7.2.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 30/1

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Euro exchange rates (1)

6 February 2006

(2006/C 30/01)

1 euro=

	Currency	Exchange rate
USD	US dollar	1,1981
JPY	Japanese yen	142,28
DKK	Danish krone	7,4667
GBP	Pound sterling	0,68330
SEK	Swedish krona	9,2972
CHF	Swiss franc	1,5558
ISK	Iceland króna	75,57
NOK	Norwegian krone	8,0470
BGN	Bulgarian lev	1,9558
CYP	Cyprus pound	0,5739
CZK	Czech koruna	28,335
EEK	Estonian kroon	15,6466
HUF	Hungarian forint	250,36
LTL	Lithuanian litas	3,4528
LVL	Latvian lats	0,6961
MTL	Maltese lira	0,4293
PLN	Polish zloty	3,8133
RON	Romanian leu	3,5982
SIT	Slovenian tolar	239,49
SKK	Slovak koruna	37,341
TRY	Turkish lira	1,5920
AUD	Australian dollar	1,6051
CAD	Canadian dollar	1,3706
HKD	Hong Kong dollar	9,2952
NZD	New Zealand dollar	1,7527
SGD	Singapore dollar	1,9488
KRW	South Korean won	1 153,89
ZAR	South African rand	7,3324
CNY	Chinese yuan renminbi	9,6519
HRK	Croatian kuna	7,3350
IDR	Indonesian rupiah	11 046,48
MYR	Malaysian ringgit	4,480
PHP	Philippine peso	62,157
RUB	Russian rouble	33,8460
THB	Thai baht	47,247

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(1)  

Source: reference exchange rate published by the ECB.

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7.2.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 30/2

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Notice of the impending expiry of certain anti-dumping measures

(2006/C 30/02)

1.

As provided for in Article 11(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 384/96 of 22 December 1995 (1) on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Community, the Commission gives notice that, unless a review is initiated in accordance with the following procedure, the anti-dumping measures mentioned below will expire on the date mentioned in the table below.

2.   Procedure

Community producers may lodge a written request for a review. This request must contain sufficient evidence that the expiry of the measures would be likely to result in a continuation or recurrence of dumping and injury.

Should the Commission decide to review the measures concerned, importers, exporters, representatives of the exporting country and Community producers will then be provided with the opportunity to amplify, rebut or comment on the matters set out in the review request.

3.   Time limit

Community producers may submit a written request for a review on the above basis, to reach the European Commission, Directorate-General for Trade (Division B-1), J-79 5/16, B-1049 Brussels (2) at any time from the date of the publication of the present notice but no later than three months before the date mentioned in the table below.

4.	This notice is published in accordance with Article 11(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 384/96 of 22 December 1995.

Product	Country(ies) of origin or exportation	Measures	Reference	Date of expiry
Internal gear hubs for bicycles	Japan	Anti-dumping duty	Council Regulation (EC) No 2080/2001 (OJ L 282, 26.10.2001, p. 1)	26.10.2006

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(1)  OJ L 56, 6.3.1996, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 2117/2005 (OJ L 340, 23.12.2005, p. 17).

(2)  Telefax : (32-2) 295 65 05.

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7.2.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 30/3

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Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 of 12 January 2001, as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 364/2004 of 25 February 2004, on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises

(2006/C 30/03)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No	XS 13/05
Member State	United Kingdom
Region	Wales
Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid	Assembly Investment Grant
Legal basis	Industrial Development Act 1982, Sections 7 and 8
Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company	Aid scheme	Annual overall amount	GBP 10 million
		Loans guaranteed
	Individual aid	Overall aid amount
		Loans guaranteed
Maximum aid intensity	In conformity with Articles 4(2)-(6) and 5 of the Regulation		Yes
Date of implementation	1.2.2005
Duration of scheme or individual aid award	Until 31.12.2006
Objective of aid	Aid to SMEs		Yes
Economic sectors concerned	All sectors eligible for aid to SMEs		Yes
Name and address of the granting authority	Name: National Assembly for Wales
	Address: Trade and Invest Wales Cathays Park Cardiff CF10 3NQ United Kingdom
Large individual aid grants	In conformity with Article 6 of the Regulation		Yes

