9.8.2008 Official Journal of the European Union L 214/3 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 800/2008 of 6 August 2008 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the common market in application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty (General block exemption Regulation) (Text with EEA relevance) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 994/98 of 7 May 1998 on the application of Articles 92 and 93 of the Treaty establishing the European Community to certain categories of horizontal State aid ('), and in particular Article 1(1) points (a) and (b) thereof, Having published a draft of this Regulation (%), After consulting the Advisory Committee on State Aid, Whereas: (1) Regulation (EC) No 994/98 empowers the Commission to declare, in accordance with Article 87 of the Treaty that under certain conditions aid to small and medium- sized enterprises (‘SMEs), aid in favour of research and development, aid in favour of environmental protection, employment and training aid, and aid that complies with the map approved by the Commission for each Member State for the grant of regional aid is compatible with the common market and not subject to the notification requirement of Article 88(3) of the Treaty. (2)  The Commission has applied Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty in numerous decisions and gained sufficient experience to define general compatibility criteria as () O] L 142, 14.5.1998, p. 1. 0] C 210, 8.9.2007, p. 14. regards aid in favour of SMEs, in the form of investment aid in and outside assisted areas, in the form of risk capital schemes and in the area of research, development and innovation, in particular in the context of the imple- mentation of Commission Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 of 12 January 2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid to small and medium- sized enterprises (?), and as regards the extension of the scope of that Regulation to include aid for research and development, the implementation of Commission Regu- lation (EC) No 364/2004 of 25 February 2004 amending Regulation (EC) No 70/2001 (*), the implementation of the Commission communication on State aid and risk capital (°) and the Community guidelines on State aid to promote risk capital investments in small and medium-sized enterprises (¢), as well as the implemen- tation of the Community framework for State aid for research and development and innovation (7). (3)  The Commission has also gained sufficient experience in the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty in the fields of training aid, employment aid, environmental aid, research and development and innovation aid and regional aid with respect to both SMEs and large enter- prises, in particular in the context of the implementation of Commission Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 of 12 January 2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to training aid (}), 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 (°), Commission Regulation (EC) No 1628/2006 of 24 October 2006 on the appli- cation of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty to national regional investment aid (1°) the Community framework for State aid for research and development ('), the Community Framework for State aid for research and development and innovation, the 2001 Community guidelines on State for environmental protection ('2), the 2008 Community guidelines on State aid for envi- ronmental protection (*) and the Guidelines on national regional aid for 2007-2013 (4. () OJ L 10, 13.1.2001, p. 33. Regulation as last amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 1976/2006 (O] L 368, 23.12.2006, p. 85). () O] L 63, 28.2.2004, p. 22. () O] C 235, 21.8.2001, p. 3. () O] C 194, 18.8.2006, p. 2. () o ) 5 ] C 323, 30.12.2006, p. 1. §) OJ L 10, 13.1.2001, p. 20. Regulation as last amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 1976/2006. (®) OJ L 337, 13.12.2002, p. 3. Regulation as last amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 1976/2006. C 45, 17.2.1996, p. 5. 37, 3.2.2001, p. 3. 2, 1.4.2008, p. 1. 4, 4.3.2006, p. 13.