15.2.2007

Official Journal of the European Union

C 33/1

Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 33/01)

Date of adoption of the decision	22.12.2006
Reference number of the aid	N 432/06
Member State	Cyprus
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Σχέδιο ενθάρρυνσης ηλεκτροπαραγωγής από βιομάζα και βιοαέριο από χώρους υγειονομικής ταφής απορριμμάτων
Legal basis	Aπόφαση του Υπουργικού Συμβουλίου αριθ. 63.894 της 22ας Ιουνίου 2006
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Environmental protection
Form of aid	Direct grant
Budget	Annual budget: CYP 0,35 million
Intensity	—
Duration	Until 31.12.2007
Economic sectors	Energy
Name and address of the granting authority	Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism
Other information	—

The authentic text(s) of the decision, from which all confidential information has been removed, can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/community_law/state_aids/

Date of adoption of the decision	11.12.2006
Reference number of the aid	N 533/06
Member State	United Kingdom
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Capital Grants for Renewable Technologies — extention of budget
Legal basis	Environmental Protection Act 1990 Science and Technology Act 1965
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Environmental protection
Form of aid	Direct grant
Budget	Overall budget: GBP 303,5 million
Intensity	40 %
Duration	1.1.2002-31.12.2011
Economic sectors	Energy
Name and address of the granting authority	DTI Victoria Street London, SW1H OET, United Kingdom
Other information	—

The authentic text(s) of the decision, from which all confidential information has been removed, can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/community_law/state_aids/

Date of adoption of the decision	11.12.2006
Reference number of the aid	N 744/06
Member State	Sweden
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Förlängning och ändring av nedsättningen av koldioxidskatten (för energiintensiva företag)
Legal basis	Lagen på skatt på energi (1994:1776) 9 kap. 9 §.
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Environmental protection
Form of aid	Tax rate reduction
Budget	Annual budget: SEK 160 million; Overall budget: SEK 817 million
Intensity	—
Duration	1.1.2007-31.12.2011
Economic sectors	Manufacturing industry
Name and address of the granting authority	Finansdepartementet, S-103 33 Stockholm
Other information	—

The authentic text(s) of the decision, from which all confidential information has been removed, can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/community_law/state_aids/

15.2.2007

Official Journal of the European Union

C 33/4

Euro exchange rates (1)

14 February 2007

(2007/C 33/02)

1 euro=

	Currency	Exchange rate
USD	US dollar	1,3082
JPY	Japanese yen	158,55
DKK	Danish krone	7,4533
GBP	Pound sterling	0,66930
SEK	Swedish krona	9,1410
CHF	Swiss franc	1,6268
ISK	Iceland króna	88,19
NOK	Norwegian krone	8,0890
BGN	Bulgarian lev	1,9558
CYP	Cyprus pound	0,5791
CZK	Czech koruna	28,268
EEK	Estonian kroon	15,6466
HUF	Hungarian forint	253,52
LTL	Lithuanian litas	3,4528
LVL	Latvian lats	0,6967
MTL	Maltese lira	0,4293
PLN	Polish zloty	3,9149
RON	Romanian leu	3,3866
SKK	Slovak koruna	34,358
TRY	Turkish lira	1,8295
AUD	Australian dollar	1,6734
CAD	Canadian dollar	1,5265
HKD	Hong Kong dollar	10,2213
NZD	New Zealand dollar	1,8923
SGD	Singapore dollar	2,0106
KRW	South Korean won	1 227,68
ZAR	South African rand	9,4545
CNY	Chinese yuan renminbi	10,1484
HRK	Croatian kuna	7,3570
IDR	Indonesian rupiah	11 862,76
MYR	Malaysian ringgit	4,5767
PHP	Philippine peso	63,284
RUB	Russian rouble	34,4030
THB	Thai baht	43,572

(1)

Source: reference exchange rate published by the ECB.

15.2.2007

Official Journal of the European Union

C 33/5

Request for an Advisory Opinion from the EFTA Court by Oslo Tingrett by decision of that court of 30 January 2006 in the case of Ladbrokes Ltd. v Staten v/Kultur- og kirkedepartementet and Staten v/Landsbruks- og matdepartementet

(Case E-3/06)

(2007/C 33/03)

A request has been made to the EFTA Court by decision of 30 January 2006 of Oslo Tingrett (Oslo District Court), which was received at the Court Registry on 25 August 2006, for an Advisory Opinion in the case of Ladbrokes Ltd. v Staten v/ Kultur- og kirkedepartementet and Staten v/ Landsbruks- og matdepartementet on the following questions:

1.	Do EEA Articles 31 and/or 36 preclude national legislation which establishes that certain forms of gambling can only be provided by a State-owned gambling company which channels its profits to cultural and sports purposes?

