Fuente: © European Union
http://europa.eu.int

EU: Hessische Staatsweingüter asked to pay back € 541 859 plus interest of illegal State aid received in the period before 2002.

/noticias.info/ The European Commission has today decided that aid amounting to
€ 541 859 granted by the Land Hessen to Hessische Staatsweingüter in the period before 2002 did not comply with State aid rules and has to be recovered with interest. The Commission furthermore found that the aid granted within the framework of the restructuring of Hessische Staatsweingüter (i.e. from 31 December 2002) was in line with State aid rules.

Hessische Staatweingüter is the biggest vineyard in Germany, with a cultivated area of some 190 hectares. It is 100% owned by the Land Hessen.

In the period before 31 December 2002 Hessische Staatsweingüter was occasionally loss making. The losses were borne by the Land Hessen.

As of the end of 2002 the Land Hessen started with the restructuring of its wine business. The Hessische Staatsweingüter GmbH Kloster Eberbach was created at the beginning of 2003. It received current and moveable fixed assets. The immovable fixed assets were incorporated into a so called Betrieb gewerblicher Art and are leased by the GmbH. Furthermore the Land Hessen discharged the GmbH of liabilities of some € 1.8 million and injected capital amounting to a total of € 2.225 million.

The construction of a new wine cellar is partly financed by an equity-like shareholder loan (Partiarisches Darlehen) of the Land Hessen, amounting to € 7.5 million. The difference to the total investment amount is provided via a commercial bank loan.

In December 2006 the European Commission opened a formal investigation in respect of the financing of the Hessische Staatsweingüter by the Land Hessen. Germany and other interested parties were given the possibility to submit their comments. After examination of these comments the Commission today ruled on the compatibility of the different measures with the common market.

The Commission found that the loss coverage in the period before 31 December 2002 constitutes operating aid, incompatible with State aid rules. The amount involved is € 541 859 and has to be recovered with interest from Hessische Staatsweingüter GmbH Kloster Eberbach and from Betrieb gewerblicher Art.

The Commission furthermore found that the restructuring measures taken as of 31 December 2002 by the Land Hessen in favour of the Hessische Staatsweingüter GmbH Kloster Eberbach, including the Partiarisches Darlehen for the partial financing of the new wine cellar, constitute aid but are compatible with the rules on State aid for the restructuring of firms in difficulty.
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