L 180/30 Official Journal of the European Union 15.7.2010 IV (Acts adopted before 1 December 2009 under the EC Treaty, the EU Treaty and the Euratom Treaty) COMMISSION DECISION of 20 May 2008 on State aid C 57/06 (ex NN 56/06, ex N 451/06) in connection with the financing of Hessische Staatsweingiiter by the Land Hessen (notified under document C(2008) 1626) (Only the German text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2010/394/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 88(2) thereof, Having called on interested parties to submit their comments pursuant to the Article cited above (') and having regard to their comments, Whereas: [. PROCEDURE DG Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI), following complaints received in October 2003 and in November 2004, has investigated the financing of Hessische Staatsweingiiter by the Land Hessen. In this context, two meetings took place, one between authorities from Hessen and officials from DG AGRI on 26 January 2005, and one between Hessen Prime Minister Koch and the Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development on 29 September 2005. Following the meeting of 29 September 2005, DG AGRI sent a letter to the Hessen authorities on 13 October 2005. The Hessen authorities sent DG AGRI information in writing by letters of 25 January 2005, 25 April 2005 and 12 December 2005, to which reference is made. By e-mail of 6 July 2006 Germany notified the Commission of the equity financing of a new wine cellar, in accordance with Article 88(3) of the EC Treaty. According to the information provided, the notifi- () 0] C 19, 27.1.2007, p. 2. cation was submitted in the interests of legal certainty. Since part of the funds had already been paid out prior to the notification, the measure was entered in the register of non-notified aid as NN 56/06. Germany submitted further information in e-mails sent on 21 September 2006 and 14 November 2006. By letter of 20 December 2006 (K(2006) 6605 endg.) the Commission informed Germany that it had decided to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty in respect of this aid. The Commission Decision to open the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (%). The Commission invited interested parties to submit their comments within one month. The Commission received comments from an interested party, who initially asked to remain confidential, by letter of 15 February 2007. The comments received were notified to Germany by letter of 2 March 2007, without disclosing the identity of the interested party. The party in question revoked the request for confidentiality by letter of 7 March 2007. Germany submitted further comments by e-mail on 4 April 2007. II. DESCRIPTION According to the information supplied, Hessische Staats- weingiiter GmbH Kloster Eberbach, which has its registered office in Eltville am Rhein, is the biggest vineyard in Germany, with a cultivated area of some 190 hectares, specialising in the production of high quality wine, mainly ‘Riesling’ and also increasingly red wine. It is 100 % owned by the Land Hessen. (?) See footnote 1.