6.10.1999 Official Journal of the European Communities L 260/19 COMMISSION DECISION of 16 December 1998 on German aid in favour of Addinol Mineral6l GmbH i.GV and the newly established separate hive-off vehicle Addinol Lube Oil GmbH & Co. KG (notified under document number C(1998) 3867) (Only the German text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (1999/647EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 93(2) thereof, Having called on interested parties to submit their comments pursuant to the provision cited above and having regard to their comments, Whereas: By decisions of 20 November 1996 (}) and 4 June 1997 (%), the Commission approved rescue aid for Addinol Mineralol GmbH (hereinafter referred to as Addinol Old). By letter of 4 September 1997, the Commission requested further details after press articles had referred to rumours concerning Addinol Old's privatisation. The German authorities replied by letter of 1 October 1997. During a visit by Commission representatives to Berlin on 12 December 1997, representatives of the German  Government and the  Bundesanstalt  fiir vereinigungsbedingte Sonderaufgaben (BvS) answered questions arising from recent press reports. Following the talks in Berlin, the German authorities communicated additional information regarding new aid measures of DEM 59 900 000 and a restructuring plan by letter of 18 February 1998. On the basis of the information at its disposal, the Commission decided on 25 February 1998 to open proceedings under Article 93(2) of the EC Treaty because of doubts as to the compatibility with the common market of the aid measures. The decision and the grounds therefor were communicated to Germany in a letter of 17 March 1998, the contents of which were published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (*). The Commission accordingly changed the case number to C 18/98. In addition, interested third parties were invited to submit comments within a month of publication. (1) State aid measure N 783/96, letter of 4 December 1996. (%) State aid measures N 225/97 and NN 70/97, letter of 20 June 1997. () 0] C 186, 16.6.1998, p. 7. By letter of 2 April 1998, registered on 3 April 1998, and by letter of 15 April 1998, registered on 16 April 1998, Germany responded to the Commission's letter of 17 March 1998. By letter of 23 April 1998, the Commission requested supplementary information. Germany answered by letter dated 8 May 1998, registered on 11 May 1998. At a meeting on 13 May 1998 between representatives of the Commission and the Federal German Government, further information was provided by the German Government. Additional questions were sent to the German Government on 15 June 1998 and the answers were sent by the German Government on 29 June 1998, registered on the same day. Germany sent further answers on 13 July 1998. The Commission asked further questions on 4 August 1998. These questions were answered by a letter dated 14 August 1998, registered on 17 August 1998, and a letter dated 18 August 1998, registered on 28 August 1998. Finally, the Commission put questions to Germany on 7 September 1998 which were answered on 18 September, registered on the same day, and on 30 September 1998, registered on 1 October 1998. Germany provided additional information on 1 October 1998 (registered on 2 October 1998), on 16 October 1998 (registered on 19 October 1998), on 28 October 1998 (registered on 29 October 1998) and on 4 November 1998 (registered the same day). In response to the opening of the procedure, Fina Deutschland GmbH (Fina) submitted comments on 16 July 1998. On 4 August 1998, the Commission put questions to Fina. The questions were answered by letter of 26 August 1998, registered on the same day. By letter dated and registered on 20 July 1998, Germany declared they did not require a translation of the letter from Fina and by letter dated 10 August 1998, registered on 11 August 1998, Germany gave its comments to the letter from Fina. According to information available to the Commission, part of the aid (loans of DEM 7 000 000) has already been granted although no decision has yet been taken by the Commission regarding its compatibility with the common market. II Addinol Old was set up on 1 June 1990 after the splitting-up of the former State enterprise VEB Hydrierwerk Zeitz. The