14.6.2012

Official Journal of the European Union

C 168/1

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

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

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

2012/C 168/01

Date of adoption of the decision

8.5.2012

Reference number of State Aid

SA.33418 (11/N)

Member State

Hungary

Region

—

Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)

Mezőgazdasági Időjárási Kockázatkezelési Program

Legal basis

A mezőgazdasági termelést érintő időjárási és más természeti kockázatok kezeléséről szóló 2011. évi CLXVIII törvény,

A vidékfejlesztési miniszter …/2012. (… …) VM rendelete a kárenyhítési hozzájárulás megfizetésével, valamint a kárenyhítő juttatás igénybevételével kapcsolatos egyes kérdésekről

Type of measure

Scheme

—

Objective

Natural disasters or exceptional occurrences, Adverse weather conditions

Form of aid

Direct grant

Budget

Overall budget: HUF 56 000 million

Annual budget: HUF 8 000 million

Intensity

80 %

Duration (period)

Until 31.12.2018

Economic sectors

Crop and animal production, hunting and related service activities

Name and address of the granting authority

Ministry of Rural Development

Budapest

Kossuth Lajos tér 11.

1055

MAGYARORSZÁG/HUNGARY

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

14.6.2012

Official Journal of the European Union

C 168/2

Euro exchange rates (1)

13 June 2012

2012/C 168/02

1 euro =

	Currency	Exchange rate
USD	US dollar	1,2534
JPY	Japanese yen	99,80
DKK	Danish krone	7,4318
GBP	Pound sterling	0,80630
SEK	Swedish krona	8,8320
CHF	Swiss franc	1,2009
ISK	Iceland króna
NOK	Norwegian krone	7,5115
BGN	Bulgarian lev	1,9558
CZK	Czech koruna	25,578
HUF	Hungarian forint	296,43
LTL	Lithuanian litas	3,4528
LVL	Latvian lats	0,6968
PLN	Polish zloty	4,3240
RON	Romanian leu	4,4616
TRY	Turkish lira	2,2870
AUD	Australian dollar	1,2565
CAD	Canadian dollar	1,2860
HKD	Hong Kong dollar	9,7241
NZD	New Zealand dollar	1,6094
SGD	Singapore dollar	1,6041
KRW	South Korean won	1 462,90
ZAR	South African rand	10,5297
CNY	Chinese yuan renminbi	7,9600
HRK	Croatian kuna	7,5514
IDR	Indonesian rupiah	11 825,17
MYR	Malaysian ringgit	3,9814
PHP	Philippine peso	53,308
RUB	Russian rouble	40,9050
THB	Thai baht	39,570
BRL	Brazilian real	2,5783
MXN	Mexican peso	17,5102
INR	Indian rupee	69,6890

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

14.6.2012

Official Journal of the European Union

C 168/7

Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.6572 — KEMET/NEC/NEC TOKIN)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2012/C 168/07

On 7 June 2012, 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 KEMET Electronics Corporation (‘KEMET’, USA) and NEC Corporation (‘NEC’, Japan) acquire within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation joint control of the whole of NEC TOKIN Corporation (‘NEC TOKIN’, Japan) by way of purchase of shares.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

—	KEMET mainly manufactures and sells tantalum, ceramic, aluminium, film, paper and electrolytic capacitors,

—	NEC TOKIN manufactures and sells capacitors and certain other electronic components; and,

—	NEC is a Japanese multinational IT company. It provides a broad range of IT products and services to business enterprises, communications services providers and government.

3.	On preliminary examination, the Commission finds that the notified transaction could fall within the scope the EC Merger Regulation. However, the final decision on this point is reserved.

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.6572 — KEMET/NEC/NEC TOKIN, 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’).

14.6.2012

Official Journal of the European Union

C 168/8

Prior notification of a concentration

(Case COMP/M.6625 — Nordic Capital/Tokmanni)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

2012/C 168/08

On 4 June, 2012 the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1) by which Nordic Capital VII Limited (‘Nordic Capital’, Jersey) belonging to the Nordic Capital Group (Jersey) acquires control of the whole of Tokmanni Oy (‘Tokmanni’, Finland) and its subsidiaries within the meaning of Article 3(1) (b) of the Merger Regulation, by way of purchase of shares and assets.

The business activities of the undertakings concerned are:

—	for Nordic Capital: private equity investment firm,

—	for Tokmanni: discount retailer for the sale of everyday consumer goods, both food and non-food products through modern distribution channels in Finland.

