30.10.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities L 296/35 COMMISSION DECISION of 30 January 2002 on the State aid granted by Spain to a number of steel undertakings in the Basque Country (notified under document number C(2002) 309) (Only the Spanish text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2002/822/ECSC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, and in particular Article 4(c) thereof, Having regard to Commission Decision No 2496/96/ECSC of 18 December 1996 establishing Community rules for State aid to the steel industry (1), and in particular Article 6(5) thereof, Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, and in particular Article 62(1)(a) thereof, Having called on interested parties to submit their comments pursuant to the provisions cited above (%), and having regard to their comments, Whereas: I PROCEDURE (1) By letter dated 31 July 2000 the Commission requested the Spanish authorities to provide information on the aid which the Basque regional government granted in 1999 to ECSC undertakings for research and develop- ment and which had not been notified in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 6(1) of Com- mission Decision No 2496/96/ECSC (hereinafter the Steel Aid Code). By letter dated 4 October 2000 the Spanish authorities provided some information. By letter dated 20 November 2000 the Commission requested additional information. By letter dated 16 January 2001 the Spanish authorities provided the additional information requested. (2) By letter dated 28 March 2001 the Commission in- formed Spain that it had decided to initiate proceedings (1) OJL 338,28.12.1996, p. 42. (9 OJ C185,30.6.2001, p. 41. under Article 6(5) of the Steel Aid Code in respect of the aid. (3) The Commission decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. The Commission invited interested parties to submit their comments on the aid. (4)  The Commission received comments from the United Kingdom authorities and from the United Kingdom Steel Association. It forwarded them to Spain, which was given the opportunity to react; its comments were received by letter dated 19 October 2001. [I. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE AID (5)  The aid consists of grants awarded under the scheme introduced by Decree 185/1997 of 29 July 1997 establishing support measures for research, development and technological innovation in the Autonomous Com- munity of the Basque Country (3), which was authorised by the Commission under the EC Treaty (%). (6)  The beneficiary ECSC undertakings, the details of the R&D projects and the amounts of aid are as follows: A. Aceria de Alava SA. Project: development of a new production line: finishing of stainless steel bars (7)  The project consists in the installation of a new pro- duction line in order to increase the company’s range of products and improve the steelworks’ production (®) BOPV (Official Gazette of the Basque Country) No 1997147, 4.8.1997,p. 13174. (*) Letter SG (97) D[6942 of 12 August 1997.