3.5.2012

Official Journal of the European Union

C 128/1

Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

(Text with EEA relevance)

2012/C 128/01

Date of adoption of the decision

7.3.2012

Reference number of State Aid

SA.30015 (N 688/09)

Member State

Germany

Region

—

Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)

ERP Unternehmenskapital Kapital für Gründung

Legal basis

KfW-Gesetz, BGB. I S. 2427 Programmmerkblatt ERP-Kapital für Gründung

Type of measure

Aid scheme

Objective

Small and medium-sized enterprises

Form of aid

Interest subsidy

Budget

Annual budget: EUR 200 million

Overall budget: EUR 800 million

Intensity

50 %

Duration (period)

Until 31.12.2013

Economic sectors

All sectors

Name and address of the granting authority

KfW-Bankengruppe

Palmengartenstraße 5-9

60325 Frankfurt

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

11.1.2012

Reference number of State Aid

SA.33608 (11/N)

Member State

Poland

Region

—

Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)

Program pomocy publicznej dla przedsiębiorców zatrudniających osoby pozbawione wolności (zmiany do programu pomocy N 519/07)

Legal basis

Projekt rozporządzenia Ministra Sprawiedliwości w sprawie Funduszu Aktywizacji Zawodowej Skazanych oraz Rozwoju Przywięziennych Zakładów Pracy

Ustawa z dnia 28 sierpnia 1997 r. o zatrudnieniu osób pozbawionych wolności (Dz.U. nr 127, poz. 777 ze zm.)

Type of measure

Aid scheme

Objective

Employment

Form of aid

Direct grant, Soft loan, Reduction of social security contributions

Budget

Annual budget: PLN 46 million

Intensity

—

Duration (period)

—

Economic sectors

All sectors

Name and address of the granting authority

Dyrektor Generalny Służby Więziennej

Centralny Zarząd Służby Więziennej

ul. Rakowiecka 37A

02-521 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

20.4.2012

Reference number of State Aid

SA.33966 (11/N)

Member State

France

Region

Guadeloupe

Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)

Aide à caractère social au bénéfice des résidents des îles de la Guadeloupe

Legal basis

Code général des collectivités territoriales, Délibération du Conseil régional de la Guadeloupe no CR/11-530 du 3 mai 2011

Type of measure

Aid scheme

Objective

Social support to individual consumers

Form of aid

Direct grant

Budget

Annual budget: EUR 3 million

Intensity

100 %

Duration (period)

From 1.7.2011

Economic sectors

Sea and coastal water transport

Name and address of the granting authority

SGAE

68 rue de Bellechasse

75700 Paris

FRANCE

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	17.2.2012
Reference number of State Aid	SA.34227 (12/N)
Member State	Denmark
Region	—
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)	Guarantee for merging banks
Legal basis	Danish Financial Stability Act of 10 October 2008
Type of measure	Aid scheme
Objective	Aid to remedy serious disturbances in the economy, Restructuring of firms in difficulty
Form of aid	Guarantee
Budget	Overall budget: DKK 50 000 million
Intensity	—
Duration (period)	17.2.2012-30.6.2012
Economic sectors	Financial intermediation
Name and address of the granting authority	Finansiel Stabilitet
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

3.5.2012

Official Journal of the European Union

C 128/5

Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

(Text with EEA relevance, except for products falling under Annex I to the Treaty)

2012/C 128/02

Date of adoption of the decision

30.3.2012

Reference number of State Aid

SA.33748 (11/N)

Member State

France

Region

—

Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)

Aide de la région Île-de-France en faveur de l’agriculture biologique pour la préservation des ressources naturelles d’Île-de-France

Legal basis

—	Articles L 1511-1 et suivants du code général des collectivités territoriales (CGCT)

—	Projet de délibération du Conseil régional d'Île-de-France

Type of measure

Scheme

—

Objective

Agri-environmental commitments

Form of aid

Direct grant

Budget

Overall budget: EUR 4 million

Annual budget: EUR 1 million

Intensity

100 %

Duration (period)

Until 31.12.2016

Economic sectors

Crop and animal production, hunting and related service activities

Name and address of the granting authority

Mme Correze LENEE

35 boulevard des Invalides

75007 Paris

FRANCE

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

30.3.2012

Reference number of State Aid

SA.34401 (12/N)

