27.11.2009

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 286/1

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Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case COMP/M.5631 — Symboled/Zumtobel/Ledon Oled JV)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2009/C 286/01

On 20 November 2009, the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration and to declare it compatible with the common market. This decision is based on Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. The full text of the decision is available only in German and will be made public after it is cleared of any business secrets it may contain. It will be available:

—	in the merger section of the Competition website of the Commission (http://ec.europa.eu/competition/mergers/cases/). This website provides various facilities to help locate individual merger decisions, including company, case number, date and sectoral indexes,

—	in electronic form on the EUR-Lex website (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm) under document number 32009M5631. EUR-Lex is the on-line access to the European law.

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27.11.2009

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 286/2

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Euro exchange rates (1)

26 November 2009

2009/C 286/02

1 euro =

	Currency	Exchange rate
USD	US dollar	1,5071
JPY	Japanese yen	130,70
DKK	Danish krone	7,4418
GBP	Pound sterling	0,91100
SEK	Swedish krona	10,4548
CHF	Swiss franc	1,5098
ISK	Iceland króna
NOK	Norwegian krone	8,5000
BGN	Bulgarian lev	1,9558
CZK	Czech koruna	26,188
EEK	Estonian kroon	15,6466
HUF	Hungarian forint	269,77
LTL	Lithuanian litas	3,4528
LVL	Latvian lats	0,7089
PLN	Polish zloty	4,1245
RON	Romanian leu	4,2785
TRY	Turkish lira	2,2797
AUD	Australian dollar	1,6436
CAD	Canadian dollar	1,5882
HKD	Hong Kong dollar	11,6802
NZD	New Zealand dollar	2,0987
SGD	Singapore dollar	2,0827
KRW	South Korean won	1 742,13
ZAR	South African rand	11,2328
CNY	Chinese yuan renminbi	10,2882
HRK	Croatian kuna	7,3240
IDR	Indonesian rupiah	14 233,28
MYR	Malaysian ringgit	5,1068
PHP	Philippine peso	70,548
RUB	Russian rouble	43,8310
THB	Thai baht	49,971
BRL	Brazilian real	2,6132
MXN	Mexican peso	19,4200
INR	Indian rupee	69,9970

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(1)  Source: reference exchange rate published by the ECB.

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27.11.2009

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 286/3

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CALL FOR PROPOSALS — EACEA/28/09

Tempus IV — Reform of higher education through international university cooperation

2009/C 286/03

1.   Objectives and description

The fourth phase of the Tempus programme covers the period from 2007 to 2013.

The overall objective of the programme is to contribute towards facilitating cooperation in the field of higher education among Member States of the European Union (EU) and partner countries in the surrounding area. In particular, the programme will help promote voluntary convergence with EU developments in the field of higher education, deriving from the Lisbon agenda and the Bologna process.

The purpose of this call for proposals is to promote multilateral cooperation among higher education institutions, authorities and organisations from EU Member States and partner countries with the focus on the reform and modernisation of higher education.

The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Agency (‘the Agency’), acting under powers delegated from the European Commission (‘the Commission’), is responsible for the management of this call for proposals.

2.   Eligible applicants

In order to be eligible for the award of a grant, applicants must be legal persons (‘legal entities’), legally established for more than five years in the EU or Tempus partner countries.

Applicants for Joint Projects must be State-recognised, public or private higher education institutions or associations, organisations or networks of higher education institutions dedicated to the promotion, improvement and reform of higher education.

Applicants for Structural Measures must be legal entities as stipulated above for Joint Projects or national or international rector, teacher or student organisations.

Institutions and organisations which may participate as partners/co-beneficiaries in the Tempus Programme range from higher education institutions and organisations through to non-academic institutions and organisations such as non-governmental organisations, companies, industries and public authorities.

