L 128/12 Official Journal of the European Union 24.5.2003 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 11 December 2002 on the State aid which Germany is planning to implement for BMW AG in Leipzig (notified under document number C(2002) 4830) (Only the German text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2003/373[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 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 those provisions (), Whereas: I. PROCEDURE (1)  On 3 December 2001 Germany notified the Commis- sion of a proposal to grant aid to Bayerische Motoren- werke AG (BMW). The Commission asked for additional information by letter dated 16 January 2002, to which Germany replied on 20 February. (2) By letter dated 3 April 2002, 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 the aid (hereinafter referred to as the decision to initiate the procedure). By letter dated 17 May 2002, Germany submitted comments on the initiation of the procedure. () OJ C 128, 30.5.2002, p. 15. (3)  The decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities of 30 May 2002 (). The Commission called on interested parties to submit their comments. It received comments from France on 3 July 2002; these were forwarded to Germany. Germany responded to those comments by letter dated 16 August 2002. II. DESCRIPTION A. The proposal and the planned aid (4)  BMW plans to set up a new passenger-vehicle produc- tion plant in Leipzig with an eligible investment volume of some EUR 1 204,9 million (net present value). It is initially planned to manufacture passenger vehicles of the [...] (*) 3-series model at the new plant. However, it will also be possible in the medium and long term to manufacture other BMW models there. The project is expected to create some 5 400 direct new jobs. (5)  The aid recipient is BMW. According to the notification, the total amount of planned aid is EUR 418,6 million (net present value). It is to be granted under the Gemeinschaftsaufgabe ~ Verbesserung ~ der  regionalen Wirtschaftsstruktur (GA) — 30. Rahmenplan (30th outline plan for the joint Federal Government/Lander scheme for improving regional economic structures) and under the Investitionszulagengesetz 1999 (1999 Investment Allow- ance Law). The aid intensity is 34,74 %. () See footnote 1. (*) [...] represents confidential information.