ISSN 1725-2423
Official Journal C 166
of the European Union
Volume 53 English edition Information and Notices 25 June 2010
Notice No Contents Page
II Information
INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
European Commission
2010/C 166/01 Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty — Cases where the Commission raises no objections ( 1) ...... 1
2010/C 166/02 Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU — Cases where the Commission raises no objections ( 1 ) ...... 2
IV Notices
NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
European Commission
2010/C 166/03 Euro exchange rates ...... 4
Price: 1 EN EUR 3 ( ) Text with EEA relevance (Continued overleaf) Notice No Contents (continued) Page
2010/C 166/04 Adoption of a reference document for the purpose of Council Directive 2008/1/EC concerning inte grated pollution prevention and control ...... 5
2010/C 166/05 Commission notice on current State aid recovery interest rates and reference/discount rates for 27 Member States applicable as from 1 July 2010 (Published in accordance with Article 10 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 794/2004 of 21 April 2004 (OJ L 140, 30.4.2004, p. 1)) ...... 6
V Announcements
PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETITION POLICY
European Commission
2010/C 166/06 Prior notification of a concentration (Case COMP/M.5839 — Schlumberger/Smith International) ( 1 ) 7
OTHER ACTS
European Commission
2010/C 166/07 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 ...... 8
EN ( 1 ) Text with EEA relevance 25.6.2010 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 166/1
II
(Information)
INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty Cases where the Commission raises no objections (Text with EEA relevance) (2010/C 166/01)
Date of adoption of the decision 28.10.2009
Reference number of State Aid N 327/08
Member State Denmark
Region —
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary) Lempelse af NOX-afgift for virksomheder med særlig store udledninger og virksomheder, der reducerer udledningen
Legal basis Lov om afgift af kvælstofoxider.
Type of measure Aid scheme
Objective Environmental protection
Form of aid Tax rate reduction
Budget Annual budget: DKK 15 million; Overall budget: DKK 150 million
Intensity —
Duration (period) 1.1.2010-1.1.2020
Economic sectors All sectors
Name and address of the granting authority SKAT HC Østbanegade 123 2100 DANMARK
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 C 166/2 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.6.2010
Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 TFEU Cases where the Commission raises no objections (Text with EEA relevance) (2010/C 166/02)
Date of adoption of the decision 14.4.2010
Reference number of State Aid N 94/10
Member State United Kingdom
Region Great Britain
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary) Feed in Tariffs to support the generation of renewable electricity from low carbon sources
Legal basis Energy Act 2008 SS 41-43
Type of measure Aid scheme
Objective Environmental protection, Energy saving
Form of aid Direct grant
Budget Overall budget: GBP 3 108 million
Intensity 100 %
Duration (period) 1.4.2010-1.4.2037
Economic sectors Energy
Name and address of the granting authority Department of Energy and Climate Change 3 Whitehall Place London SW1A 2HH UNITED KINGDOM
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 12.5.2010
Reference number of State Aid N 163/10
Member State Greece
Region — 25.6.2010 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 166/3
Title (and/or name of the beneficiary) Μέτρα στήριξης για τα πιστωτικά ιδρύματα της Ελλάδας Metra stiriksis gia ta pistwtika idrumata ths Elladas