2.	Do EEA Articles 31 and/or 36 preclude national legislation which establishes that licenses to provide horserace betting can only be granted to non-profit organizations or companies whose aim is to support horse breeding?

3.	Do EEA Articles 31 and/or 36 preclude national legislation which establishes that licenses to certain forms of gambling can only be granted to non-profit organizations and associations with a humanitarian or social purpose?

4.	Under EEA law, is it legitimate for national legislation to emphasise that the profit from gambling should go to humanitarian and social purposes (including sports and culture), and not to be a source of private profit?

5.	Does EEA Article 36 preclude a national statutory provision which forbids the providing and marketing of gambling which is not permitted in Norway, but which is legally operated in another EEA State?

15.2.2007

Official Journal of the European Union

C 33/7

Communication from the French Government concerning Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 1994 on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons (1)

(Notice regarding an application for an exclusive licence to prospect for liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, entitled ‘Permis de Soufflenheim’)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 33/05)

By request of 10 April 2006, the Millenium Geo-Venture company, with registered offices at 1 rue Louis Pasteur 92100 Boulogne Billancourt (France), applied for an exclusive four-year licence, entitled ‘Permis de Soufflenheim’, to prospect for liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in an area of approximately 200 km2 covering part of the Department of Bas-Rhin.

The perimeter of the area covered by this licence is made up of the meridian and parallel arcs joining the vertices defined below by their geographical coordinates, the original meridian being that of Paris.

A	6.30 degrees E	54.30 degrees N
B	Intersection of the meridian 6.30 degrees E with the dividing line between France and Germany
C	Intersection of parallel 54.10 degrees N with the dividing line between France and Germany
D	6.10 degrees E	54.10 degrees N
E	Intersection of the meridian 6.10 degrees E with the southern boundary of the Pechelbronn concession
F	Intersection of parallel 54.30 degrees N with the eastern boundary of the Pechelbronn concession
B to C	Dividing line between France and Germany
E to F	Boundary of the Pechelbronn concession

Submission of applications and criteria for awarding rights

The initial applicant and competing applicants must meet the requirements specified in Articles 3 and 4 of Decree No 95-427 of 19 April 1995, as amended, concerning mining rights (Journal officiel de la République française of 22 April 1995), as kept in force by Article 63 of Decree No 2006-648 of 2 June 2006 on mining rights and underground storage rights.

Interested companies may, within a period of ninety days of the publication of this notice, submit a competing application in accordance with the procedure summarised in the ‘Notice regarding the granting of mining rights for hydrocarbons in France’ published in Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 of 30 December 1994, p. 11, and established by amended Decree No 95-427 of 19 April 1995. Competing applications must be sent to the Minister responsible for mines at the address below.

The decisions on the initial application and the competing applications will be based on the criteria governing the award of mining rights, as set out in Article 5 of the said Decree, and will be taken within two years of the date on which the French authorities received the initial application, i.e. by 10 April 2008 at the latest.

Conditions and requirements regarding performance of the activity and cessation thereof

Applicants are referred to Articles 79 and 79.1 of the mining code and to Decree No 95-696 of 9 May 1995, as amended, on the start of mining operations and the regulations governing them (Journal officiel de la République française, 11 May 1995).

Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Finance and Industry (Directorate-General for Energy and Raw Materials, Directorate for Energy and Mineral Resources, Bureau of Mining Legislation), 61, Boulevard Vincent Auriol, Télédoc 133, F-75703 Paris Cedex 13 [Tel. (33) 144 97 23 02, Fax: (33) 144 97 05 70].

The abovementioned laws and regulations can be consulted at http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr

(1) OJ L 164, 30.6.1994, p. 3.

15.2.2007

Official Journal of the European Union

C 33/9

STATE AID

(Articles 87 to 89 of the Treaty establishing the European Community)

Communication from the Commission, pursuant to Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty, to the other Member States and other interested parties

State aid C 21/05 (ex PL 45/04) — Poczta Polska: compensation for carrying out the universal postal service — 2004-2005

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 33/06)

By the following letter, dated 9 January 2007, the Commission informed Poland of its decision to terminate partially the procedure provided for in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty.