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 email to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post, under reference number COMP/M.6625 — Nordic Capital/Tokmanni, 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’).

14.6.2012

Official Journal of the European Union

C 168/9

MAIN SPECIFICATIONS OF THE TECHNICAL FILE FOR RON DE GUATEMALA

2012/C 168/09

INTRODUCTION

On 15 March 2010, the Asociación Nacional de Fabricantes de Alcoholes y Licores, a Guatemalan body established in accordance with Guatemalan law, applied for registration of ‘Ron de Guatemala’ as a geographical indication under Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1576/89.

In accordance with Article 17(5) of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, the Commission must verify, within 12 months from the date of submission of the application referred to in paragraph 1, whether that application complies with this Regulation.

This verification has been carried out and, at the 107th meeting of the Committee for spirit drinks on 8 February 2012, the Commission stated, in accordance with Article 17(6), that the application complied with the Regulation.

As a result, the main specifications of the technical file will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, C series.

In accordance with Article 17(7), any natural or legal person that has a legitimate interest may, within six months from the date of publication of the main specifications of the technical file, object to the registration of the geographical indication in Annex III on the grounds that the conditions laid down in the Regulation are not fulfilled. The objection, which must be duly substantiated, must be submitted to the Commission in one of the official languages of the European Union or accompanied by a translation into one of those languages.

SUMMARY SHEET G.I. ‘RON DE GUATEMALA’

1. Name: ‘Ron de Guatemala’

2. Category of spirit drink: Rum (category 1 of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 110/2008)

3. Description: An alcoholic drink made exclusively from raw materials obtained from sugar cane.

‘Ron de Guatemala’ comes in the following different varieties:

Solera: rum from virgin sugar cane honey aged at altitude in white oak barrels,

Solera Añejo: blend of rums from virgin sugar cane honeys aged at altitude in white oak barrels, obtained by blending soleras before bottling,

Solera Reserva: blend of rums from virgin sugar cane honeys aged at altitude in white oak barrels seasoned by previous use for other products,

Solera Gran Reserva: blend of rums from virgin sugar cane honeys aged at altitude in at least two types of barrels seasoned by previous use for different products,

Solera Gran Reserva Especial: blend of rums from virgin sugar cane honeys aged at altitude in at least three types of white oak barrels seasoned by previous use for different products.

4. Physical, chemical and organoleptic properties: The physical and chemical properties of ‘Ron de Guatemala’ must meet the following organic and chemical requirements:

Chemical requirements:

Alcoholic strength: from 37,5 % to 50 % vol.

Total sum of congeners (including acetaldehyde, acetic acid, ethyl acetate, higher alcohols) expressed in milligrams per 100 ml of anhydrous ethyl alcohol: more than or equal to 50.

Total acidity, expressed in milligrams of acetic acid per 100 ml of anhydrous ethyl alcohol: no more than 120.

Methanol, in milligrams per 100 ml of anhydrous ethyl alcohol: no more than 280.

Organoleptic requirements:

Appearance: transparent and clean appearance, liquid consistency, dense body.

Colour: determined by age. Hues ranging from amber and gold to reddish.

Aroma: the primary aromas come from the raw material used, namely the virgin honey extracted from sugar cane. The secondary aromas, which develop during the alcoholic fermentation, are powerfully vinous due to the action of the yeast. The tertiary aromas unfold during the aging process.

Flavour: generous and smooth flavour ranging from sweet to dry.

5. Geographical area: The planting area of the sugar cane for the production of ‘Ron de Guatemala’ is located in the southern departments of Retalhuleu and Suchitepéquez, both bordering the Pacific Ocean. The ageing area is located in the city of Quetzaltenango, at more than 2 300 metres above sea level.

6. Method of production: The production of ‘Ron de Guatemala’ is a multi-stage process.

Planting the sugar cane: the sugar cane reaches physiological maturity at 12 months of age.

Harvesting: the sugar cane is harvested through manual cutting and mechanical collecting, from the end of the rainy period in November until May.

Pressing at plants: once the sugar cane is cut, it is pressed in mills within a maximum of 36 hours. Producing the virgin sugar cane honey at processing plants involves several stages:

shredding: the sugars are released from the cane by using different shredding techniques to break up the cells,

pressing in mills: juice is extracted by repeatedly pressing the cane in mills,

producing the virgin sugar cane honey: the virgin sugar cane honey is obtained through a process of evaporation to remove the water and thus concentrate the sugar content,

purifying: the virgin sugar cane honey is purified by a process of liming, which works by flocculation and decantation.