Member State

France

Region

—

Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)

Aide à la mise aux normes des bâtiments porcins en vue de l'application des normes sur le bien-être des truies gestantes

Legal basis

—	Décret no 2009-340 du 27 mars 2009 relatif à l’Agence de services et de paiement, à l’Établissement national des produits de l’agriculture et de la mer (FranceAgriMer) et à l’Office de développement de l’économie agricole d’outre-mer

—	Arrêté AGRG030007A du 16 janvier 2003 établissant les normes minimales relatives à la protection des porcs et son rectificatif GRG030007Z du 16 janvier 2003

—	Projet de décision du directeur de FranceAgriMer

Type of measure

Scheme

—

Objective

Investments in agricultural holdings

Form of aid

Direct grant

Budget

—

Intensity

40 %

Duration (period)

Until 31.12.2012

Economic sectors

Raising of swine/pigs

Name and address of the granting authority

Ministère de l'agriculture, de l'alimentation, de la pêche, de la ruralité et de l'aménagement du territoire

DGPAAT

78 rue de Varenne

75349 Paris 07 SP

FRANCE

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

3.5.2012

Official Journal of the European Union

C 128/7

Interest rate applied by the European Central Bank to its main refinancing operations (1):

1,00 % on 1 May 2012

Euro exchange rates (2)

2 May 2012

2012/C 128/03

1 euro =

	Currency	Exchange rate
USD	US dollar	1,3131
JPY	Japanese yen	105,31
DKK	Danish krone	7,4385
GBP	Pound sterling	0,81205
SEK	Swedish krona	8,8884
CHF	Swiss franc	1,2018
ISK	Iceland króna
NOK	Norwegian krone	7,5525
BGN	Bulgarian lev	1,9558
CZK	Czech koruna	24,903
HUF	Hungarian forint	283,50
LTL	Lithuanian litas	3,4528
LVL	Latvian lats	0,6994
PLN	Polish zloty	4,1693
RON	Romanian leu	4,4268
TRY	Turkish lira	2,3134
AUD	Australian dollar	1,2718
CAD	Canadian dollar	1,2977
HKD	Hong Kong dollar	10,1873
NZD	New Zealand dollar	1,6165
SGD	Singapore dollar	1,6292
KRW	South Korean won	1 484,06
ZAR	South African rand	10,1650
CNY	Chinese yuan renminbi	8,2397
HRK	Croatian kuna	7,4975
IDR	Indonesian rupiah	12 085,32
MYR	Malaysian ringgit	3,9767
PHP	Philippine peso	55,495
RUB	Russian rouble	38,7000
THB	Thai baht	40,535
BRL	Brazilian real	2,5105
MXN	Mexican peso	16,9849
INR	Indian rupee	69,4040

(1) Rate applied to the most recent operation carried out before the indicated day. In the case of a variable rate tender, the interest rate is the marginal rate.

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

3.5.2012

Official Journal of the European Union

C 128/11

Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.6548 — RGM/ALPINE Bau/JV)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

2012/C 128/07

On 23 April 2012, the Commission received notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which RGM Facility Management GmbH (Germany), which belongs to the RGM Group, ultimately controlled by Jürgen Großmann, the sole shareholder in Georgsmarienhütte Holding GmbH (Germany), and ALPINE Bau GmbH (Austria), which belongs to the FCC Construcción Group (Spain), acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of Blumauerplatz Immobilien Projektentwicklungs GmbH (Austria) by way of purchase of shares in a newly created company.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

—	RGM Facility Management GmbH: technical, commercial and infrastructure management of commercial real estate (facility management),

—	Jürgen Großmann: sole shareholder in Georgsmarienhütte Holding GmbH — raw material recycling, steel and forged iron production, casting, crane engineering/construction and related services,

—	ALPINE Bau GmbH: building, road and railway construction, bridge construction, mining, civil engineering, sports facilities, power plants and energy and environmental technology,

—	FCC Construcción: construction, waste disposal, street cleaning, water supply, wastewater treatment, cement manufacturing, property development and management,

—	Blumauerplatz Immobilien Projektentwicklungs GmbH: technical and commercial management of commercial real estate (facility management).

