9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/1

---

Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

(Text with EEA relevance)

2010/C 57/01

Date of adoption of the decision	22.1.2010
Reference number of State Aid	N 673/09
Member State	Austria
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Verlängerung von N 81/08 Konsolidierungsmaßnahmen im Rahmen der Bürgschaftsrichtlinien der Oberösterreichischen Kreditgarantiegesellschaft m.b.H. (OÖ KGG)
Legal basis	Bürgschaftsrichtlinien (Fassung per 1.11.2009)
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Restructuring of firms in difficulty
Form of aid	Guarantee
Budget	Annual budget: EUR 5,1 million Overall budget: EUR 15,8 million
Intensity	—
Duration (period)	10.10.2009-9.10.2012
Economic sectors	All sectors
Name and address of the granting authority	OÖ. KreditGarantie Gesellschaft m.b.H Hessenplatz 3 4010 Linz ÖSTERREICH
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/state_aids_texts_en.htm

Date of adoption of the decision	1.2.2010
Reference number of State Aid	N 20/10
Member State	Denmark
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Prolongation of Danish guarantee scheme on new debt
Legal basis	Lov om statsligt kapitalindskud i kreditinstitutter mv. lov nr. 67 af 3. februar 2009
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Aid to remedy serious disturbances in the economy
Form of aid	Guarantee
Budget	Overall budget: DKK 600 000 million
Intensity	—
Duration (period)	3.2.2010-30.6.2010
Economic sectors	Financial intermediation
Name and address of the granting authority	Finansiel Stabilitet A/S Amaliegade 3-5, 5 1256 København K DANMARK
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/state_aids_texts_en.htm

Date of adoption of the decision	28.1.2010
Reference number of State Aid	N 28/10
Member State	Spain
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Reestructuración bancaria y reforzamiento de los recursos propios de las entidades de crédito
Legal basis	Real Decreto-ley 9/2009 de 26 de junio sobre restructuración bancaria y reforzamiento de los recursos propios de las entidades de crédito y Acuerdo de la Comisión Rectora del Fondo de Reestructuración Ordenada Bancaria de 29 de enero de 2010 por el que se detallan los criterios y condiciones a los que se ajustará la actuación del Fondo de Reestructuración Ordenada Bancaria en los procesos de integración de entidades de crédito previstos en el articulo 9 del Real Decreto-ley 9/2009 de 26 de junio, sobre reestructuración bancaria y reforzamiento de los recursos de las entidades de crédito
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Aid to remedy serious disturbances in the economy
Form of aid	Provision of risk capital
Budget	Overall budget: EUR 99 000 million
Intensity	—
Duration (period)	Until 30.6.2010
Economic sectors	Financial intermediation
Name and address of the granting authority	Ministry of Economy and Treasury
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/state_aids_texts_en.htm

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9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/4

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Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

(Text with EEA relevance)

2010/C 57/02

Date of adoption of the decision	14.12.2009
Reference number of State Aid	N 273/09
Member State	Luxembourg
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Régime d'aides: — aux jeunes entreprises innovantes (art. 8, point b, numéro 1er du projet de loi); — à l’innovation de procédé et d’organisation dans les services (art. 11 du projet de loi); — à l’investissement dans les pôles d’innovation (art. 12 du projet de loi); — à l’animation de pôles d’innovation (art. 13 du projet de loi)
Legal basis	Loi du 5 juin 2009 relative à la promotion de la recherche du développement
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Research and development
Form of aid	Direct grant, Interest subsidy
Budget	Annual budget: EUR 8 million Overall budget: EUR 40 million
Intensity	35 %
Duration (period)	until 31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors
Name and address of the granting authority	Ministère de l'économie et du commerce extérieur 19-21 boulevard Royal 2914 Luxembourg LUXEMBOURG
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/state_aids_texts_en.htm

Date of adoption of the decision	13.1.2010
Reference number of State Aid	N 419/09
Member State	Malta
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Investments on electricity transmission and interconnector infrastructure-Enemalta Corporation
Legal basis	Malta Resources Authority Act (CAP 423 of the Laws of Malta) — Article 13 of Legal Notice 511: Electricity Regulations, 2004. Enemalta Act (CAP 272 of the Laws of Malta) — Article 3
Type of measure	Individual aid
Objective	Execution of important projects of common European interest
Form of aid	Guarantee
Budget	Overall budget: EUR 0,9 million
Intensity	Measure does not constitute aid
Duration (period)	until 2027
Economic sectors	Electricity, gas and water supply
Name and address of the granting authority	Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications Palazzo Verdelin Archbishop Street Valletta VLT 1444 MALTA
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/state_aids_texts_en.htm