Legal basis N 3723/08 «Ενίσχυση της ρευστότητας της οικονομίας για την αντιμετώπιση των επιπτώσεων της διεθνούς χρηματοπιστωτικής κρίσης και άλλες διατάξεις» N 3723/08 «Enisxisi ths refstotitas tis oikonomias gia tin antimetwpisi twn epiptwsewn tis diethnous xrhmatopistwtikis krisis kai alles diatakseis»
Type of measure Aid scheme
Objective Aid to remedy serious disturbances in the economy
Form of aid Guarantee, Other forms of equity intervention
Budget Overall budget: EUR 43 000 million
Intensity —
Duration (period) until 30.6.2010
Economic sectors Financial intermediation
Name and address of the granting authority Υπουργείο Οικονομίας και Οικονομικών Ypourgeio Oikonomias kai Oikonomikwn
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 C 166/4 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.6.2010
IV
(Notices)
NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Euro exchange rates ( 1) 24 June 2010 (2010/C 166/03)
1 euro =
Currency Exchange rate Currency Exchange rate
USD US dollar 1,2262 AUD Australian dollar 1,4179 JPY Japanese yen 109,59 CAD Canadian dollar 1,2810 DKK Danish krone 7,4427 HKD Hong Kong dollar 9,5388 GBP Pound sterling 0,81850 NZD New Zealand dollar 1,7425 SEK Swedish krona 9,5741 SGD Singapore dollar 1,7086 CHF Swiss franc 1,3555 KRW South Korean won 1 465,00 ISK Iceland króna ZAR South African rand 9,3768 NOK Norwegian krone 7,9780 CNY Chinese yuan renminbi 8,3378 BGN Bulgarian lev 1,9558 HRK Croatian kuna 7,2015 CZK Czech koruna 25,773 IDR Indonesian rupiah 11 111,19 EEK Estonian kroon 15,6466 MYR Malaysian ringgit 3,9674 HUF Hungarian forint 283,78 PHP Philippine peso 56,843 LTL Lithuanian litas 3,4528 RUB Russian rouble 38,2350 LVL Latvian lats 0,7085 THB Thai baht 39,759 PLN Polish zloty 4,1207 BRL Brazilian real 2,2055 RON Romanian leu 4,2375 MXN Mexican peso 15,5899 TRY Turkish lira 1,9435 INR Indian rupee 57,0000
( 1 ) Source: reference exchange rate published by the ECB. 25.6.2010 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 166/5
Adoption of a reference document for the purpose of Council Directive 2008/1/EC concerning integrated pollution prevention and control ( 1) (2010/C 166/04)
On 18 May 2010, the Commission adopted the complete text of the reference document on best available techniques for the Cement, Lime and Magnesium Oxide Manufacturing Industries. This document is available on the Internet site: http://eippcb.jrc.es
( 1 ) OJ L 24, 29.1.2008, p. 8. 6/ Ofca ora fteErpa no 25.6.2010 Official Journal of the European Union C 166/6 Commission notice on current State aid recovery interest rates and reference/discount rates for 27 Member States applicable as from 1 July 2010 (Published in accordance with Article 10 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 794/2004 of 21 April 2004 (OJ L 140, 30.4.2004, p. 1)) (2010/C 166/05) EN
Base rates calculated in accordance with the Communication from the Commission on the revision of the method for setting the reference and discount rates (OJ C 14, 19.1.2008, p. 6). Depending on the use of the reference rate, the appropriate margins have still to be added as defined in this communication. For the discount rate this means that a margin of 100 basispoints has to be added. The Commission regulation (EC) No 271/2008 of 30 January 2008 amending the implementing regulation (EC) No 794/2004 foresees that, unless otherwise provided for in a specific decision, the recovery rate will also be calculated by adding 100 basispoints to the base rate. Modified rates are indicated in bold.
Previous table published in OJ C 133, 22.5.2010, p. 7.
