32000D0514
2000/514/EC: Commission Decision of 22 December 1999 on State aid which Italy plans to grant to Fiat Auto SpA for its Mirafiori Meccanica plant (Turin) (notified under document number C(1999) 5211) (Text with EEA relevance) (Only the Italian text is authentic)
Official Journal L 207 , 17/08/2000 P. 0017 - 0021
Commission Decision
of 22 December 1999
on State aid which Italy plans to grant to Fiat Auto SpA for its Mirafiori Meccanica plant (Turin)
(notified under document number C(1999) 5211)
(Only the Italian text is authentic)
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2000/514/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 88(2) thereof,
Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, and in particular Article 62(1)(a) thereof,
Having invited the parties concerned to submit their comments in accordance with the abovementioned provisions(1),
Whereas:
I. Procedure
(1) Between October and December 1997 the Italian Government notified the Commission, pursuant to Article 88(3) of the EC Treaty, of six planned measures under which it proposed to grant State aid to Fiat Auto SpA ("Fiat"), one of which (registered under N 838/97) concerned the Mirafiori Meccanica plant in Turin, Piedmont ("Fiat Mirafiori"), for investments at the Mirafiori engine works. Requests for further information and a number of reminders were sent to the Italian authorities to elicit the data required for a Commission decision. On 23 April 1998 a meeting was held with representatives of the Italian authorities to discuss the methods by which the cases would be examined. Finally, in a letter of 20 November 1998, the Italian authorities supplied partial replies to the questions raised by the Commission.
(2) By letter of 2 March 1999 the Commission informed Italy that it had decided on 3 February 1999 to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty in respect of the proposed aid measures, and formally required the Italian Government to supply, within one month, all the documents, information and data required to assess the compatibility of the aid with the common market. If Italy failed to supply those items, the Commission would reach a decision on the basis of the information in its possession.
(3) The decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities(2), and interested parties were invited by the Commission to submit comments. The Commission has not received any comments from interested parties.
(4) Representatives of the Commission went to Mirafiori on 24 February 1999 to discuss the case among other matters.
(5) After having requested, on 9 April 1999, an extension of the deadline for reply, the Italian authorities sent the Commission, by letter dated 16 April 1999, the information they considered necessary for it to complete its examination of the case.
(6) Further examination strengthened the Commission's initial doubts, particularly as regards the need for the planned aid. By letter of 14 June 1999 it therefore informed Italy that it had decided on 26 May 1999 to extend the procedure initiated on 3 February 1999 and formally required the Italian Government to supply, within one month, all the documents, information and data required to assess the compatibility of the aid with the common market. If Italy failed to supply those items, the Commission would reach a decision on the basis of the information in its possession.
(7) The decision to extend the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities(3), and interested parties were invited by the Commission to submit comments. The Commission has not received any comments from interested parties.
II. Detailed description of the aid
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