16.1.2010 Official Journal of the European Union L 117 IV (Acts adopted before 1 December 2009 under the EC Treaty, the EU Treaty and the Euratom Treaty) COMMISSION DECISION of 17 June 2009 on the scheme for consolidating the onerous debts of agriculture cooperatives and holdings implemented in Lazio Region (Italy) pursuant to Regional Law No 52/1994 and refinanced by Article 257 of Regional Law No 10 of 10 May 2001 (notified under document C(2009) 4525) (Only the Italian text is authentic) (2010/27[EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, (5) By letter dated 23 October 2003, registered on Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community and in particular the first paragraph of Article 88(2) thereof, (6) Having called on interested parties to submit their comments pursuant to that Article, Whereas: I. PROCEDURE (1) By letter dated 11 September 2001, registered on 13 September 2001, the Permanent Representation of Italy to the European Union notified the Commission, 7) pursuant to Article 88(3) of the EC Treaty, of the text of Article 257 of Regional Law No 10 of 10 May 2001, amending Article 2 of Regional Law No 52 of 31 October 1994. (2) By letter dated 19 April 2002, registered on 22 April 2002, the Permanent Representation of Italy to the European Union sent the Commission the additional information it had requested from the Italian authorities concerning the above provisions by letter dated 9 November 2001. (3)  After examining this information, the Commission asked the Italian authorities, by letter dated 17 June 2002, to send further information within four weeks. (4 As it had not received any reply by the deadline set in the letter of 17 June 2002, the Commission sent a new letter dated 19 August 2003 urgently asking for the information that had previously been requested. 29 October 2003, the Permanent Representation of Italy to the European Union sent the Commission the additional information requested from the Italian authorities in the letter of 17 June 2002. By letter dated 11 December 2003, the Commission informed Italy of its decision to initiate the procedure provided for by Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty in relation the provisions of Article 257 of Regional Law No 10 of 10 May 2001 (hereinafter ‘Law No 10/01’) and the aid paid between 1 January 1998 and 20 May 2001 (the date of entry into force of Law No 10/01) under the aid scheme that was to have been refinanced by the budget allocation provided for in that article (!). The Commission’s decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (2). The Commission invited interested parties to submit comments. The Commission did not receive any comments from interested parties. Nevertheless, the Italian authorities met Commission staff to make clarifications in relation to the comments made by the Commission after the procedure under Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty was initiated. By e-mail dated 3 April 2009, the Permanent Represen- tation of Italy to the European Union sent the Commission a letter from the Italian authorities sum- marising the discussions that took place at the meeting referred to in the previous paragraph. (1) Letter SG (2003) D[233340. () 0] C 15, 21.1.2004, p. 28.