Zaproszenie do zgłaszania uwag zgodnie z art. 1 ust. 2 w części I Protokołu 3 do Porozumienia między Państwami EFTA w sprawie ustanowienia Urzędu Nadzoru i Trybunału Sprawiedliwości, dotyczących pomocy państwa w odniesieniu do dodatkowej pomocy z Innovation Norway na rzecz Finnfjord AS(2014/C 108/02
(Dz.U.UE C z dnia 10 kwietnia 2014 r.)
Decyzją nr 445/13/COL z dnia 13 listopada 2013 r., zamieszczoną w autentycznej wersji językowej na stronach następujących po niniejszym streszczeniu, Urząd Nadzoru EFTA (zwany dalej "Urzędem") wszczął postępowanie na mocy art. 1 ust. 2 w części I Protokołu 3 do Porozumienia między państwami EFTA w sprawie ustanowienia Urzędu Nadzoru i Trybunału Sprawiedliwości. Władze Norwegii otrzymały stosowną informację wraz z kopią wyżej wymienionej decyzji.
Urząd Nadzoru EFTA wzywa niniejszym państwa EFTA, państwa członkowskie UE oraz inne zainteresowane strony do zgłaszania uwag w sprawie omawianego środka w terminie jednego miesiąca od daty publikacji niniejszego zaproszenia na poniższy adres Urzędu Nadzoru EFTA:
EFTA Surveillance Authority
Registry
Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat 35
1040 Bruxelles/Brussel
BELGIQUE/BELGIË
Otrzymane uwagi zostaną przekazane władzom norweskim. Zainteresowane strony zgłaszające uwagi mogą wystąpić z odpowiednio uzasadnionym pisemnym wnioskiem o objęcie ich tożsamości klauzulą poufności.
STRESZCZENIE
1 Dz.U. C 278 z 22.9.2011, s. 6. oraz Suplement EOG nr 51 z 22.9.2011, s. 1.
* In this non-confidential version of the decision, information covered by the obligation of professional secrecy has been taken out. Where information has been taken out, this is market with [...]. Where figures have been excluded, a range within which the figure exists, has, where appropriate, been indicated.
2 Events No 676810, 676812, 676814-676816, 676819, 676822, 676823, 676825-676827, 676829 and 676832-676834.
3 Event No 677212.
4 Events No 680603-680605 and 680866-680868.
5 Event No 681073.
6 Events No 683806, 683807, 683809, 683810, 683813, 683814, 683817 and 683819.
7 OJ C 278, 22.9.2011, p. 6 and EEA Supplement No 51, 22.9.2011, p. 1.
8 LOV 2003-12-19-130 Lov om Innovasjon Norge.
9 In Norwegian: Statsforetak. Enova is organised in accordance with Act No 71 of 30.8.1991 on state enterprises.
10 OJ C 314, 27.10.2011, p. 4 and EEA Supplement No 58, 27.10.2011, p. 2.
11 The competition for aid under the Energy Fund Scheme is described in the Authority's Decision No 248/11/COL (cited above), paragraphs 27-36.
12 See the Authority's Decision No 248/11/COL (cited above), paragraph 37.
13 See the Authority's Decision No 248/11/COL (cited above), paragraph 38.
14 The Norwegian authorities have also made reference to a cost estimate of NOK 696 million. In the following, the Authority refers only to the NOK 700 million figure.
15 The Norwegian authorities indicate that the cost estimates increased further to [approximately NOK 800 million.] It is not clear when these estimates were made, therefore the [NOK 740-790 million] from the 25.9.2012 board meeting is referred to in the following.
16 Letter from the Norwegian authorities dated 18.9.2013 (Event No 683806). Translation by the Authority: 'Eventuelle tilskudd/lån fra Enova og Innovasjon Norge, vil gå til direkte reduksjon av omsøkte likviditetslån.'
17 According to IN: 'When Finnfjord [...] applied for financing of 88 million NOK, [SNN] had already approved a loan of the same amount, but with terms on security that was unacceptable for [IN]' IN letter to the Authority dated 18.9.2013, p. 12.
18 Norwegian Inter Bank Offered Rate.
19 OJ L 144, 10.6.2010, p. 1 and EEA Supplement No 29, 10.6.2010, p. 1.
20 See annex 6 to the letter of the Norwegian authorities of 18.9.2013 (Event No 683819).
21 Case E-6/98 Norway v EFTA Surveillance Authority [1999] Ct. Rep. 76, paragraph 59; Case 730/79 Philip Morris v Commission [1980] ECR 2671, paragraph 11 where it is stated that 'When State financial aid strengthens the position of an undertaking compared with other undertakings competing in intra-Community trade the latter must be regarded as affected by that aid'.
22 As described in the Authority's Decision No 39/11/COL (cited above).
23 Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 of 6.8.2008 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the common market in application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty (OJ L 214, 9.8.2008, p. 3), incorporated into point 1j of Annex XV to the EEA Agreement.
24 See Article 6(1)(b) in conjunction with Article 7(1) of the GBER.Article 6(1)(b) reads as follows 'This Regulation shall not apply to any individual aid, whether granted ad hoc or on the basis of a scheme, the gross grant equivalent of which exceeds the following thresholds (...) (b) investment aid for environmental protection: EUR 7,5 million per undertaking per investment project;'.
Article 7(1) reads as follows: 'In determining whether the individual notification thresholds laid down in Article 6 and the maximum aid intensities laid down in Chapter II are respected, the total amount of public support measures for the aided activity or project shall be taken into account, regardless of whether that support is financed from local, regional, national or Community sources.'
25 Points 167-168 of the EAG.
26 Points 175-185 of the EAG.
27 Points 186-188 of the EAG.
28 Points 169-170 of the EAG.
29 Points 171-173 of the EAG.
30 Points 171-173 of the EAG as well as points 27-29.
31 Point 142 of the EAG.
32 Point 27 of the EAG.
33 Point 143 of the EAG.
34 Point 172(a) of the EAG.
35 Point 172(f) of the EAG.
36 Point 172(g) of the EAG.
37 See Decision No 39/11/COL p. 12-13.
38 Points 169-170 of the EAG.
39 Point 174 of the EAG.