19. 10. 84 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 276/43 COMMISSION DECISION of 11 July 1984 on the proposal by the Netherlands Government to grant aid for the building of a petrol additive production plant in the Rotterdam Europoort area (Only the Dutch text is authentic) (84/499/EEC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 93 (2) thereof, Having given notice to the parties concerned to submit their comments as provided for in the said Article 93, and having regard to those comments, Whereas : Article 6 of the Netherlands Law of 29 June 1978 (Wet Investeringsrekening — WIR) (') on the promo- tion and guidance of investment provides for an ‘addi- tional premium for major projects. The premium is intended for investment projects exceeding Fl 30 million in value and depending on the number of jobs created, can amount to 4 % of the value of the invest- ment concerned. When it examined the abovementioned law in its draft stage under the procedure provided for in Article 93 (3) of the Treaty, the Commission took the view that the ‘additional premium for major projects’ constituted a general aid scheme, since it did not comprise any sectoral or regional objective. Since the system was applicable to all investment projects without any distinction as between firms, regions or sectors, it was not eligible for the exceptions provided for in Article 92 (3) (a) or (c) of the Treaty. In the absence of such specific features, the Commission was unable to assess the effects of the scheme on intra-Community trade and on competition or, consequently, its compatibility with the common market. The Commission usually authorizes this type of general aid scheme if the Member State concerned can inform it either of a regional or sectoral implementa- tion plan or, if that is not possible, of significant indi- vidual cases. (') Staatsblad 1978, No 368. In accordance with this position, the Commission requested that all individual cases in which the ‘addi- tional premium for major projects’ was granted, taking account of the level of the investment concerned, should be notified to it in advance and in sufficient time, in accordance with Article 93 (3) of the Treaty. In the course of talks with the Netherlands authorities, the Commission indicated that it would assess each such case on its merits and in the light of the principles laid down in Articles 92 et seq. or developed in administering those provisions. The Netherlands Government was not entitled to assume that the Commission was generally sympathetic to the ‘addi-. tional premium’ system simply because it had asked for such systematic prior notification. The Netherlands Government complied with the Commission’s request by making the abovementioned prior notification procedure the subject of Articles 6 (7) and 7 (3) of Chapter V of the abovementioned Netherlands Law of 29 June 1978. II By telex dated 25 August 1983, the Netherlands Government, acting in accordance with the prior noti- - fication procedure, informed the Commission of its intention to grant the ‘additional premium for major projects’ to an investment project to be carried out by a firm in the Rotterdam-Europoort area. The proposed aid is intended to allow the recipient firm to build a plant for the purification of tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA), which would be used as an addi- tive to motor vehicle fuel (gasoline-grade TBA (GTBA)), and to secure improved raw material trans- port. The new GTBA production unit thus set up will have a capacity of 400 000 tonnes a year. A total of 41 % of output will be for the Dutch market and 56 % will be for export to other Community countries. The firm’s production capacity in its other sectors of activity (propylene oxide and isobutanol), more than 90 % of which is for the Dutch market, will be maintained unchanged.