The Cyprus Commissioner for State Aid Control authorises the amendment of the national legislation concerning aid towards the payment of agricultural insurance premiums, finding that it complies with EC Reg. N°1857/2006 (Aid towards the payment of insurance premiums)

Factual Background In 1977 Cyprus introduced specific legislation, setting up the legal framework concerning the system of compulsory agricultural insurance and the granting of State aid through the subsidization of the insurance premium. Given that this legislation had been enacted before the accession of Cyprus to the European Union, it is considered to be, according to the 2003 Act of Accession, existing aid, within the meaning of Article 88(1) EC, whose duration has been prolonged up until the 31st of December 2007 (see Annex IV of the Act of Accession of 2003 (OJ L 236/797, 23.09.2003), in conjunction with point 195 of the Community Guidelines for State aid in the agriculture and forestry sector 2007 to 2013 (OJ C 319/1, 27.12.2006)). On 11 October 2007, the Agricultural Insurance