kingdom, the following parties also submitted comments (by order in which the comments were received): AGPB Céréaliers de France, Ethanol Union, Sofiproteol, Ethanol Holding, Union SDA, Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie, SAF Agriculteurs de France, Saint Louis Sucre, DRC, Syndicat national des producteurs d'alcool agricole, Association pour le développement des carburants agricoles, Sucrerie de Touri, Sucrerie Bourdon, Confédération générale des planteurs de betteraves, Ouest-ETBE, Total Fina Elf and Nord-ETBE. (7) In the second letter, the Commission forwarded translations into French of the comments submitted by BP Chemicals and the United Kingdom. (8) OJ L 316, 31.10.1992, p. 12. (9) OJ L 365, 31.12.1994, p. 46. (10) COM(2001) 744 final. (11) OJ L 92, 9.4.2002, p. 22. (12) Act 97-1239 of 29 December 1997, Journal officiel de la République française (JORF) of 29 and 30 December 1997, p. 19101. (13) This criterion relates to all production units in regular operation, whether or not they have received approval from a Member State. (14) OJ L 197, 30.7.1994, p. 4. Article 2 of the Regulation provides that "a reserve of a maximum of 110000 tonnes shall be created to cover production realised in Germany in the marketing year 1996/1997 provided that such production results from investments irreversibly undertaken before 31 December 1994". France will also examine the irreversible nature of the relevant project, adopting an approach similar to that which the Commission adopted under this Regulation. (15) OJ C 350, 19.11.1997, p. 26. (16) These provisions are based on Article 25 of the amending Finance Act for 1997, on Decree No 98-309 of 22 April 1998 laying down the conditions required for taking part in the invitation to tender for the marketing on French territory of biofuels on which the TIPP is reduced, and the Decree of 22 April 1998 setting up the committee for examining applications for approval of units producing biofuels. (17) Esters of vegetable oils are in fact also eligible, but are not covered by this Decision. (18) Straight-line depreciation over ten years. (19) Since they do not know the figures for a larger number of production units, the French authorities can only refer to the ratios presented by companies approved in France. (20) See footnote 6. BP Chemicals restated its arguments at a meeting held on 29 January 2002 at the Commission in Brussels. (21) COM(2001) 101. (22) OJ C 37, 3.2.2001, p. 3. (23) Société Cristal Union, Sucrerie cooperative agricole de Bourdon, Sucreries distilleries des Hauts de France, Sucrerie de Toury, Société Vermandoise Industries, Société Saint-Louis Sucre, Société agricole de la Vallée de Loing, Société Dislaub. (24) Source: Journal Officiel de la République Française and Direction générale des douanes et des droits indirects. (25) Source: Journal Officiel de la République Française and Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects. (26) OJ L 316, 31.10.1992, p. 19. (27) See: the judgments of the Court of Justice in Cases 30/59 De Gezamenlijke Steenkolenmijnen in Limburg v High Authority [1961] ECR p. 3, Denkavit italiana [1980] ECR 1205, and C-387/92 Banco exterior de España [1994] ECR I-877. (28) Judgment in Case C 387/92 Banco Exterior de España, cited above (see footnote 27). (29) Neither the fact that the aid is relatively small in amount, nor the fact that the recipient is moderate in size or its share of the Community market very small, nor indeed the fact that the recipient exports virtually all its production outside the Community does anything to alter this conclusion. (30) OJ L 76, 23.3.1992, p. 1. (31) OJ L 193, 29.7.2000, p. 73. (32) OJ L 222, 12.8.1997, p. 26. (33) OJ L 334, 12.12.1985, p. 20 (as amended by Directive 87/441/EEC (OJ L 238, 21.8.1987, p. 40)). (34) OJ L 235, 18.9.1993, p. 41. (35) COM(96) 576 final. (36) COM(97) 599 final. (37) COM(2000) 769 final. (38) COM(2001) 547 final. (39) COM(2001) 547 final. (40) Volkswirschafttliche Aspekte einer Herstellung von Biodiesel in Deutschland, IFO-Institut für Wirtshaftsforchung - 2nd EU Motor Biofuels Forum, September 1996. (41) Not the "intensity of the aid", as BP Chemicals wrongly states, since the concept of aid intensity is applicable only to investment aid. (42) The Curriere Vitivinicolo of the Italian Wine Traders' Union regularly publishes European prices for ethyl alcohol obtained from molasses and cereals. The bulletin of 6 June 2001 gives a price for molasses alcohol of EUR 59,39/hl and for cereal alcohol of EUR 64,56/hl. (43) See judgment in Case C-169/95 Spain v Commission (Pyrsa) [1997] ECR I-135, paragraph 53. (44) OJ C 72, 10.3.1994, p. 3.