L 21234 Official Journal of the European Communities 7.8.2001 II (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 26 July 2000 on the aid scheme implemented by Spain for the purchase of commercial vehicles via the Coopera- tion Agreement of 26 February 1997 between the Ministry of Industry and Energy and the Official Credit Institute (notified under document number C(2000) 2465) (Only the Spanish text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2001/605EC) 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 given notice to the parties concerned to submit their comments pursuant to the abovementioned Articles (1), Whereas: I. PROCEDURE (1) By letter dated 26 February 1997, registered at the Secretariat-General on 12 March 1997, Spain notified the Commission of the Cooperation Agreement (hereinafter the Agreement) dated 26 February 1997 between the Ministry of Industry and Energy and the Official Credit Institute (Instituto de Crédito Oficial, hereinafter the ICO). The notification concerned a special credit line for the purchase of commercial vehicles and was registered under N 171/97. (2)  However, the notification was submitted to the Commission on the day the Agreement entered into force. Moreover, the Agreement applied retroactively as from 1 January 1997. Consequently, the Commission was only able to examine a measure already in force. Accordingly, the aid scheme in question was deemed unnotified and thus re-registered under NN 115/98. (3) A request for further information was addressed to Spain on 3 April 1997. By letters of 30 April, 3 June, 3 July, 10 September and 9 October 1997, the Spanish authorities asked the Commission for additional time to forward the information requested. After the final deadline expired on 10 November 1997, no other communication was received from Spain. Consequently, the Commission began a preliminary investigation on the compatibility of the Agreement with the common market on the basis of the information available to it. () O] C 29, 4.2.1999, p. 14.