On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope of the EC Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved. Pursuant to the Commission Notice on a simplified procedure for treatment of certain concentrations under the EC Merger Regulation (2) it should be noted that this case is a candidate for treatment under the procedure set out in the Notice.

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), by e-mail to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post, under reference number COMP/M.6548 — RGM/ALPINE Bau/JV, to the following address:

European Commission

Directorate-General for Competition

Merger Registry

J-70

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

(1) OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘EC Merger Regulation’).

(2) OJ C 56, 5.3.2005, p. 32 (‘Notice on a simplified procedure’).

3.5.2012

Official Journal of the European Union

C 128/14

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2012/C 128/09

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘PA DE PAGÈS CATALÀ’

EC No: ES-PGI-0005-0880-15.06.2011

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1. Name:

‘Pa de Pagès Català’

2. Member State or Third Country:

Spain

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1. Type of product:

Class 2.4:

Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery and other baker's wares

3.2. Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies:

PGI ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is a traditional bread, round, with a crisp crust, tender crumb and large alveoles, which must always be shaped by hand. It is produced using traditional methods, with slow fermentation, and is always baked in ovens with a refractory floor.

Bread covered by this PGI has the following characteristics:

Appearance:

It is a round, rustic-looking bread.

The crumb has large, irregular alveoles. It is the same shade of white as the flour used and remains soft for some time. The spongy crumb is a key feature of the product and is a result of the bakers' expertise and long experience.

The crust is thick and crisp, a toasted brown colour, and cracked where it has split open during baking.

Organoleptic characteristics:

It is a very fragrant and tasty bread, with a certain acidity which maintains the sensation of freshness and a pleasant texture for 8-9 hours after baking.

Presentation

It is presented in the form of loaves weighing approximately 500 g and 1 kg. They are round and with a natural crack on the top.

Weight of the loaf baked and cold (grams)	Circumference of the loaf baked and cold (cm)
400-500	25 +/– 5
800-1 000	35 +/– 5

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only):

Wheat flour: W between 150 and 240 and P/L between 0,4 and 0,6.

Water: worked into the dough at 60-70 % (litres water/kg flour)

Starter dough from a previous fermentation: between 15 and 20 % of the amount of flour in the dough.

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae L.): maximum 2 %

Cooking salt: maximum 1,8 % (per 100 kg flour)

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only):

—

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area:

The entire production process must take place within the defined geographical area.

(a)	Kneading the dough

(b)	Resting the dough At this stage the baker's expertise is crucial to the development of the bread's aroma. In addition, resting strengthens the protein network that develops when the dough is mixed and kneaded and makes the dough more pliable.

(c)	Dividing the dough into pieces

(d)	Rolling the dough pieces into balls

(e)	Resting the balls of dough

(f)	Shaping The shaping must be done by hand, no mechanised shaping is allowed.

(g)	Fermentation

(h)

Scoring

(i)	Baking PGI ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ may be baked only in ovens which have a refractory floor that diffuses the heat, at a temperature between 180 and 230 °C. Each baker will employ his/her individual skill when adding steam, which determines the final appearance of the crust.

(j)

Cooling

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

PGI ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is sold to the public as whole loaves, uncut.

The product is sold packaged. Each loaf must be individually wrapped and the bags must be made of paper or any other material that is sustainable, biodegradable and eco-friendly.

The product must be packaged in the establishment where it is sold, just before sale to the final consumer, as packaging can accelerate the spread of moisture from the crumb to the crust, so that it becomes soft and chewy, making the bread less crusty on the outside and less spongy inside.

The bread may only be cut into slices (llesques) at the customer's request on purchase.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling:

The outside of the packaging must clearly bear the PGI name ‘Pa de Pagès Català’, the PGI logo and the EU logo, as well as the information generally required by current legislation. All operators who meet the requirements of the PGI specification will be entitled to use the ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ PGI logo.

Reproduction in black and white of the PGI logo:

Pantone colours of the PGI logo: peel (baker's shovel): 457, shadow 265, crust 124

4. Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area of the Protected Geographical Indication ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ covers the entire region of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia.

