20. 6. 91 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 156/39 COMMISSION DECISION of 24 January 1991 concerning investment aid which the Belgian Government plans to grant to Mactac SA, Soignies (Only the French and Dutch texts are authentic) (91/305/EEC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular the first subpara- graph of Article 93 (2) thereof, ' Having given notice in accordance with the above Article to interested parties to submit their comments and having regard to those comments, - Whereas : The Belgian Law of 17 July 1959 establishing and coordi- nating measures to promote economic expansion and the creation of new industries and the Royal Order of 17 August 1959 (') introduced general measures to assist the Belgian economy, in the form in particular of interest subsidies on loans for investments, State guarantees for loans contracted by enterprises with banks which bene- fited from the subsidy, and exemption from the property tax for five years. Having examined the said Law in accordance with Article 93 (1) and (2) of the EEC Treaty, the Commission concluded that it constituted a general aid scheme since it had no sectoral or regional objectives. As the scheme was applicable to all investments, irrespective of enterprise, region or sector, it could not qualify for exemption under Article 93 (3) (a) or (c) of the EEC Treaty. Because of this lack of specificity, the Commission was unable to assess the effects of the scheme in question on intra- Community trade and competition and, in particular, its compatibility with the common market. The Commission has appro'ved this type of general aid scheme in the past where one of the two following condi- tions has been satisfied: either the Member State concerned informs the Commission of a regional or (") Moniteur belge 29. 8. 1959. sectoral plan or, failing that, notifies individual significant awards of aid. Pursuant to Commission Decision 75/397/EEC (%), the Belgian Government is required to notify the Commis- sion in advance of all individual significant awards of aid under the Law of 17 July 1959 to enable it to assess their compatibility with the common market. As part of its task of keeping under constant review, in cooperation with the Member States, all aid systems exis- ting in those States, the Commission suggested, by letters dated 3 August and 12 September 1990, that the Belgian Government abolish, as from 1 January 1991, the general’ aid system introduced by the Law of 17 July 1959. 11 By letter dated 31 May 1990, received on 5 June 1990, the Belgian Government, in accordance with the procedure in force, notified the Commission that the Walloon authori- ties planned to grant investment aid under the Law of 17 July 1959 to Mactac SA, based at Soignies in the province of Hainaut. Mactac specializes in the manufacture, processing and sale of self-adhesive papers and supplies for silk-screen prin- ting. The investment programme, totalling Bfr 775 million, concerns the construction of a new production line. The planned aid will take the form of a capital grant of Bfr 93 million and exemption from property tax for five years, representing a net grant equivalent of 9,2 %. The Belgian Government has argued that the investment would introduce new technologies, and that it would benefit both the environment, as the proposed new adhe- sives are non-polluting, and the region. The Commission concluded from its initial analysis of the notification that the aid proposal could not be considered compatible with the common market as it would distort competition and adversely affect trade within the meaning of Article 92 (1), and that it did not qualify for exemption pursuant to that Article. () OJ No L 177, 8. 7. 1975, p. 13.