Date of adoption of the decision	8.12.2009
Reference number of State Aid	N 453/09
Member State	Germany
Region	Hessen
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Richtlinien des Landes Hessen zur Innovationsförderung, Teil II Nr. 2: Aufbau, Erweiterung und Belebung von Innovationskernen
Legal basis	Richtlinien des Landes Hessen zur Innovationsförderung, Teil II Nr. 2: Aufbau, Erweiterung und Belebung von Innovationskernen, Staatsanzeiger des Landes Hessen, Nr. 15/2009, S. 874 und Berichtigung in Nr. 18/2009, S. 1022
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Research and development
Form of aid	Direct grant
Budget	Annual budget: EUR 4 million Overall budget: EUR 20 million
Intensity	35 %
Duration (period)	until 31.12.2013
Economic sectors	All sectors
Name and address of the granting authority	Hessisches Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr und Landschaftsentwicklung Kaiser-Friedrich-Ring 75 65185 Wiesbaden DEUTSCHLAND
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/state_aids_texts_en.htm

Date of adoption of the decision	9.2.2010
Reference number of State Aid	N 658/09
Member State	Poland
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Przedłużenie obowiązywania Programu wspierania finansowania banków w Polsce
Legal basis	Ustawa z dnia 12 lutego 2009 r. o udzielaniu przez Skarb Państwa wsparcia instytucjom finansowym
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Aid to remedy serious disturbances in the economy
Form of aid	Guarantee, Rescue aid loan
Budget	Overall budget: PLN 5 000 million
Intensity	—
Duration (period)	25.3.2010-30.6.2010
Economic sectors	Financial intermediation
Name and address of the granting authority	Minister właściwy do spraw finansów publicznych ul. Świętokrzyska 12 00-916 Warszawa POLSKA/POLAND
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/state_aids_texts_en.htm

Date of adoption of the decision	25.1.2010
Reference number of State Aid	N 690/09
Member State	Greece
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Μέτρα στήριξης για τα πιστωτικά ιδρύματα της Ελλάδας Metra stiriksis gia ta pistwtika idrumata ths Elladas
Legal basis	N 3723/08 «Ενίσχυση της ρευστότητας της οικονομίας για την αντιμετώπιση των επιπτώσεων της διεθνούς χρηματοπιστωτικής κρίσης και άλλες διατάξεις» N 3723/08 «Enisxisi ths refstotitas tis oikonomias gia tin antimetwpisi twn epiptwsewn tis diethnous xrhmatopistwtikis krisis kai alles diatakseis»
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Aid to remedy serious disturbances in the economy
Form of aid	Guarantee, Other forms of equity intervention
Budget	Overall budget: EUR 28 000 million
Intensity	—
Duration (period)	until 30.6.2010
Economic sectors	Financial intermediation
Name and address of the granting authority	Υπουργείο Οικονομίας και Οικονομικών Ypourgeio Oikonomias kai Oikonomikwn
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/state_aids_texts_en.htm

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9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/8

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Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

(Text with EEA relevance)

2010/C 57/03

Date of adoption of the decision	28.1.2010
Reference number of State Aid	NN 101/05
Member State	Italy
Region	Abruzzo
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Indennizzo dei danni subiti nel 2004
Legal basis	Leggi regionali n. 1/1984 e n. 6/2005
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Compensation for damage caused by natural disasters or exceptional occurrences
Form of aid	Direct payment
Budget	EUR 300 000
Intensity	40 %
Duration (period)	2005
Economic sectors	Fisheries
Name and address of the granting authority	Direzione Agricoltura, Foreste e Sviluppo Rurale Pescara Abruzzo ITALIA
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/state_aids_texts_en.htm

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9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/9

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Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case COMP/M.5730 — Telefonica/Hansenet Telekommunikation)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2010/C 57/04

On 29 January 2010, 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 English 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 32010M5730. EUR-Lex is the on-line access to the European law.

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9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/9

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Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case COMP/M.5549 — EDF/Segebel)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2010/C 57/05

On 12 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 English 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 3209M5549. EUR-Lex is the on-line access to the European law.

