19.3.2005 Official Journal of the European Union L 74/49 COMMISSION DECISION of 14 July 2004 concerning certain aid measures applied by France to assist fish farmers and fishermen (notified under document number C(2004) 2588) (Only the French text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2005/239/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 88(2) thereof, Having called on interested parties to submit their comments pursuant to the provision cited above, Whereas: I. PROCEDURE By letter dated 21 June 2000, France informed the Commission of the compensation measures it had adopted for fishermen and fish farmers affected by the oil pollution caused by the wreck of the Erika in the Bay of Biscay on 12 December 1999 and the extraordinarily violent storms of 27 and 28 December 1999. At the Commission’s request, further information was provided by letters dated 28 November 2000, 6 April 2001 and 13 August 2001. Because they were implemented before the Commission could decide whether they were compatible with common market rules, these measures were registered as a non-notified aid scheme, under the number NN 80/2000. By letter dated 11 December 2001, the Commission notified France of its decision to consider certain of the planned measures compatible with the common market and to initiate the formal investigation procedure provided for in Article 88(2) of the Treaty in respect of the others. France made known its response by letter dated 5 March 2002. The Commission Decision to initiate the formal investi- gation procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities ('). The Commission invited interested parties to submit their comments. The Commission received no comments. () O] C 39, 13.2.2002, p. 6. 4 ©) II. DESCRIPTION The formal investigation procedure was initiated in respect of the following measures: 1. exceptional aid for the fishermen and fish farmers of the departments of Finistére, Morbihan, Loire- Atlantique, Vendée, Charente-Maritime and Gironde on France’s Atlantic coast (hereinafter referred to as the Atlantic coast departments from Finistére to Gironde). — exemption from social security contributions for the first quarter of 2000 (or an average quarter), — reduction of financial charges; 2. additional measures to assist fish farmers and fishermen throughout France: — additional measure reducing social security contri- butions for all fish farmers (from 15 April to 15 July 2000) and fishermen (from 15 April to 15 October 2000) of mainland France and the overseas departments, — exemption from State fees for the year 2000 for all fish farmers; when the formal investigation procedure was opened, the Commission understood that this exemption applied only to aquaculture undertakings in the Atlantic coast departments from Finistére to Gironde, but it subsequently transpired that the measure was an additional general measure applying to all producers in mainland France and the overseas departments. For the record, the Commission would point out that the measures that had been deemed compatible with the common market, about which France was informed in a letter of 11 December 2001, concerned the under- takings located in the Atlantic coast departments from Finistére to Gironde, and were the following: