24.11.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 309/23 COMMISSION DECISION of 24 May 2011 on State aid C 88/97 implemented by France in favour of Crédit Mutuel (notified under document C(2011) 3436) (Only the French text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2011/747/EU) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 108(2), first subparagraph, thereof, Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, and in particular Article 62(1)(a) thereof, Having given interested parties notice to submit their comments pursuant to those Articles (1), and having regard to those comments, Whereas: 1. PROCEDURE (1)  On 25 January 1991 the Association francaise des banques (AFB), the Chambre syndicale des banques popu- laires and Crédit Agricole lodged a complaint alleging that France had granted State aid to Crédit Mutuel. (20 The Commission first requested information concerning the Livret bleu in a letter dated 27 May 1991. (3) By letter dated 6 February 1998, the Commission informed the French authorities that it had decided to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty (now Article 108(2) TFEU) in respect of the potential aid measures contained in the Livret bleu savings vehicle (3). (4)  On 8 April 1998 the French authorities replied to the questions raised by the Commission in its opening Decision. () OJ C 146, 12.5.1998, p. 6, and OJ C 210, 1.9.2006, p. 12. (3 This is the commercial name of the savings account in question, referred to by the name of ‘compte spécial sur livret du crédit mutuel (special savings account of the crédit mutuel) until 31 December 2008 in Article L221-1 of the Monetary and Financial Code. (5)  Crédit Mutuel sent a letter to the Commission on 18 June 1998 setting out arguments to reject the description of the measures covered by the opening Decision as State aid, together with a cost account files concerning the Livret bleu. A number of interested parties also submitted their comments to the Commission (see Sections 3 and 4, recitals 48 to 59), which forwarded them to the French authorities on 3 September 1998. (6)  The complainants sent four additional written statements to the Commission by letters dated 29 October 1999, 16 May 2000, 16 October 2000 and 19 January 2001, which the Commission forwarded to the French authorities on 21 February 2000 and 3 November 2000. 7) On 5 February 2001, the Commission forwarded to France the documents received from the AFB. (8)  From November 1998 to December 1999, at the Commission’s request, a consultant () (hereinafter: ‘the Commission’s consultant’) carried out an audit of the cost accounts of the Livret bleu. The consultant’s report was submitted to the French authorities and to Crédit Mutuel for examination on 10 January 2000. A technical meeting on the report was organised on 7 February 2000 for the Commission, assisted by its consultant, the French authorities and Crédit Mutuel. (9 By letter dated 14 September 1999, the Commission asked the French authorities to explain the general interest tasks entrusted to Crédit Mutuel. On 21 February 2000, 3 November 2000 and 5 February 2001, the Commission sent to the French authorities for comment various documents (¥ submitted to the file by the complainants concerning the potential ‘pull effect’ of the Livret bleu (see subsection 7.2.3, recitals 110-118). The French authorities presented their comments on 1 February 2001. (®) The chartered accountants Littlejohn Frazer, assisted by two French accountancy firms, Auditec and Scacchi. (*) Including two statistical studies by the consultants Concurrence et Stratégie headed by professor of economics Michel Glais.