‘By e-mail dated 30 April 2004, the Polish authorities notified two aid schemes in favour of the Polish postal operator Poczta Polska, under the “interim mechanism procedure”, provided for in Annex IV.3 of the Act of Accession, which forms part of the Treaty of Accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia to the European Union.

The two aid schemes were registered under the following numbers: PL 45/04: Compensation to Poczta Polska for carrying out universal postal services and PL 49/04: Aid to Poczta Polska for investment related to the provision of universal postal services.

On 26 July 2004, 26 November 2004 and 7 February 2005, the Commission requested additional information. The Polish authorities submitted additional information by letters dated: 10 September 2004, 27 October 2004, 3 December 2004 and 29 March 2005. Two meetings between the Polish authorities and the Commission's services were held on 25 October 2004 and on 31 January 2005. On 20 June 2005, the Commission received additional information from the Polish authorities.

By letter dated 29 June 2005, the Commission informed Poland that it had decided to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty in respect of the two aid schemes.

The two aid schemes were registered under the following numbers: C 21/05: Compensation to Poczta Polska for carrying out universal postal services and C 22/05: Aid to Poczta Polska for investments related to the provision of universal postal services.

The Commission decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (1). The Commission called on interested parties to submit their comments.

The Commission received no comments from interested parties.

Poland submitted its comments by letter of 9 August 2005. A meeting between the Polish authorities and the Commission was held on 10 January 2006. The Commission required additional information by letter dated 24 January 2006.

By letter of 10 February 2006, the Polish authorities informed the Commission of their intention to withdraw the notification of the aid scheme C 22/05: Aid to Poczta Polska for investments related to the provision of universal postal services. Following the request of the Commission of 27 February 2006, the Polish authorities indicated by letter of 13 March 2006 that they will not proceed with the aid project covered by the above notification.

By decision of 27 April 2006, the Commission decided to terminate the proceedings under article 88 §2 of the EC Treaty in respect of the aid C 22/05: Aid to Poczta Polska for investments related to the provision of universal postal services, because it had become without object (2) since the aid was never implemented.

By letter of 23 February 2006, the Polish authorities sent the Commission additional information in respect of the State aid case C 21/05: Compensation to Poczta Polska for carrying out the universal postal service. They indicated however that in 2004 and 2005, no State compensation was granted to Poczta Polska for carrying out the postal service obligation. The scheme in question was never funded and never applied in 2004 and 2005.

In the light of the above, the Commission decides to terminate partially the proceedings under article 88 §2 of the EC Treaty in respect of the aid C 21/05: Aid to Poczta Polska for carrying out the universal postal service for the period 2004-2005, because it has become without object since the aid was not implemented in 2004 and 2005. The proceedings under article 88 §2 of the EC Treaty remain open as for the period 1 January 2006 onwards.’

(1) OJ C 274, 5.11.2005, p. 14.

(2) OJ C 223, 16.9.2006, p. 11.

		ISSN 1725-2423
Official Journal of the European Union		C 33

English edition	Information and Notices	Volume 50 15 February 2007

Notice No	Contents	page
	II Information
	INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES
	Commission
2007/C 033/01	Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty — Cases where the Commission raises no objections ( 1 )	1

	IV Notices
	NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES
	Commission
2007/C 033/02	Euro exchange rates	4

	V Announcements
	COURT PROCEEDINGS
	EFTA Court
2007/C 033/03	Request for an Advisory Opinion from the EFTA Court by Oslo Tingrett by decision of that court of 30 January 2006 in the case of Ladbrokes Ltd. v Staten v/Kultur- og kirkedepartementet and Staten v/Landsbruks- og matdepartementet (Case E-3/06)	5

2007/C 033/04	Request for an Advisory Opinion from the EFTA Court by Borgarting Lagmannsrett by decision of that court of 9 October 2006 in the case of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines v Staten v/Finansdepartementet (Case E-4/06)	6

	PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPETITION POLICY
	Commission
2007/C 033/05	Communication from the French Government concerning Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 1994 on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons (Notice regarding an application for an exclusive licence to prospect for liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, entitled Permis de Soufflenheim) ( 1 )	7

2007/C 033/06	State aid (Articles 87 to 89 of the Treaty establishing the European Community) — Communication from the Commission, pursuant to Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty, to the other Member States and other interested parties — State aid C 21/05 (ex PL 45/04) — Poczta Polska: compensation for carrying out the universal postal service — 2004-2005 ( 1 )	9