Aid No	XS 39/05
Member State	United Kingdom
Region	North East England
Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid	Argon Cathedral Park Ltd
Legal basis	Industrial Development Act 1982 Sections 7 & 11 Section 2 Local Government Act 2000
Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company	Aid scheme	Annual overall amount
		Loans guaranteed
	Individual aid	Overall aid amount	GBP 2 590 729
		Loans guaranteed
Maximum aid intensity	In conformity with Articles 4(2)-(6) and 5 of the Regulation		Yes
Date of implementation	From 1.7.2004
Duration of scheme or individual aid award	Until 31.12.2006
Objective of aid	Aid to SMEs		Yes
Economic sectors concerned	All sectors eligible for aid to SMEs		Yes
Name and address of the granting authority	Name: Government Office for the North East European Programmes Secretariat
	Address: Citygate Gallowgate Newcastle Upon Tyne NE 4WH United Kingdom
Large individual aid grants	In conformity with Article 6 of the Regulation		Yes

Aid No	XS 44/05
Member State	United Kingdom
Region	North East England
Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid	North East of England Business & Innovation Centre Ltd
Legal basis	Industrial Development Act 1982 Sections 7 & 11 Section 2 Local Government Act 2000 Regional Development Agencies Act 1998
Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company	Aid scheme	Annual overall amount
		Loans guaranteed
	Individual aid	Overall aid amount	GBP 250 000
		Loans guaranteed
Maximum aid intensity	In conformity with Articles 4(2)-(6) and 5 of the Regulation		Yes
Date of implementation	From 1.8.2001
Duration of scheme or individual aid award	Until 31.3.2002
Objective of aid	Aid to SMEs		Yes
Economic sectors concerned	All sectors eligible for aid to SMEs		Yes
Name and address of the granting authority	Name: Government Office for the North East European Programmes Secretariat
	Address: Citygate Gallowgate Newcastle Upon Tyne NE 4WH United Kingdom
Large individual aid grants	In conformity with Article 6 of the Regulation		Yes

Aid No	XS 46/05
Member State	Austria
Region	Austria
Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving individual aid	proVision. Provision for nature and society — 1. Description
Legal basis	Forschungsorganisationsgesetz, Bundesgesetzblatt Nr. 341/1981 in der Fassung von Bundesgesetzblatt Nr. 74/2004
Annual expenditure planned or overall amount of individual aid granted to the company	Aid scheme	Total amount 2004-2006	EUR 12,6 million
		Loans guaranteed
	Individual aid	Overall aid amount
		Loans guaranteed
Maximum aid intensity	In conformity with Articles 4(2)-(6) and 5 of the Regulation		Yes
Date of implementation	May 2005
Duration of the scheme or individual aid award	2004-2006 (no money has been paid out yet)
Objective of aid	Aid to SMEs		Yes
Economic sectors concerned	Limited to specific sectors		Yes
	Other services in research and development		Yes
Name and address of the granting authority	Name: Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Kultur
	Address: Minoritenplatz 5 A-1014 Wien
Large individual aid grants	In conformity with Article 6 of the Regulation		Yes

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7.2.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 30/6

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Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2006/C 30/04)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognized in accordance with Article 12(3) within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

SUMMARY

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

‘SALPICÃO DE BARROSO — MONTALEGRE’

EC NO: PT/00238/16.5.2002

PDO ( ) PGI ( X )

This summary has been drawn up for information purposes only. For full details, in particular the producers of the PDO or PGI concerned, please consult the complete version of the product specification obtainable at national level or from the European Commission (1).

