Aid to promote economic growth and scientific research for the Brussels region
By letter dated 9 December 1991, the European Commission informed the Belgian Government that it had decided to initiate the procedure provided for in Article 93(2) of the EEC Treaty in respect of aid and requested the Belgian Government to submit its comments. As part of the procedure, an exploratory meeting took place on 11 February 1992 between the Commission and the relevant Brussels authorities. It was followed by an exchange of notes, dated 9 April 1992 from the Belgian authorities and 1 June 1992 from the Commission. By letter dated 23 June 1992 from its Permanent Representation, the Belgian Government sent the Commission an amended draft order of the Brussels region accompanied by comments on the articles and an explanatory memorandum on the amendments made to the original draft. The amendments take account, in particular, of the provisions of the new framework on aid to SMEs as regards the definition and intensity of the aid authorized for investment and for economic, technical and financial studies. The provision allowing aid to be granted for sectoral, technological or other purposes has been amended, and Article 7 of the new draft restricts the scope for such aid to cases of "sectoral aid decided by the Commission of the European Communities, or else of a technological research or development programme of the European Community".