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9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/10

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Euro exchange rates (1)

8 March 2010

2010/C 57/06

1 euro =

	Currency	Exchange rate
USD	US dollar	1,3662
JPY	Japanese yen	123,48
DKK	Danish krone	7,4420
GBP	Pound sterling	0,90240
SEK	Swedish krona	9,6794
CHF	Swiss franc	1,4628
ISK	Iceland króna
NOK	Norwegian krone	8,0490
BGN	Bulgarian lev	1,9558
CZK	Czech koruna	25,578
EEK	Estonian kroon	15,6466
HUF	Hungarian forint	265,34
LTL	Lithuanian litas	3,4528
LVL	Latvian lats	0,7084
PLN	Polish zloty	3,8681
RON	Romanian leu	4,0900
TRY	Turkish lira	2,0880
AUD	Australian dollar	1,4970
CAD	Canadian dollar	1,4023
HKD	Hong Kong dollar	10,6001
NZD	New Zealand dollar	1,9457
SGD	Singapore dollar	1,9110
KRW	South Korean won	1 547,28
ZAR	South African rand	10,0639
CNY	Chinese yuan renminbi	9,3269
HRK	Croatian kuna	7,2618
IDR	Indonesian rupiah	12 550,47
MYR	Malaysian ringgit	4,5590
PHP	Philippine peso	62,604
RUB	Russian rouble	40,6165
THB	Thai baht	44,644
BRL	Brazilian real	2,4275
MXN	Mexican peso	17,2346
INR	Indian rupee	62,1050

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

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9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/11

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Opinion of the Advisory Committee on restrictive practices and dominant position given at its meeting of 9 November 2009 regarding a draft decision relating to Case COMP/39.316 — GDF foreclosure

Rapporteur: Bulgaria

2010/C 57/07

1.	The Advisory Committee shares the Commission's concerns expressed in its draft decision as communicated to the Advisory Committee on 9 November 2009 under Article 82 of the Treaty and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement.

2.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the proceedings can be concluded by means of a decision pursuant to Article 9(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003.

3.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that the commitments offered by GDF Suez (GDF Suez SA, GRTgaz SA and Elengy SA) are suitable, necessary and proportionate.

4.	The Advisory Committee agrees with the Commission that, in light of the commitments offered by GDF Suez, there are no longer grounds for action by the Commission, without prejudice to Article 9(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003.

5.	The Advisory Committee requests the Commission to take into account any other points raised during the discussion.

6.	The Advisory Committee recommends the publication of its opinion in the Official Journal of the European Union.

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9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/12

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Final report of the Hearing Officer (1)

Case COMP/39.316 — GDF gas foreclosure

The draft Decision presented to the Commission under Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 (2) relates to the alleged foreclosure of downstream supply markets for natural gas in France by Gaz de France Suez S.A. and its subsidiaries GRTgaz S.A. and Elengy S.A. (hereafter collectively referred to as ‘GDF’). In particular, the foreclosure would be the result of long-term reservation of most of France's import capacity; the procedures for allocating import capacity in the new Fos Cavaou liquefied natural gas terminal; and the strategic limitation of investments in additional import capacity in the Montoir de Bretagne liquefied natural gas terminal.

The Commission opened proceedings on 16 May 2008 and adopted a preliminary assessment as referred to in Article 9(1) on 22 June 2009. On 24 June 2009, GDF submitted commitments under Article 9(1) in order to address the Commission's competition concerns. The commitments essentially consist in a significant release of long-term import capacity and in the obligation to bring GDF's reservations below 50 % of total long-term import capacity at the latest in 2014 and to keep them at that level for ten years.

On 9 July 2009, the Commission published a notice pursuant to Article 27(4), summarizing the concerns and the commitments and inviting interested third parties to transmit observations on this notification within two months of its publication. The Commission received 23 responses from interested third parties. On 21 September 2009, the Commission informed GDF orally of the result of the market test. GDF did not request for any written access to the responses to the market test. On 21 October 2009, GDF submitted a revised proposal of commitments.

The Commission has now come to the conclusion that, in view of the commitments proposed by GDF, and without prejudice to Article 9(2), the proceedings should be brought to an end.

On 26 October 2009, GDF submitted a declaration to the Commission that it has received sufficient access to the information it considered necessary to propose commitments in order to meet the concerns expressed by the Commission.

No additional queries or submissions have been made to the Hearing Officer in connection with the present case by GDF or any third parties.

In the light of the above, I consider that the right to be heard has been respected in this case.

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(1)  Pursuant to Articles 15 and 16 of Commission Decision (2001/462/EC, ECSC) of 23 May 2001 on the terms of reference of Hearing Officers in certain competition proceedings (OJ L 162, 19.6.2001, p. 21).

(2)  In the following, all Articles and chapters referred to are those of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003.

