24.3.2003 Official Journal of the European Union L7721 COMMISSION DECISION of 5 June 2002 on State aid granted by Italy in the form of tax exemptions and subsidised loans to public utilities with a majority public capital holding C 27/99 (ex NN 69/98) (notified under document number C(2002) 2006) (Only the Italian text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2003/193/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, (4)  The Commission decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (3. The Commission invited interested Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European parties to submit their comments on the measures. Community, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 88(2) thereof, (55 The Commission received comments from interested parties. The comments were forwarded to Italy, which Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic replied with its own observations on the followings Area, and in particular Article 62(1)(a) thereof, dates: Having called on interested parties to submit their comments pursuant to the provisions cited above (1) and having regard to their comments, — 2 August 1999: first submission, — 15 October 1999: request for postponement of deadline for presenting observations, Whereas: — 28 October 1999: observations on loans from Cassa 1. PROCEDURE Depositi e Prestiti (CDDPP), (1) On 3 March 1997 the Commission received a — 14 December 1999: request for postponement of complaint concerning alleged State aid granted by Italy deadline for presenting observations, in the form of tax exemptions and access to subsidised loans to various public utilities. — 3 February 2000: additional observations, (20  On 12 May, 16 June and 21 November 1997 the Commission asked the Italian authorities for initial information concerning the measures in question. By letter of 17 December 1997, registered as received by the Commission on 23 December, the Italian authorities provided some of the information requested. At the request of the Italian authorities, a meeting was held in Rome on 19 January 1998. — 31 July and 3 August 2001: request for postponement of deadline for answering the Commission letter of 25 July 2001, — 8 February 2001: letter stating that Italy would not be adopting the measure referred to in the comments from Federazione Gas Italian (Gas-it), (3) By letter dated 17 May 1999, the Commission informed Italy that it had decided to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty in respect of the — 25 October 2001: comments on the ‘transfer tax measures referred to in the complaint. exemption’ (see recital 16), () OJ C 220, 31.7.1999, p. 14. () See footnote 1.