From To AT BE BG CY CZ DE DK EE EL ES FI FR HU IE IT LT LU LV MT NL PL PT RO SE SI SK UK 1.7.2010 … 1,24 1,24 4,92 1,24 2,03 1,24 1,88 2,27 1,24 1,24 1,24 1,24 5,97 1,24 1,24 2,85 1,24 3,99 1,24 1,24 4,49 1,24 7,82 1,02 1,24 1,24 1,35 1.6.2010 30.6.2010 1,24 1,24 4,92 1,24 2,03 1,24 1,88 2,77 1,24 1,24 1,24 1,24 5,97 1,24 1,24 3,45 1,24 4,72 1,24 1,24 4,49 1,24 7,82 1,02 1,24 1,24 1,16 1.5.2010 31.5.2010 1,24 1,24 4,92 1,24 2,03 1,24 1,88 2,77 1,24 1,24 1,24 1,24 5,97 1,24 1,24 4,46 1,24 6,47 1,24 1,24 4,49 1,24 7,82 1,02 1,24 1,24 1,16 1.4.2010 30.4.2010 1,24 1,24 4,92 1,24 2,39 1,24 1,88 3,47 1,24 1,24 1,24 1,24 5,97 1,24 1,24 5,90 1,24 8,97 1,24 1,24 4,49 1,24 9,92 1,02 1,24 1,24 1,16 1.3.2010 31.3.2010 1,24 1,24 4,92 1,24 2,39 1,24 1,88 4,73 1,24 1,24 1,24 1,24 7,03 1,24 1,24 7,17 1,24 11,76 1,24 1,24 4,49 1,24 9,92 1,02 1,24 1,24 1,16 1.1.2010 28.2.2010 1,24 1,24 4,92 1,24 2,39 1,24 1,88 6,94 1,24 1,24 1,24 1,24 7,03 1,24 1,24 8,70 1,24 15,11 1,24 1,24 4,49 1,24 9,92 1,02 1,24 1,24 1,16 25.6.2010 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 166/7
V
(Announcements)
PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPETITION POLICY
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Prior notification of a concentration (Case COMP/M.5839 — Schlumberger/Smith International) (Text with EEA relevance) (2010/C 166/06)
1. On 18 June 2010 the Commission received a notification of a proposed concentration pursuant to Article 4 of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 ( 1) by which Schlumberger Limited (‘Schlumberger’, USA) acquires within the meaning of Article 3(1)(b) of the Merger Regulation sole control of Smith International, Inc. (‘Smith’, USA), by way of purchase of shares. 2. The business activities of the undertakings concerned are: — for Schlumberger: supply of technology, project management and information solutions to the oil and gas industry, — for Smith: provision of equipment, products and services to support the exploration, development and production of oil and gas. 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. 4. 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- [email protected] or by post, under reference number COMP/M.5839 — Schlumberger/Smith Inter national, 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’). C 166/8 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.6.2010
OTHER ACTS
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
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 (2010/C 166/07)
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 ‘CHOSCO DE TINEO’ EC No: ES-PGI-0005-0696-29.05.2008 PGI ( X ) PDO ( ) 1. Name: ‘Chosco de Tineo’
2. Member State or third country: Spain
3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff: 3.1. Type of product: Class 1.2. Meat products (cooked, salted, smoked, etc.)
3.2. Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies: Meat product made from select cuts of pork loin and tongue, seasoned with salt, paprika and garlic, packed in pig’s intestine, which gives it its characteristic shape, smoked and cured uncooked.
It has a round, irregular shape and weighs between 500 g and 2 000 g. It has a reddish colour, a firm consistency and a characteristic appearance when cut, with the different pieces of meat used being clearly visible.
Its moisture content is a minimum of 40 %, the fat content less than 35 % of the dry matter and the protein content more than 50 % of the dry matter.
The aroma and taste are characteristic of smoked sausage, which may be more or less intense depending on the smoking time, with a juicy texture.
( 1 ) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. 25.6.2010 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 166/9
3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only): The following cuts of pigmeat are used: a minimum of 80 % loin and a minimum of 15 % tongue, seasoned with salt, paprika and garlic.
3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only): —
3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area: Production (selection and cutting up of the raw material, mixing, filling, smoking and drying) takes place in the defined geographical area.
The ‘chosco’ is smoked to preserve it using dry wood of local species (oak, birch, beech or chestnut), as this helps it dry out in this area of high relative humidity.
To permit verification that all the production procedures and the quality of the product covered by the PGI meet all the requirements, production undertakings must complete all the documentation and registers necessary and make them available to the Regulatory Board. That documentation includes:
— records of deliveries of raw materials, detailing the supplier, the delivery note or invoice number, the quantity, the type of product and the date of delivery. Batches must be identified,
— production records, detailing all stages in the production process, including the dates of production, smoking and drying, showing the raw-material batch number(s) and the production batch number,
— dispatch records for the finished product, showing the batch number, dispatch date, the quantity of product, the dispatch note number and the destination,
— the batch register relates the raw material to the final product, based on the information from the production records and the dispatch records, thus ensuring traceability.
