Accordingly, the Executive Committee decided to include an allocation of US $10 million from the resource allocation for 1999 for a funding window designed to facilitate pilot conversions of significant groups of small firms that met the following criteria:
(a) Given the fact that SME projects for low-volume consuming countries are currently fully eligible, this window should apply only to group projects from countries with annual ODS consumption of 360 ODP tonnes or more;
(b) Eligible group projects for this initial pilot programme should be in the aerosol or foam sectors only, and should include firms with annual ODS consumption not exceeding the following:
Aerosols: 20 ODP tonnes/yr.
Foams: Flexible 25 ODP tonnes/yr.
Extruded polyethylene/polystyrene 25 ODP tonnes/yr.
Flexible integral skin 10 ODP tonnes/yr.
Rigid polyurethane foams 10 ODP tonnes/yr.
(c) Group projects should be at a level of US $1 million or less, and should have an overall cost-effectiveness of no more than 150 per cent of the level of the current cost-effectiveness thresholds for the relevant eligible subsectors in (b) above. Such group projects should use the most cost-effective technologies reasonably available, and should consider the possible use of centralized/group use of equipment and industrial rationalization;
(d) The group project should be put forward with a government plan, including policies and regulations designed to ensure that the specific level of agreed reduction to be achieved was sustained;
(e) No single country may apply for more than US $1 million from this pilot funding window although projects from one country may cover more than one sector.