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9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/13

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Summary of Commission Decision

of 3 December 2009

relating to a proceeding under Article 102 of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement

(Case COMP/39.316 — GDF)

(notified under document C(2009) 9375 final)

(Only the French text is authentic)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2010/C 57/09

On 3 December 2009, the Commission adopted a decision relating to a proceeding under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)  (1). In accordance with Article 30 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003  (2), the Commission is here publishing the names of the parties and the main content of the decision, including any penalties imposed, having regard to the legitimate interest of undertakings in the protection of their business secrets. A non-confidential version of the decision is available on the Directorate-General for Competition's website at the following address:

http://ec.europa.eu/competition/antitrust/cases/index/by_nr_78.html#i39_316

1.   INTRODUCTION

(1)

This Decision is addressed to GDF Suez SA, its subsidiaries, in particular GRTgaz SA and Elengy SA, and the companies controlled by them (together referred to as GDF Suez). GDF Suez offered commitments to meet the competition concerns expressed by the Commission in a preliminary assessment, and this Decision makes the commitments binding.

2.   PROCEDURE

(2)

The case arose out of surprise inspections carried out on 16 May 2006 at the premises of GDF. On 16 May 2008, the Commission initiated proceedings under Article 11(6) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 (3) and Article 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 773/2004 (4). On 22 June 2008, the Commission adopted a preliminary assessment setting out its competition concerns, of the kind referred to in Article 9(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003. On 24 June 2009, GDF Suez proposed commitments, in accordance with Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, to address the competition concerns identified by the Commission in the preliminary assessment. On 9 July 2009, a notice was published in the Official Journal of the European Union pursuant to Article 27(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 summarising the Commission's concerns and the proposed commitments, and inviting interested third parties to give their observations on the commitments within one month following publication (5). GDF Suez submitted a revised proposal for commitments on 21 October 2009, which took account of the comments received from interested third parties. The Advisory Committee on Restrictive Practices and Dominant Positions issued a favourable opinion on 9 November 2009 (6). The Hearing Officer presented her final report on 17 November 2009 (7).

3.   CONCERNS IDENTIFIED IN THE PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT

(3)

The Commission's preliminary assessment took the view that GDF Suez was a dominant player on the gas importation and supply markets in the two balancing zones (North and South) of the GRTgaz transport network. The Commission's preliminary assessment concluded that GDF Suez might have abused its dominant position within the meaning of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union by foreclosing access to gas import capacities in France, thereby restricting competition on the supply markets. The Commission argued that this foreclosure was a result of the long-term reservation of most gas import capacity in France, the determination of reception capacity and the procedures for allocating long-term capacity at the new Fos Cavaou LNG terminal, and the strategic limitation of investment in additional import capacity at the Montoir de Bretagne LNG terminal.

4.   COMMITMENTS

(4)

GDF Suez's commitments provide for the rapid release of significant firm long-term import capacities in both North and South balancing zones of the GRTgaz transport network. From 1 October 2014 at the latest, and for a period of ten years, GDF Suez will also limit its capacity reservations to under 50 % of total firm long-term import capacity in France.

(5)	GDF Suez's commitments are sufficient to address the initial concerns identified by the Commission in its preliminary assessment, without being disproportionate.

(6)

The final commitments are sufficient to effectively remove the competition concerns identified in the preliminary assessment. Reducing GDF Suez's share of capacity reservations compared with total firm long-term import capacities in France (as a result of the release in the near future of significant capacities and the limitation to less than 50 % for ten years from 2014) will enable third-party shippers to reinforce rapidly their foothold on the downstream gas supply markets in France, thus increasing the competitive pressure on GDF Suez in the long term. The final commitments are also both proportionate and necessary considering the large share of capacity reserved by GDF Suez compared with total gas import capacity in France and the average length of its capacity reservations.

5.   CONCLUSION

(7)	In the light of the commitments offered, the Decision finds that there are no longer grounds for action on the part of the Commission and, without prejudice to Article 9(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, the proceedings in this case should therefore be brought to an end.

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(1)  With effect from 1 December 2009, Articles 81 and 82 of the EC Treaty have become Articles 101 and 102 respectively of the TFEU. The substance of the two Articles has not changed. For the purposes of this Decision, references to Articles 101 and 102 of the TFEU should be understood as references to Articles 81 and 82 respectively of the EC Treaty, where appropriate.

(2)  OJ L 1, 4.1.2003, p. 1.

(3)  See footnote 2.

(4)  OJ L 123, 27.4.2004, p. 18.

(5)  OJ C 156, 9.7.2009, p. 25.