5. Link with the geographical area:

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area:

‘Pa de Pagès Català’, more commonly known throughout the Autonomous Community as pa de pagès, is the bread with the greatest historical reputation in Catalonia. The etymology of the name pa de pagès already gives a clear indication of where the product originated: in rural areas. Pagés means farmer or peasant in Catalan. PGI Pa de pagès was the bread made in rural areas throughout Catalonia for local consumption. It was therefore an artisan bread, as it was made in the masías (farmhouses) and in the villages. Bakers in rural areas also made pa de pagès because it kept perfectly for several days, which was ideal for country folk. Pa de Pagès is round and always shaped by hand; the dough is fermented slowly and baked in an oven with a refractory floor, a tradition that has been maintained for over 600 years.

For centuries, the tradition of pa de pagès was passed down from one generation to the next, in people's homes and in rural bakeries. It was these rural bakers who, with the successive migrations from rural to urban areas that took place in Catalonia from the 16th to 18th centuries, gradually introduced pa de pagès to consumers in the large towns and cities and the surrounding areas.

At the end of the 19th century certain historical events occurred that led to ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ becoming more widely known as the most typical Catalan bakery product. The World Fairs held in Barcelona in 1888 and 1929, which coincided with the industrialisation of Catalonia, triggered a huge migration of people from rural areas to the Catalan capital. Thousands of people left their villages in the interior and southern part of the region to make a better living in factories in Barcelona and other industrial centres such as Manresa, Reus, etc. Among them were people who had been bakers in their villages of origin or entrusted with making pa de pagès at home. Many of these people found work not in the factories, but in the town and city bakeries, which had to produce bread for an ever-growing population.

At the same time as these people became bakery workers, the bakery sector itself was changing, with the introduction of machinery and flours that were more refined than those that had been used up until then. This was when baguette-type bread began to appear, which was easier and quicker to make than the traditional pa de pagès. However, the new urban populations remained loyal to their traditional bread and asked the bakeries for pa de pagès, so the bakeries started making pa de pagès as well as modern baguette-type bread.

At that time pa de pagès was known throughout Catalonia as a traditional, artisan bread, the good old bread, which was quite different from the new types of bread. It has exactly the same reputation today. To the extent that one cannot imagine pa amb tamàquet (bread with tomato), one of the most famous Catalan specialities, being made with any other type of bread.

In the 19th and 20th centuries the method used to make pa de pagès in Barcelona and other industrial towns was gradually adopted all over Catalonia. This method has not changed and has remained essentially the same for the past 100 years, according to descendants of bread-making families throughout the region. The bread is made using slow methods and special attention is paid to how it is baked, especially when adding the steam — this is where each baker employs his/her individual skill, which determines the final appearance of the crust.

5.2. Specificity of the product:

‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is the most representative Catalan bakery speciality. It is a slow-fermentation bread, shaped exclusively by hand and baked slowly in ovens with a refractory floor. It has a crisp, toasted-brown crust, a tender, spongy crumb with large alveoles, which keeps its fresh appearance and pleasant texture for 8-9 hours after it is baked. These features result from the expertise and long experience of the Catalan bakers, and give the bread its special character, which has always been the same and has maintained its reputation over time.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product:

The features that link the product with the geographical area are mainly its historical reputation and the fact that knowledge of the production method has been transmitted unchanged from one generation of Catalan bakers to the next. Its reputation is such that ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is an essential feature of Catalan gastronomy.

In Catalonia, ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ has been recognised as a high-quality, artisan bread for centuries, and its high quality has often been the cause of dispute. Thus, Professor Antoni Riera of the University of Barcelona, in a study on the production, sale and consumption of bread in modern Catalan towns and cities in the 14th to 18th centuries, records that in Barcelona in the 18th century the bread that was brought to the city from rural areas was a cause of tension, specifically, says Riera, ‘the pa de pagès that came from the surrounding villages’. It is easy to understand the reason for the tension between the city bakers and those who came from outside the Catalan capital: pa de pagès was a better quality bread than the bread made by the bakers in Barcelona, and so people preferred it. This is also stated by the historian Jesús Ávila regarding the bread that arrived in Barcelona from other towns and villages: ‘people preferred the bread made by the monks of Sant Jeroni in the Vall d'Hebron. As well as pa de pagès, local district breads, such as those of Valls and Reus, and long French-style baguettes also became popular, as did llonguets (a typical Catalan bread roll)’. As this shows, historians already regard ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ as a quality product specific to Catalonia, at least from the 18th century onwards.