These institutions and organisations have to be based in the following four groups of eligible countries:

—	27 Member States of the European Union,

—	five countries of the Western Balkan region: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia as well as Kosovo (1),

—	16 countries in the Southern and Eastern neighbouring area of the European Union: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the occupied Palestinian territory, Syria, Tunisia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, the Russian Federation and Ukraine,

—	five Central Asian Republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

3.   Eligible activities and duration

The two principal instruments for cooperation through this Tempus call for proposals are:

—

Joint Projects: projects with a ‘bottom-up’ approach aiming at modernisation and reform on an institutional (university) level. Joint Projects aim at transferring knowledge between universities, organisations and institutions from the EU and from the partner countries as well as between partner country entities as appropriate.

—

Structural Measures: projects seeking to contribute to the development and reform of higher education systems in partner countries, as well as to enhance their quality and relevance and to increase their convergence with EU developments. Structural Measures will be interventions designed to support structural reform of higher education systems and the strategic framework development at national level.

Under this call, national and multi-country projects can be financed:

National projects must adhere to national priorities which are established in close dialogue between European Commission Delegations and the relevant authorities in the partner countries. — For national projects, proposals must be submitted by groupings of institutions involving: — at least three higher education institutions from a partner country (in the case of Montenegro and Kosovo, due to the small size of the higher education sector, one university will be sufficient), — at least three higher education institutions from the EU, each from a different EU Member State.

Multi-country projects must comply with regional priorities which are based on the EU's policy for cooperation with the partner countries’ regions as identified in its strategic documents concerning the neighbouring countries (2), those for pre-accession to the EU (3) and those in Central Asia (4). They are common to all partner countries within a specific region or they address a national priority which is common to each of the participating partner countries. — For multi-country projects, proposals must be submitted by groupings of institutions involving: — at least two higher education institutions, from each of the participating partner countries (minimum two partner countries) involved in the proposal (with the exception of Kosovo and Montenegro where the requirement is one higher education institution from each), — at least three higher education institutions, each from a different EU Member State.

For Structural Measures, there is an additional condition: The Ministry/ies of (Higher) Education in the partner country/ies must be involved as partner/s in a Structural Measures project.

The maximum duration of projects is 24 months or 36 months. The period of eligibility of costs is expected to start on 15 October 2010.

4.   Award criteria

Eligible applications for Joint Projects and Structural Measures will be assessed by external independent experts according to the following award criteria:

—	the clarity and coherence of the project objectives; their relevance to the higher education reforms (EU modernisation agenda, Bologna process) in the institution or system of the partner country and a clear link to how the project will have an impact on these reforms,

—	the quality of the partnership (skills, recognised expertise and competences required to carry out all aspects of the work programme, suitable distribution of tasks, effective communication and cooperation),

—

the applied methodology including, amongst others, appropriateness of project outcomes and related activities in consistency with the project aim and specific objectives, demonstrated logical and sound planning capacity (Logical framework matrix and work plan), anticipated quality control, monitoring and management of the project (indicators and benchmarks),

—	the sustainability or lasting impact of the project on the institutions, target groups and/or higher education system, including dissemination and exploitation of activities and project results,

—	the budget and cost-effectiveness, including staff planning respecting the daily salary rates, appropriate equipment purchase, efficient use of mobility periods.

Of the proposals that pass the external assessment and that obtain the highest scores, and according to the budget allocations for each region, an Interservice selection committee will short-list the projects on which the Ministries of Education, EC Delegations and National Tempus offices in the partner countries will be consulted. The Agency will take the final decision on which projects it will fund, taking into consideration the results of the evaluation and consultation and the geographical balance between the partner countries and the budgetary constraints.

5.   Budget and grant amounts

The indicative budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects under this call amounts to EUR 53,8 million.

The financial contribution from the Community cannot exceed 90 % of the total eligible costs. A co-financing of a minimum of 10 % of the total eligible cost is needed.

The minimum grant for both Joint Projects and Structural Measures will be EUR 500 000. The maximum grant will amount to EUR 1 500 000. For national projects in Kosovo and Montenegro the minimum grant for both project types is set at EUR 300 000.

6.   Submission of proposals and deadline

Grant applications must be drawn up in English, French or German using the eForm specifically designed for this purpose, which will be available on the website of the Agency: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/tempus/index_en.php

The duly completed electronic applications forms for Joint Projects and Structural Measures must be sent no later than 9 March 2010, 12:00 Brussels time.

