9.2.2011 Official Journal of the European Union L 34/55 DECISIONS COMMISSION DECISION of 9 June 2010 on state aid C 1/09 (ex NN 69/08) granted by Hungary to MOL Nyrt. (notified under document C(2010) 3553) (Only the Hungarian text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2011/88/EU) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 108(2) thereof, Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, and in particular Article 62(1)(a) thereof, Having regard to the Commission Decision initiating the procedure laid down in Article 108(2) of the Treaty (') in respect of aid No C 1/09 (ex NN 69/08) (3, 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) On 13 January 2009, following a complaint received on 14 November 2007, the Commission opened a formal investigation procedure into measures put in place by Hungary allegedly constituting state aid in favour of a company called Hungarian Oil & Gas Plc (Magyar Olaj- és Gdzipari Nyrt.; hereinafter ‘MOL). (2)  Hungary submitted its comments on the Commission’s opening decision on 8 April 2009. (") With effect from 1 December 2009, Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty became Articles 107 and 108, respectively, of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union; the two sets of provisions are, in substance, identical. For the purposes of this Decision, references to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU should be understood as references to Articles 87 and 88, respectively, of the EC Treaty as appropriate. () Commission Decision 2009/C 74/05 (O] C 74, 28.3.2009, p. 63). (3)  The opening decision was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 28 March 2009 (*). Comments were received from two interested parties: MOL and the Hungarian Mining Association (Magyar Bdnydszati Szévetség), both on 27 April 2009. (4)  The Commission transmitted the comments to Hungary by letter of 2 June 2009. By letter of 3 July 2009 Hungary reported that it had no comments to make on the observations of the interested parties. (5)  The Commission requested further information from the Hungarian authorities on 21 September 2009 and 12 January 2010, and Hungary replied by letters of 19 October 2009 and 9 February 2010. II. THE BENEFICIARY (6)  MOL is an integrated oil and gas company based in Budapest, Hungary. MOL's core activities in the Hungarian market include: exploration for and extraction of crude oil and natural gas; manufacturing of gas products; the refining, transportation, storage and distribution of crude oil products at both retail and wholesale; transmission of natural gas; and the production and sale of olefins and polyolefins. In addition, the MOL Group (to which MOL belongs) also includes several other Hungarian and foreign subsidiaries (¥). (7)  In Hungary and Slovakia the MOL Group is market leader in each of its core activities. In 2008 the net sales of MOL and the MOL Group were around EUR 6,8 billion and EUR 13 billion respectively (°). In the same year their respective operating profits were around EUR 400 million and EUR 732 million. () See footnote 2. (*) For example, TVK (one of Hungary’s leading chemical companies), Slovnaft (a Slovak oil company) and Roth (an Austrian retail and wholesale company). The Group also has a strategic partnership with the Croatian company INA. () http://www.molgroup.hu/en/investors/financial_reports|