Fermentation: the fermentation process is induced by adding yeast of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain to the juice. This strain of yeast is obtained from pineapple.

Distillation: the distillation process takes place in continuous column stills without extraction. The fermented must is heated by steam to a point at which the alcohol turns into alcohol vapour. After passing through condensers, it turns liquid again, thus producing raw rum.

Ageing: the alcoholic strength is brought down to the legal limit of 60° by adding water from nearby springs. The rum is then stored in barrels of American and European white oak which have previously held products such as American whisky, cognac or sherry. The barrels are kept in warehouses that are not hermetically closed.

The last stage involves the assembly. The different rums are blended together, water is added to lower the alcoholic strength, and the resulting blend is stored in wooden containers, which allows the rums to gain balance.

7. Geographical link: The specificity of ‘Ron de Guatemala’ lies in the combination of many factors stemming from the agro-ecological conditions of both the planting area of the sugar cane and the ageing area, as well as from the authentic character of the production process, which brings together nature, tradition, art and science.

The cultivation area of the sugar cane bears the typical characteristics of tropical climates, with an average annual temperature of 26 °C, average relative humidity of 78 % and average annual rainfall of 2 600 mm to 3 600 mm. This produces cane crops with high sugar levels, which are essential for obtaining highly concentrated and effervescent juice of the best possible quality for the production of rum.

The clay soils favour the retention of moisture and the concentration of sugars in the cane.

The ageing area is situated at altitudes of over 2 400 metres. It has a cold and dry climate and an average annual temperature of 14,79 °C.

The cold and the lower oxygen levels at altitude slow down the chemical ageing process, which allows the aromas and flavours to develop with greater intensity.

8. Requirements of the national legislation: ‘Ron de Guatemala’ is protected as a designation of origin in the Intellectual Property Registry of Guatemala and meets the requirements legally laid down in Guatemalan Technical Standard COGUANOR NGO 33011, the Law on Spirits, Alcoholic and Fermented Beverages, Decree No 536 of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, and the Implementing Order of the Law on Spirits, Alcoholic and Fermented Beverages.

9. Applicant: Asociación Nacional de Fabricantes de Alcoholes y Licores (ANFAL), with a registered office in the department of Guatemala, address Km. 16,5 Carretera Roosevelt, 4-81 zona 1 de Mixco, Guatemala.

10. Supervisory authority: Laboratorio Nacional de Salud de Guatemala, in charge of verifying compliance with the technical file on the geographical indication ‘Ron de Guatemala’ prior to the sale of the product concerned.

		ISSN 1977-091X doi:10.3000/1977091X.C_2012.168.eng
Official Journal of the European Union		C 168

English edition	Information and Notices	Volume 55 14 June 2012

Notice No	Contents	page
	II Information
	INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
	European Commission
2012/C 168/01	Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU — Cases where the Commission raises no objections ( 1 )	1

	IV Notices
	NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
	European Commission
2012/C 168/02	Euro exchange rates	2

2012/C 168/03	Commission communication concerning the implementation of Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 552/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the interoperability of the European Air Traffic Management network(Publication of titles and references of Community specifications under the Regulation) ( 2 )	3

	NOTICES CONCERNING THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA
	EFTA Surveillance Authority
2012/C 168/04	Information notice from the EFTA Surveillance Authority pursuant to Article 17(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for the operation of air services in the Community — Invitation to tender in respect of the operation of scheduled air services in accordance with public service obligations in Norway	4

2012/C 168/05	Information notice from the EFTA Surveillance Authority pursuant to Article 16(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1008/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for the operation of air services in the Community — Modification of public service obligations in respect of scheduled air services in Norway	5

	V Announcements
	ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
	European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO)
2012/C 168/06	Notice of Open Competition	6

	PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETITION POLICY
	European Commission
2012/C 168/07	Prior notification of a concentration (Case COMP/M.6572 — KEMET/NEC/NEC TOKIN) ( 2 )	7

2012/C 168/08	Prior notification of a concentration (Case COMP/M.6625 — Nordic Capital/Tokmanni) — Candidate case for simplified procedure ( 2 )	8

	OTHER ACTS
	European Commission
2012/C 168/09	Main specifications of the technical file for Ron de Guatemala	9


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