24.4.2003 Official Journal of the European Union L103/63 COMMISSION DECISION of 27 November 2002 on the premium scheme for tour operators in Greece (notified under document number C(2002) 4488) (Only the Greek text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2003/262/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com- munity, 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 called on interested parties to submit their comments pursuant to the provisions cited above (1), Whereas: I. PROCEDURE By letter of 26 September 2001, received by the Commission on 1 October 2001, the German Ministry of Finance made inquiries regarding what appeared to be a premium scheme for tour operators applying in Greece. More specifically, the German authorities asked the Commission whether the scheme, if any, comprised a State aid element, and if so whether Greece had notified it. By letter D/54388 of 24 October 2001 to the Greek Permanent Representation, the Commission requested information on the premium scheme to enable it to assess its compatibility with the State aid rules. The Greek authorities responded to that request by letter dated 21 November 2001 from the Greek Permanent Representation, received by the Commission on 27 No- vember 2001, and at a bilateral meeting on 11 February 2002. The information supplied by the Greek authorities () 0JC129, 31.5.2002, p. 13. indicated that the scheme had been put into effect before the Commission had taken any decision on it, and the scheme was accordingly entered in the register of unnotified aid measures. By letter SG(2002) D/229610 of 26 April 2002, the Commission informed Greece that it had studied the information supplied by the Greek authorities, and that in accordance with Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty and Articles 61 and 62 of the EEA Agreement it had decided to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the Treaty. The Commission asked Greece to submit its comments and to supply any information that might be relevant to an assessment of the measure within one month of the date of reception of the Commission’s letter. The Commission’s decision to initiate the formal investi- gation procedure in respect of the scheme was announced in the Official Journal of the European Com- munities (2). The notice asked interested parties to submit their comments to the Commission within one month of the date of publication. By letter of 7 June 2002 from the Greek Permanent Representation, received by the Commission on 13 June 2002, the Greek authorities submitted their obser- vations. The Commission did not receive comments from any other interested parties. II. DESCRIPTION OF THE MEASURE The scheme was put into effect by Decision No 503820/ 18-10-01 of the Chairman of the Greek Tourist Office (EOT); it provides that tour operators bringing foreign tourists to Greece in the periods from mid-October to (2) See footnote 1.