3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.: The ‘chosco’ may be sold whole, cooked or uncooked. There are no packaging restrictions for uncooked ‘chosco’. Cooked ‘chosco’ must be packed for reasons of food safety and to maintain quality, since cooking softens the pig intestine used for the casing making it more vulnerable to external factors that might cause it to split during handling. It must therefore be packed on the producer’s premises before dispatch.
3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling: All ‘choscos’ marketed as ‘Chosco de Tineo’ PGI, irrespective of how they are presented, must bear, in addition to the commercial label, a special numbered secondary label bearing the words ‘Indicación Geográfica Protegida “Chosco de Tineo” ’ and the logo (standard for all producers). That label must be affixed before the product is despatched in such a way as to render re-use impossible. The label is shown below in the three possible colour options. C 166/10 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.6.2010
4. Concise definition of the geographical area: The production area is made up of the Municipalities of Allande, Belmonte de Miranda, Cangas del Narcea, Salas, Somiedo, Tineo, Valdés and Villayón in the west of the Principality of Asturias (Spain), in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, bounded by the Autonomous Communities of Cantabria, Castile- León and Galicia.
This is the production area covered by the PGI.
5. Link with the geographical area: 5.1. Specificity of the geographical area: The short distance from the coast to the watershed is generally broken by steep slopes, orographic elements that give rise to two, clearly distinct zones.
A western, inland zone comprising outcrops and passes with a southerly aspect and a southern central zone lying in the north comprising the coastal mountain ranges, running east to west, with a small coastal strip.
This configuration, with its very uneven terrain, widely contrasting physiography and its many valleys and mountain ranges, culminating in the Cantabrian Cordillera, creates a climate that brings plentiful precipitation throughout the year, moderate sunshine and lots of cloud.
In addition, the area’s orography and climate have a huge influence on the way of life of the inhabitants of these villages, who have to adapt to local environmental conditions.
The long winter periods in which the villages are isolated and the possibility of exploiting natural resources in summer on the pastures of the mountain passes meant that livestock farming was one of the main means of subsistence. Pigs played a vital role and were kept in all villages, since the need for self-sufficiency because of the reasons described above meant that pigs could be fed on organic waste, agricultural by-products (cabbage stalks, turnips, beet, damaged apples) and forest resources (chestnuts, acorns, wild vegetation), all abundant in the area.
Pig production was therefore continued using pigs of Celtic breeds, whose characteristics allowed the best use of the resources of the countryside. These have gradually been replaced by selected, more productive animals, and while these have not been able to fulfil the recycling role played by the Celtic breeds, production systems have been adapted and today their meat is used in ‘Chosco de Tineo’, although those fattened in the area are still the most prized for producing this product.
This special sausage, the product of an area in which the raw material was readily available, was no less the result of production methods in harmony with local conditions. 25.6.2010 EN Official Journal of the European Union C 166/11
The high relative humidity caused by the atmospheric conditions, together with isolation from neighbours during winter months, have led to special measures being developed to preserve the product. In this case, the method adopted to preserve and dry the sausage was smoking. Initially, gorse wood, very plentiful in the area, was used, allowing other indigenous, leafy woods to be spared, although these gradually came to replace gorse as they started to become less sought after for other purposes. These woods continue to be used today and give an aroma and taste similar to that produced by gorse wood, although with slight differences.
Smoking is still carried out today using traditional methods, although the wood fire is no longer lit on the ground but in braziers or other moveable apparatuses known as ‘cocinas de ahumado’ (smoking stoves). The ‘choscos’ are left in the smoking rooms (‘ahumaderos’) for a minimum of eight days, hanging from bars attached to the roof or from frames known as ‘carros’.
