I. Introduction Regulation (EC) No 70/20011 (hereinafter the „SME Regulation“) exempts Member States from the notification obligation of Article 88(3) EC and under certain conditions allows State aid to small and medium-sized enterprises (hereinafter „SME“). The SME Regulation principally applies to aid measures granted to SMEs in all sectors. However, as Article 1 provides, it is disapplied in the agriculture and fisheries sectors and the coal sector