1.   Responsible department in the Member State:

Name:	Instituto de Desenvolvimento Rural e Hidráulica
Address:	Av. Afonso Costa, P-1949-002 Lisboa
Tel.:	(351) 218 44 22 00
Fax:	(351) 218 44 22 02
Email:	idrha@idrha.min-agricultura.pt

2.   Group:

2.1   Name: Cooperativa Agrícola dos Produtores de Batata para Semente de Montalegre, CRL

2.2   Address:

Rua General Humberto Delgado 5470 — P-247 Montalegre

Tel.: (351) 276 512 253

Fax: (351) 276 512 528

Email quadrimonte@iol.pt

2.3   Composition: producers/processors (X) other ( )

3.   Type of product:

Type 1.2 — Meat-based products

4.   Specification:

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2)):

4.1   Name: ‘SALPICÃO DE BARROSO — MONTALEGRE’

4.2   Description: A smoked sausage, made from the meat of the Bisaro breed of pig or of cross-breeds that must be 50 % Bisaro, stuffed into hog casings (large intestine). The sausage is shaped like a straight cylinder approximately 4 to 8 cm in diameter and 10 to 20 cm in length. It is light brown in colour. The meats are seasoned with salt, garlic, red or white wine, powdered chilli pepper (regionally known as ‘pimento’) and powdered red bell pepper (or ‘pimentão’). The casing is tightly wrapped around the filling and must be unbroken.

4.3   Geographical area: Due to the special production requirements of these sausages, their flavours, the expertise available and the climatic conditions of the region, the geographical area for processing and packing is limited to the municipality of Montalegre, in the Vila Real district. Taking into account the traditional animal feed and existing agricultural production, the geographical area for processing and packing is naturally limited to the municipalities of Boticas, Chaves and Montalegre, in the Vila Real district. The territory consisting of these three municipalities is known and identified as ‘Barroso’.

4.4   Proof of origin: The farms, slaughterhouses and meat-cutting and preparation plants must be licensed, authorised by the group of producers after the private inspection body has given its approval, and located in the specified production or processing areas respectively. The entire production process, from the farm that produces the raw materials to the place where the product is sold, is subject to a rigorous inspection system ensuring the product is fully traceable. The pigs are reared in livestock farms possessing an area compatible with traditional, semi-extensive farming systems, where it is possible to produce traditional animal feed. The certification mark on each sausage is numbered, ensuring full traceability to the farm where the product originated. It is possible to prove the origin of the product at any point in the production chain by means of the serial number, which must be indicated on the certification mark.

4.5   Method of production: Loin and tenderloin are used. The meat is cut into large cubes and seasoned with salt, red or white wine from the Trás-os-Montes region, and garlic. It is marinated for up to 8 days at a temperature below 10 °C in a room with low humidity, after which chilli pepper powder and red bell pepper powder are added. This mixture is then stuffed into a hog casing (large intestine). After the casing is stuffed and the ends have been knotted with cotton twine, the sausage is cut to the desired size. It is then smoked over a low fire in a smoking room or a traditional smokehouse for approximately 30 days. The smoke is obtained via the direct combustion of wood, primarily oak, from the region. The sausage is placed on the market as a whole sausage and is always pre-packed at the place of origin. Due to the product's characteristics and composition, it cannot be cut or sliced. Special material, which is innocuous and inert when it comes into contact with the product, is used for its packaging. The product may be packed in a normal or controlled atmosphere or in a vacuum. Packing can only be carried out in the geographical processing area so as to ensure traceability and control and to prevent any change to the product's taste and microbiological characteristics.

4.6   Link: Due to climatic, geographic and socio–economic conditions, and the difficulty of communicating with the rest of the country, the diet of the Barroso region was limited to local products, mainly bread, potatoes and pork. References made to taxes on pigs and pork products in various municipal registers, including that of Montalegre, prove that pig-breeding has been important in this area for a very long time. For pork to remain edible throughout the year, ways were discovered to preserve it, and these quickly became ancestral skills passed down from one generation to the next. The preparation of these products is the result of, and is very dependent on, the region's cold and dry climate, which forces every household to keep a fire burning at all times, thus providing unique conditions for smoking, characterised by a light and gradual smoke supply. It was thus that the need to take advantage of and preserve the pig meat provided by the traditional slaughter gave rise to sausages of various shapes, different ingredients and different colours and flavours, but which were always an expression of the local characteristics: the land and its people. In short, the relationship between this product and the geographical area stems from the breed of (indigenous) animal, the local produce fed to these animals, the knowledge to choose the correct pieces of pig meat, the smoking process using regional firewood and the curing process conducted in a very cold and dry environment suitable for preserving the product.

