Information communicated by Member States regarding State aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 2204/2002 of 12 December 2002 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid for employment

(2005/C 268/07)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XE 9/03

Member State: Italy

Region: Campania

Title of aid scheme: Recruitment of disadvantaged workers

‘IN LA’ project — Jobs for the long-term unemployed in the Province of Naples.

Under this project firms are given a grant of EUR 5 164,66 for each long-term unemployed person they recruit on a permanent basis or fixed-term contract of at least twelve months' duration, in the tourism and agriculture sectors

Legal basis: L. 23.12.1996, n. 662, art. 2 comma 203, lett. b)

Intesa Istituzionale di programma del 16.9.2003

D. D. 19 giugno 2003

Annual expenditure planned: EUR 15 494 000

Maximum aid intensity under: Article 5: recruitment of disadvantaged workers

The maximum special grant for each beneficiary firm is 50 % of the wage costs calculated over a period of one year following recruitment. Both figures are gross, i.e. before taxes. Under Article 8(4) the special grant may be cumulated with other national or Community incentives applicable for the same recruitment, given that these are measures for getting the long-term unemployed back into work; in any case the cumulation of aid cannot exceed the ceilings laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2204/2002, therefore the gross aid intensity resulting from the cumulation cannot exceed 100 % of the wage costs over any period for which the worker or workers are employed.

This means that, in addition to the grant of EUR 5 164,66, for every person recruited on a permanent basis firms are also entitled to the incentives for recruitment of long-term unemployed persons on a permanent full-time or part-time basis under Article 8(9) of Law No 407/90 (100 % exemption from employer's social security contributions for 36 months in the case of firms operating in the Mezzogiorno and craft firms; 50 % exemption from the same contributions for the same period in the case of private-sector employers such as professional practices, foundations, associations, etc. in the Mezzogiorno, and also firms in North Central Italy).

The incentives under Article 8(9) of Law No 407/90 do not apply to recruitment in the tourist industry or in agriculture if the contract is for a fixed term, even if for 12 months or more

Date of implementation:

Duration of scheme:

Objective of aid: Article 5: recruitment of disadvantaged workers

Recruitment of some 3 000 long-term unemployed persons in the Province of Naples at serious risk of social exclusion

Economic sector(s) concerned: All EC sectors

Name and address of the granting authority: