13. 7. 84 Official jourﬁal‘ of the European Communities No L 186/45 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 17 April 1984 under Article 93 (2) of the EEC Treaty on a proposal by the Italian Government to award aid to an undertaking in the textile and clothing industry (Only the Italian text is authentic) (84/351/EEC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 93 (2) thereof, Having given notice to the parties concerned to submit their comments as provided for in the said Article, and having regard to those comments, Whereas : By letter dated 6 September 1983, the Italian Govern- ment notified the Commission of a proposal to award aid to an undertaking in the textile and clothing industry at Bologna which manufactures mainly pyjamas (MFA category 24), a sector in which the Italian clothing industry is considered to be highly competitive and which is therefore normally excluded from aid under Law No 675/77 on Industrial Restruc- turing and Conversion, and knitted underwear (MFA category 13), which is also a sector in which the Italian industry is competitive and any proposed aid to which is subject to prior notification. The Italian Government nevertheless wishes to award assistance under Law No 675/77 to the firm, which employs about 250 people. The firm’s programme does not involve any reduction in its capacity of 2 million pieces and in fact anticipates an increase in output of about 200 000 pieces a year. The award is to take the form of an interest subsidy of 7,94 percentage points on a loan in the form of bonds to a value of Lit 925 million at a reference rate of inte- rest of 19,85 % over 10 years with a two-year grace period. The total planned investment expenditure of Lit 5020 million included Lit 3 200 million for stock purchases, of which Lit 440 million would be covered by the aid. The remainder was for purchasing plant and equipment, chiefly machinery to modernize the firm’s production plant, for which an undertaking ought normally to raise the finance itself. The Commission considered that the aid did not fulfil the eligibility conditions for aid under Law No 675/77, which it had approved on 18 January 1983. The Commission therefore opened the procedure provided for in Article 93 (2) of the Treaty in respect of the proposed aid and by letter dated 15 December 1983 gave the Italian Government notice to submit its comments. II In their reply sent on 1 February 1984 in accordance with the Article 93 (2) procedure, the Italian authori- ties failed to adduce any new facts or arguments capable of inducing the Commission to revise the view of the proposal it had formed when opening the procedure. They merely pointed out that the invest-