L 224/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 25.8.1999 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 9 December 1998 on State aid which Germany is planning to implement in favour of MCR Gesellschaft fiir metallur- gisches Recycling mbH, Eberswalde (Brandenburg) (notified under document number C(1998) 4277) (Only the German text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (1999/592/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 (!), and in particular Article 3 thereof, Having called on interested parties to submit their comments pursuant to those provisions and having regard to their comments, Whereas: I. PROCEDURE By letter dated 29 April 1997 Germany notified the Commis- sion of a proposal to grant environmental aid to the company MCR Gesellschaft fiir metallurgisches Recycling mbH, herein- after referred to as MCR. The proposal was notified pursuant to Article 6 of Decision No 2496/96/ECSC of 18 December 1996 establishing Community rules for State aid to the steel industry, hereinafter referred to as the Steel Aid Code. The Commission asked for further information by letters dated 22 May 1997, 11 July 1997 and 1 October 1997. Germany furnished the Commission with supplementary information by letters dated 20 June 1997, 24 September 1997 and 23 October 1997. By letter dated 19 January 1998 the Commission informed Germany of its decision to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 6(5) of the Steel Aid Code in respect of the proposal to grant environmental aid. () O] L 338, 28.12.1996, p. 42. In addition the Commission issued a suspension order pursuant to the second subparagraph of Article 6(4) of the Steel Aid Code concerning the payment of a regional investment aid which was approved in 1994. In December 1994 the Commission had approved regional investment aid to the same project (N 671/94). It did so pursuant to Articles 1 and 5 of Commission Decision No 3855/91/ECSC of 27 November 1991 establishing Community rules for aid to the steel industry (3), (hereinafter referred to as the ‘1991 Steel Aid Code’). According to the second subpara- graph of Article 1(3) the deadline for payments of this type of aid falling under Article 5 was 31 December 1994. The Commission Decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (°). The Commission called on interested parties to submit their comments. The Commission received comments from interested parties. It forwarded them to Germany, which was given the opportunity to react, its comments being received by letter dated 7 July 1998. Germany furnished additional information by letters dated 27 February 1998, 12 June 1998, 21 August 1998, 18 September 1998, 27 October 1998, 4 November 1998, 11 November 1998 and 12 November 1998. II. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE AID The aid is to be granted for a new plant which can recycle old motor vehicles and residues from metal parts. Germany claimed the emissions produced by the MCR process improved on existing environmental standards. () OJ L 362, 31.12.1991, p. 57. () O] C 114, 14.4.1998, p. 8.