This online submission is considered to be the master copy. However, in order to provide safeguards for both applicants and for the Agency, and in order to submit additional required information, a complete paper copy of the submitted eForm together with additional documents (see Application Guidelines) must be sent by post to the Agency by 9th March 2010 (date of postmark) to the following address:

Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency

Tempus

Call for Proposal EACEA/28/09

Office: BOUR 2/17

Avenue du Bourget 1

1140 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

Applications sent by fax or e-mail will not be accepted.

7.   Further information

Applications must comply with the provisions contained in the Application Guidelines — Call for proposals EACEA/28/09, be submitted on the application form provided for this purpose and contain the relevant Annexes. The said documents can be found on the Internet at the following address: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/tempus/index_en.php

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(1)  Under the auspices of the United Nations, pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 10 June 1999.

(2)  Regulation (EC) No 1638/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 laying down general provisions establishing a European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument; http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/pdf/oj_l310_en.pdf; European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, ENPI Inter-regional Programme, Strategy Paper 2007-2013 and Indicative Programme 2007-2010; http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/pdf/country/enpi_interregional_en.pdf

(3)  Council Regulation (EC) No 1085/2006 of 17 July 2006 establishing an Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA); http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2006/l_210/l_21020060731en00820093.pdf Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), Multi-annual Indicative Planning Document (MIPD), 2008-2010, Multi-beneficiary; MIPD (2008-2010), reference C(2008) 3585 of 17 July 2008 http://www.cc.cec/sg_vista/cgi-bin/repository/getdoc/COMM_NATIVE_C_2008_3585_1_EN_ANNEXE.doc

(4)  The EU and Central Asia: Strategy for a New Partnership; The Council of the EU, 31 May 2007, 10113/07 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/librairie/PDF/EU_CtrlAsia_EN-RU.pdf

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27.11.2009

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 286/7

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Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.5728 — Crédit Agricole SA/Société Générale Asset Management)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2009/C 286/04

1.

On 18 November 2009, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 and following a referral pursuant to Article 4(5) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which the undertaking Crédit Agricole Group (France) acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation control of parts of the undertaking Société Générale Asset Management (‘SGAM’, France) by way of purchase of shares and assets.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are: — for Crédit Agricole Group: one of main banking groups in France, present in all banking and finance activities. Currently active in asset management through its subsidiary Crédit Agricole Asset Management and BFT Gestion, — for SGAM: the majority of the European and Asian traditional asset management activities of Société Générale. Excluded are the non-‘traditional’ or ‘alternative’ asset management activities of Société Générale Asset Management in Europe (e.g., Lyxor Asset Management), as well as its asset management businesses in China and Korea.

3.	On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.

4.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission. Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (+32 22964301 or 22967244) or by post, under reference number COMP/M.5728 — Crédit Agricole SA/Société Générale Asset Management, to the following address: European Commission Directorate-General for Competition Merger Registry 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel BELGIQUE/BELGIË

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1.

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27.11.2009

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 286/8

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Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.5709 — Volkswagen/MAHAG)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2009/C 286/05

1.

On 18 November 2009 the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1), by which Volkswagen AG (Germany) intends to acquire control over MAHAG Münchener Automobil-Handel Haberl GmbH & Co. KG (‘MAHAG KG’, Germany) through the purchase of securities, within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the above-mentioned Council Regulation.

2.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are: — Volkswagen AG: Development, manufacture and sale of cars and light commercial vehicles, as well as spare parts and accessories, — MAHAG KG: Retail distribution of new and used vehicles (cars and light commercial vehicles), retail distribution of spare parts for cars, and accessories for providing car-related services.

3.	On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.

4.

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their possible observations on the proposed operation to the Commission. Observations must reach the Commission not later than 10 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (+32 22964301 or 22967244) or by post, under reference number COMP/M.5709 — Volkswagen/MAHAG, to the following address: European Commission Directorate-General for Competition Merger Registry 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel BELGIQUE/BELGIË

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1.

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