Other bread making specialists, gourmets and historians (F. Tejero, X. Barriga, J. C. Capel, E. Rosset, P. Roca) repeatedly refer to ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ as a specific Catalan product.

It is also interesting to see how early on this bread became a distinct feature in Spanish painting. One of the oldest depictions of ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ is in the mural paintings of Pia Almoina de Lleida (14th-15th centuries), which show large round loaves on the tables of the poor, different from the types of bread eaten by the more affluent classes at that time. Other examples that must be mentioned are specific works featuring the shapes of traditional Catalan bread, by Picasso and Dalí (early and mid-20th century) and still lifes done by less internationally well-known painters in the second half of the 20th century.

It must be pointed out how the fame of ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ has led to similar breads also being called pa de pagès, as in the Balearic Islands, or provinces neighbouring on Catalonia such as Huesca and Castellón. This is mentioned by José Carlos Capel (El pan. Elaboración, formas, mitos, ritos y gastronomía. Barcelona, Montserrat Mateu, 1991), a scholar and writer on Spanish eating habits and a food critic, who states that ‘the name pan de payès is used to denote bread which, in appearance and taste, is trying to imitate, usually without success, this excellent Catalan bread’.

The official bread price lists that used to be published by the Spanish provinces under the supervision of the State authorities show how firmly rooted pa de pagès is in Catalonia. Until bread prices were liberalised in 1986 pa de payès was on the lists for the four Catalan provinces, whereas in the Balearic Islands there was only pan de flama (the common baguette-type bread) and the bread locally known as payès was not on the list.

In recent years many newspaper articles have drawn attention to the excellence of bakers throughout Catalonia who, in centuries-old traditional family bakeries, have maintained ‘Pa de Pagès Català’ as one of their specialities.

Publication reference of the specification:

The full text of the product specification can be found at:

http://www.gencat.cat/daam/pliego-pa-pages-catala

(1) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.

		ISSN 1977-091X doi:10.3000/1977091X.C_2012.128.eng
Official Journal of the European Union		C 128

English edition	Information and Notices	Volume 55 3 May 2012

Notice No	Contents	page
	II Information
	INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
	European Commission
2012/C 128/01	Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU — Cases where the Commission raises no objections ( 1 )	1

2012/C 128/02	Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU — Cases where the Commission raises no objections ( 2 )	5

	IV Notices
	NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
	European Commission
2012/C 128/03	Interest rate applied by the European Central Bank to its main refinancing operations: 1,00 % on 1 May 2012 — Euro exchange rates	7

	V Announcements
	COURT PROCEEDINGS
	EFTA Court
2012/C 128/04	Request for an Advisory Opinion from the EFTA Court by Oslo tingrett, dated 11 November 2011, in the case of Arcade Drilling AS v Staten v/Skatt Vest (Case E-15/11)	8

2012/C 128/05	Request for an Advisory Opinion from the EFTA Court by Hæstiréttur Íslands, dated 15 December 2011, in the case of Aresbank SA v Landsbankinn hf., Fjármálaeftirlitið (the Financial Supervisory Authority) and Iceland (Case E-17/11)	9

2012/C 128/06	Request for an Advisory Opinion from the EFTA Court by Héraðsdómur Reykjavíkur, dated 22 December 2011, in the case of Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Ltd v Kaupthing hf. (Case E-18/11)	10

	PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETITION POLICY
	European Commission
2012/C 128/07	Prior notification of a concentration (Case COMP/M.6548 — RGM/ALPINE Bau/JV) — Candidate case for simplified procedure ( 1 )	11

2012/C 128/08	Prior notification of a concentration (Case COMP/M.6446 — Pratt & Whitney/International Aero Engines) — Candidate case for simplified procedure ( 1 )	13

	OTHER ACTS
	European Commission
2012/C 128/09	Publication of an application pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs	14


	(1) Text with EEA relevance
	(2) Text with EEA relevance, except for products falling under Annex I to the Treaty