1. Support may be granted for tangible or intangible investments in processing facilities and winery infrastructure, as well as marketing structures and tools. Those investments shall be intended to improve the overall performance of the enterprise and its adaptation to market demands, as well as to increase its competitiveness, and shall concern the production or marketing of grapevine products referred to in Part II of Annex VII, including with a view to improving energy savings, global energy efficiency and sustainable processes.
2. Support under paragraph 1 at its maximum rate:
(a)
shall apply only to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises within the meaning of Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC (24);
(b)
may, in addition, apply to all enterprises for the outermost regions referred to in Article 349 TFEU and the smaller Aegean islands as defined in Article 1(2) of Regulation (EU) No 229/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (25).
For enterprises not covered by Article 2(1) of Title I of the Annex to Recommendation 2003/361/EC with fewer than 750 employees, or with a turnover of less than EUR 200 million, the maximum aid intensity shall be halved.
Support shall not be granted to enterprises in difficulty within the meaning of the Community guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring firms in difficulty (26).
3. The eligible expenditure shall exclude the non-eligible costs referred to in Article 69(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013.
4. The following maximum aid rates concerning the eligible investment costs shall apply to the Union contribution:
(a)
50 % in less developed regions;
(b)
40 % in regions other than less developed regions;
(c)
75 % in the outermost regions referred to in Article 349 TFEU;
(d)
65 % in the smaller Aegean islands as defined in Article 1(2) of Regulation (EU) No 229/2013.
5. Article 71 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 shall apply mutatis mutandis to support referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.