Without prejudice to Member States’ obligations to notify state aids in the coal sector under Commission Decision 2002/871/CE(1), notifications of new aid pursuant to Article 2(1) of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999, other than those referred to in Article 4(2), shall be made on the notification form set out in Part I of Annex I to this Regulation.
Supplementary information needed for the assessment of the measure in accordance with regulations, guidelines, frameworks and other texts applicable to State aid shall be provided on the supplementary information sheets set out in Part III of Annex I.
Whenever the relevant guidelines or frameworks are modified or replaced, the Commission shall adapt the corresponding forms and information sheets.
1. The notification shall be transmitted to the Commission by means of the electronic validation carried out by the person designated by the Member State. Such validated notification shall be considered as sent by the Permanent Representative.
2. The Commission shall address its correspondence to the Permanent Representative of the Member State concerned, or to any other address designated by that Member State.
3. As from 1 July 2008 , notifications shall be transmitted electronically via the web application State Aid Notification Interactive (SANI).
All correspondence in connection with a notification shall be transmitted electronically via the secured e-mail system Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).
4. In exceptional circumstances and upon the agreement of the Commission and the Member State concerned, an agreed communication channel other than those referred to in paragraph 3 may be used for submission of a notification or any correspondence in connection with a notification.
In the absence of such an agreement, any notification or correspondence in connection with a notification sent to the Commission by a Member State through a communication channel other than those referred to in paragraph 3 shall not be considered as submitted to the Commission.
5. Where the notification or correspondence in connection with a notification contains confidential information, the Member State concerned shall clearly identify such information and give reasons for its classification as confidential.
6. The Member States shall refer to the State aid identification number allocated to an aid scheme by the Commission in each grant of aid to a final beneficiary.
The first subparagraph shall not apply to aid granted through fiscal measures.]
Textual Amendments
1.For the purposes of Article 1(c) of Regulation (EC) No 659/1999, an alteration to existing aid shall mean any change, other than modifications of a purely formal or administrative nature which cannot affect the evaluation of the compatibility of the aid measure with the common market. However an increase in the original budget of an existing aid scheme by up to 20 % shall not be considered an alteration to existing aid.
2.The following alterations to existing aid shall be notified on the simplified notification form set out in Annex II:
(a)increases in the budget of an authorised aid scheme exceeding 20 %;
(b)prolongation of an existing authorised aid scheme by up to six years, with or without an increase in the budget;
(c)tightening of the criteria for the application of an authorised aid scheme, a reduction of aid intensity or a reduction of eligible expenses;
The Commission shall use its best endeavours to take a decision on any aid notified on the simplified notification form within a period of one month.
3.The simplified notification procedure shall not be used to notify alterations to aid schemes in respect of which Member States have not submitted annual reports in accordance with Article 5, 6, and 7, unless the annual reports for the years in which the aid has been granted are submitted at the same time as the notification.