4.7   Inspection body:

Name:	Tradição e Qualidade — Associação Interprofissional para Produtos Agro-Alimentares de Trás-os-Montes
Address:	Av. 25 de Abril, 273 S/L P-5370 Mirandela
Tel.:	(351) 278 261 410
Fax:	(351) 278 261 410
Email:	tradicao-qualidade@clix.pt

Tradição e Qualidade has been recognised as complying with the requirements of Standard 45011:2001.

4.8   Labelling: It is compulsory for the labelling to include the following: the wording ‘Salpicão de Barroso — Montalegre — Indicação Geográfica Protegida’ (Protected Geographical Indication), the Community's own logo, the logo for Barroso-Montalegre, reproduced below, together with the words ‘Montalegre’ and ‘Salpicão’. It must also include the certification mark, which must state the name of the product, the control body and the serial number (numeric or alphanumeric code ensuring the product's traceability).

4.9   National requirements: —

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(1)  European Commission, Directorate-General for Agriculture, Agricultural product quality policy, B-1049 Brussels.

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7.2.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 30/9

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Commission notice pursuant to Article 4(1)(a) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92

Amendment of public service obligations imposed on certain scheduled air services within Portugal

(2006/C 30/05)

(Text with EEA relevance)

1.	Pursuant to Article 4(1)(a) of Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92 on access for Community air carriers to intra-Community air routes, Portugal has decided to amend the public service obligations imposed in respect of scheduled air services operated between Lisbon/Bragança and Bragança/Vila Real/Lisbon.

2.

The public service obligations are as follows: — Minimum frequency: Two return flights a day, one with a stopover in Vila Real, from Monday to Friday. If there is a high demand for services, flights could also be operated at weekends. — Timetables: The operating conditions at Bragança and Vila Real aerodromes must be complied with. Passengers must be able to make a round trip between Bragança and Lisbon the same day with a stay of at least five hours in winter and seven hours in summer. — Type and capacity of aircraft used: Twin-engined turbofan aircraft which meet the performance requirements contained in Decree-Law No 289/03 of 14 November 2003, for Bragança and Vila Real aerodromes (1). — Fares: A fully flexible return fare, and a range of special fares with special conditions adapted to demand (e.g. excursion, groups, events, etc.) must be offered for each of the following routes: — Lisbon — Bragança — Lisbon — Vila Real — Bragança — Vila Real — Continuity of service: Except in cases of force majeure, the number of flights cancelled for reasons directly attributable to the carrier must not exceed 3 % of the number of flights scheduled in any IATA scheduling season. The planned services must be guaranteed throughout one calendar year at least and, except in the case mentioned above, may be suspended only with six months' notice. — Flight marketing: Flights must be marketed using at least one computerised reservation system.

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(1)  See Aeronautical Information of Portugal (AIP) and the Civil Pilot Manual (MPC-Portugal) for details of operations at Lisbon airport and Bragança and Vila Real aerodromes.

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7.2.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 30/10

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Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.4084 — Banca Intesa/NH Hoteles/NH Italia)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(2006/C 30/06)

(Text with EEA relevance)

1.

On 17 January 2006, the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which the undertakings Banca Intesa S.p.A. (‘Banca Intesa’, Italy) and NH Hoteles S.A. (‘NH Hoteles’, Spain), through its subsidiary NH Hoteles Rallye S.A., acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Council Regulation joint control of NH Italia S.r.l. (‘NH Italia’, Italy), currently solely controlled by NH Hoteles, by way of purchase of shares.

2.	The business activities of the undertakings concerned are: — for Banca Intesa: holding of a banking and finance group; — for NH Hoteles: establishment, development and operation of hotels; — for NH Italia: establishment, development and operation of hotels.

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. Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.

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 (No (32-2) 296 43 01 or 296 72 44) or by post, under reference number COMP/M.4084 — Banca Intesa/NH Hotels/NH Italia, to the following address: European Commission Competition DG Merger Registry J-70 B-1049 Brussels

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1.

(2)  OJ C 56, 5.3.2005, p. 32.

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