L 117/42 Official Journal of the European Communities 5.5.1999 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 10 June 1998 on State aid that the Liguria region (Italy) plans to grant to agricultural co- operatives (notified under document number C(1998) 1714) (Only the Italian text is authentic) (1999/298/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular the first subparagraph of Atrticle 93(2) thereof, Having, in accordance with the abovementioned Article, given notice to the parties concerned to submit their comments ('), Whereas: I. BACKGROUND By letter of 31 July 1997, receipt of which was recorded on 1 August 1997, the Permanent Representation of Italy to the European Union notified the Commission, in accordance with Article 93(3) of the Treaty, of the aid measures that the Liguria Region plans to grant to agri- cultural cooperatives by draft Law No 85 of 9 May 1997 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the draft Law’). By letter of 23 October 1997, recorded on 27 October 1997, the Perma- nent Representation of Italy sent the Commission the additional information requested. By letter of 12 January 1998, the Commission informed Italy of its decision to initiate the procedure provided for in Article 93(2) of the Treaty in respect of those aid measures. The Commission’s decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (*); the Commission has called on the other Member States and the other parties concerned to submit their comments on the matter. () OJ C 101, 3.4.1998, p. 2. (%) See footnote 1. The Commission has received no comments from the other Member States or the other parties concerned. II. DESCRIPTION OF THE MEASURES The draft Law relates to structural measures for agricul- tural cooperatives. It provides for capital grants of up to 55 % of the total permissible expenditure on investments in the following: — the construction, restructuring, extension and purchase of facilities for the collection, storage, processing and marketing of agricultural products and the purchase of plant and equipment, — the construction of marketing centres, — the purchase of the land required to establish the abovementioned facilities. The investments must comply with the ‘Guidelines for State aid in connection with investments in the processing and marketing of agricultural products’ () (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Community guidelines’) and with the limits laid down for specific sectors in Commission Decision 94/173/EC (*). The overall budget for the measures amounted to ITL 300 million for 1997. For the following years, the budget is to be determined later. By way of a transitional measure, Article 6 of the draft Law extends the benefit of the measure to projects where implementation was commenced after 1 January 1996. The draft Law notified by the Italian authorities falls within the scope of the Community guidelines. In partic- ular, certain provisions of the draft Law seek to ensure compliance with the limits applying to specific sectors. () OJ C 29, 221996, p. 4. () OJ L 79, 23.3.1994, p. 29.