(6)  See page 11 of this issue of the Official Journal.

(7)  See page 12 of this issue of the Official Journal.

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9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/15

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Information related to the Commission’s ‘compiled list’ of Member States’ trusted lists as notified under Commission Decision 2009/767/EC (1)

2010/C 57/10

Digest information to ensure the authenticity and integrity of the Commission’s ‘compiled list’ of Member States’ trusted lists as notified to the Commission by Member States pursuant to Article 2.3 of Commission Decision 2009/767/EC was published in the Official Journal of the European Union C 45 of 23 February 2010  (2).

The digest information published on 23 February 2010 for the certificate that supports the TLS/SSL secured connection for the publication of the human readable version of the ‘compiled list’ expires on 7 March 2010. The new certificate supporting the TLS/SSL connection is valid as of 8 March 2010 and can be authenticated through the following digest information:

—	SHA-256 digest (Hex) value: 81 bc 61 fa 39 fa f5 b4 d5 d8 77 98 be 53 bd 68 68 af 06 ff 05 78 bf a9 3b 15 76 5a 6f da 8d ad

—	SHA-1 digest (Hex) value: 5e 98 89 3b ed 90 44 ef b0 9a 94 c4 8a fd b6 52 b5 19 70 8f

—	SHA-256 digest (Base64) value: gbxh+jn69bTV2HeYvlO9aGivBv8FeL+pOxV2Wm/aja0=

—	SHA-1 digest (Base64) value: XpiJO+2QRO+wmpTEiv22UrUZcI8=

The above data is valid until 28 March 2013.

The authenticity and integrity of the ‘compiled’ list should be verified by relying parties prior to any use. The Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to the content of the pointed national trusted lists which lies exclusively with the Member States.

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(1)  OJ L 299, 14.11.2009, p. 18.

(2)  OJ C 45, 23.2.2010, p. 16.

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9.3.2010

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 57/16

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Communication from the French Government concerning Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 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 oil and gas, entitled the ‘Marges du Finistère Licence’)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2010/C 57/11

By request dated 15 September 2009, GTO Ltd, a company with registered offices at Trafalgar House, 11 Waterloo Place, London SW1Y 4AU UNITED KINGDOM, applied for an exclusive five-year licence, designated the ‘Marges du Finistère Licence’, to prospect for oil and gas in an area of approximately 21 000 km2 in the Department of Finistère.

The perimeter of the area covered by this licence is made up of the meridian and parallel arcs successively joining the points defined below by their geographical coordinates, the original meridian being that of Paris for coordinates expressed in grads and that of Greenwich for coordinates expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds (given for information):

Point A	:	intersection of the meridian 12,60 gr W (9° 00′ 00″ W) with the division between the French and British continental shelves.
Point B	:	intersection of the meridian 8,70 gr W (5° 30′ 00″ W) with the division between the French and British continental shelves.

Point	Longitude	Latitude
C	8,70 gr W (5° 30′ 00″ W)	53,30 gr N (48° 00′ 00″ N)
D	12,60 gr W (9° 00′ 00″ W)	53,30 gr N (48° 00′ 00″ N)

Points A-B

=

the division between the French and British continental shelves.

Submission of applications and criteria for awarding rights

The initial applicant and competing applicants must prove that they meet the requirements for obtaining the licence, as specified in Articles 4 and 5 of Decree No 2006-648 of 2 June 2006 concerning mining rights and underground storage rights (Journal officiel de la République française, 3 June 2006).

Interested companies may, within 90 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, page 11, and established by Decree No 2006-648 of 2 June 2006 on mining rights and underground storage rights (Journal officiel de la République française, 3 June 2006).

Competing applications must be sent to the Minister responsible for mines at the address below. Decisions on the initial application and competing applications will be taken within two years of the date on which the French authorities received the initial application, i.e. by 15 September 2011 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 (code minier) and to Decree No 2006-649 of 2 June 2006 on mining and underground storage operations and the regulations governing mining and underground storage (Journal officiel de la République française, 3 June 2006).

Further information can be obtained from the following address:

Ministère de l'écologie, de l’énergie, du développement durable et de la mer, Direction générale de l'énergie et du climat, Direction de l’énergie, Sous-direction de la sécurité d’approvisionnement et nouveaux produits énergétiques Grande Arche — Paroi Nord, 92055 La Défense Cedex, FRANCE Tel. +33 140819529. The abovementioned laws and regulations can be consulted on Légifrance: http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr

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(1)  OJ L 164, 30.6.1994, p. 3.

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