L 150/52 Official Journal of the European Union 18.6.2003 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 11 December 2002 on the part of the scheme adapting the national tax system to the specific characteristics of the Autonomous Region of the Azores which concerns reductions in the rates of income and corporation tax (notified under document number C(2002) 4487) (Only the Portuguese text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2003/442[EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular 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 those Articles ('), and having regard to those comments, Whereas: I. PROCEDURE By letter No 18 of 5 January 2000 from the Portuguese Permanent Representation, registered as received by the Commission on 10 January 2000, the Portuguese authorities notified the Commis- sion of a scheme adapting the national tax system to the specific characteristics of the Autonomous Region of the Azores. Since this notification arrived late, in response to a request for information from the Commission in letter D/65111 of 7 December 1999 sent to the Portuguese Permanent Representation following articles in the press, and since the scheme in question was thought to have entered into force before being authorised by the Commission, the scheme was entered in the register of non-notified aid. By letters D/51013 of 6 March 2000, D/53849 of 17 July 2000 and D/50739 of 19 February 2001, and by reminders D/52933 of 19 July 2001 and D/54133 of 9 October 2001 sent to the Portuguese Permanent Representation, the Commission departments requested additional informa- tion. The Portuguese authorities replied by letters 488 of 2 May 2000, 548 of 16 May 2000, 871 of 22 August 2000, 1864 of 13 June 2001, 2827 of 25 September 2001 and 44 of 9 January 2002 from their Permanent Representation, registered as received by the Commission on 3 May 2000, 18 May 2000, 23 August 2000, 19 June 2001, 1 October 2001 and 11 January 2002 respectively. () OJ C 127, 29.5.2002, p. 16.