17.10.2003 Official Journal of the European Union L 267/29 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 13 May 2003 on the aid scheme which Italy is planning to implement to promote employment in the Region of (notified under document number C(2003) 1484) (Only the Italian text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2003/739/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 regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of 22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 88 of the EC Treaty (), Having called on interested parties to submit their comments pursuant to the provisions cited above (3, Whereas: I. PROCEDURE (1) By letter No 7666 of 26 June 2000 (A/35346 of 29 June 2000), the Italian authorities notified the Commission, pursuant to Article 88(3) of the Treaty, of the refinan- cing for the period 2000-2006 of employment aid scheme N 692/97, approved by the Commission on 25 February 1998 (), and of changes to the scheme. Scheme N 692/97 had come to an end because the appropriation of some EUR 76,5 million approved by the Commission for the period 1997-1999 had been fully used up. OJ L 83,27.3.1999, p. 1. () O] C 242, 8.10.2002, p. 2. 0] C 130, 28.4.1998, p. 15. (2)  Since a suspensive clause made the scheme's entry into force explicitly subject to prior approval pursuant to Article 87 et seq. of the Treaty, the scheme was entered in the register of notified aid under number N 428/ 2000. (3)  Additional information was requested by Commission letters dated 31 August 2000 (D/54509), 30 March 2001 (D/51384), 28 May 2001 (D/52158), 16 November 2001 (D/54755) and 7 February 2002 (D/ 50529), to which the Italian authorities replied by letters Nos 1593 of 8 February 2001 (A/31192), 4129 of 27 March 2001 (A[33708), 10255 of 19 September 2001 (A[37368), 11847 of 3 October 2001 (A/37873), 1003 of 22 January 2002 (A/30514), 4873 of 18 April 2002 (A[32946) and 5439 of 29 April 2002 (A[33234). (4) A meeting between the Italian authorities and the Commission was held in Brussels on 16 January 2002. (5) By letter SG(2002) D/230509 of 4 July 2002, the Commission informed Italy that it had decided not to raise any objections to part A of the scheme, which provides aid for job creation not linked to investment, but to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the Treaty in respect of part B of the scheme, concerning aid for job creation linked to investment. (6)  The Commission decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Commu- nities (). The Commission invited interested parties to submit their comments on the aid. (*) See footnote 2.