Smoking is followed by the actual drying. Mention should be made of the relevance to this drying process of the ‘vaqueiros de alzada’ (nomadic cowherds) living in certain of the area’s villages. They generally lived by raising cattle and moved up to the high mountains with their families and livestock (including pigs) from April to October. Among the goods they took with them on these journeys were ‘choscos’, which they used as typical food for the mountain pastures, where they were specially finished by drying at a higher altitude. When these journeys were not made, drying was carried out in an ‘hórreo’, a traditional, very well ventilated construction. Today, it is carried out on premises allowing good ventilation for a minimum of eight days until the required moisture content is achieved.
5.2. Specificity of the product: ‘Chosco de Tineo’ is made exclusively from cuts of pork loin and tongue, seasoned, packed by hand in pig’s intestine, smoked and dried, giving it characteristics that differ from those of other types of sausage. When cut, the different pieces of meat used are clearly visible. The meat must not be minced.
5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI): The characteristics of ‘Chosco de Tineo’ are due to the natural environment of the area, in which pig- breeding played a particularly important role, and to a specific production method, the result of, on the one hand, a rainy climate and an orography that isolates the villages for part of the year, and, on the other, of the fact that it is a special sausage made with high quality cuts, which means that it is reserved to a great extent for special occasions.
Of the products made when pigs are slaughtered, ‘chosco’ is one of the most firmly established in the defined area. Its production methods have been handed down from generation to generation, main taining their craft character, and the product enjoys a great reputation, attested to by the regard in which it is held by the population and by documentary references.
There are references in documents of the Monasteries of Obona (Tineo), Corias (Cangas del Nancea) and Belmonte and bye-laws adopted by towns and parishes reflect the importance of pig-breeding in the area. The Catastro de Ensenada (land registry) records that the area had the largest herd in Asturias in the 18th century. In 1897, in their work ‘Asturias’, O. Bellmunt and F. Canella point to pig-breeding as one of the main sources of wealth and the ‘Gran Enciclopedia Asturiana’ (Gijón, 1980) and J. E. Lamuño stress the size of the famous weekly suckling-pig markets in Tineo.
As for the region’s pig-meat processors, it should be noted that today the most famous are those in Tineo, their sausages, and particularly ‘Chosco de Tineo’, being the area’s most important food product. In the second half of the 19th century, in their ‘Asturias’, O. Bellmunt and F. Canella were already referring to sausage manufacturers in the Municipality of Valdés and at the beginning of the 20th century Tineo was the site of the ‘La Asunción’ sausage factory. C 166/12 EN Official Journal of the European Union 25.6.2010
The origin of the word ‘chosco’ is uncertain, but José Ántonio Fidalgo suggests that it comes from the Latin ‘luscus’, meaning one-eyed or almost blind. The word is from the ‘bable’ or Western Asturian language and is peculiar to the south-west of Asturias (Tineo, Allande, Cangas del Narcea, etc.). In the Middle Ages, the name ‘Tineo’ covered the district from Cabruñana en Salas to Leitariegos in the mountains. In addition, what is now called Cangas del Narcea was known as Cangas de Tineo until the 19th century.
In 1920, in his ‘Remembranzas de antaño y hogaño de la villa de Tineo’, the chronicler Claudio Zardaín writes of the ‘chosco’ that was enjoyed at the local festival of San Roque.
In 1929, Dionisio Pérez (under the name of ‘Post — Thebussem’) in his ‘Guía del buen comer español’ alludes to ‘chosco’ as a sausage and asserts that it is a characteristic dish in Tineo on San Roque’s Day.
In his ‘Guía de Productos de la Tierra’ (Madrid, 1998), Lucas Pallarés writes that ‘choscu’ is a noble product that originated with the ‘vaqueiros de alzada’.
The ‘Inventario Español de Productos Tradicionales’, published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as part of the ‘Euroterroirs’ project funded by the European Union, also associates the product with the Tineo district, from which it gets its name ‘Chosco de Tineo’.
Analyses are regularly carried out to ensure that the physical and organoleptic properties to which it owes its reputation are being maintained. The criteria used for characterising the product and the analysis results obtained are given in point 3.2 of this document. These must not vary.
Every year, the regional press carry reports of the festivals and gastronomic days organised around ‘Chosco de Tineo’.
Reference to publication of the specification: (Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006)
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