L117/26 Official Journal of the European Communities 18.5.2000 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 15 February 2000 on the State aid which Italy plans to grant to Fiat Auto SpA for its plant in Rivalta (Turin) (notified under document number C(2000) 487) (Only the Italian text is authentic) (Text with EEA relevance) (2000/337EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 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 invited interested parties to submit their comments in accordance with the abovementioned provisions ('), Whereas: I. PROCEDURE Between October and December 1997 Italy notified the Commission, pursuant to Article 88(3) of the Treaty, of six planned measures under which it proposed to grant State aid to Fiat Auto SpA (Fiat), one of which (regis- tered under N 834/97) concerned the automobile assembly plant at Rivalta, Turin, in the province of Piedmont (Fiat Rivalta’). Requests for further informa- tion and a number of reminders were sent to the Italian authorities to elicit the data required for a Commission decision. On 23 April 1998 a meeting was held with representatives of the Italian authorities and Fiat to clarify the various aspects of the examination of the () O] C 120, 1.5.1999 and 0] C 288, 9.10.1999, p. 37. case. Partial replies to the questions raised by the Commission were supplied by the Italian authorities in a letter of 20 November 1998. By letter of 9 March 1999, the Commission informed Italy of its decision of 3 February 1999 to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the Treaty in respect of the proposed aid measures, allowing Italy one month to supply all the documents, information and data required to assess the compatibility of the aid with the common market. In the absence of any reply, the Commission would reach a decision on the basis of the information in its possession. The decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities (?), and interested parties were invited by the Commission to submit comments. No comments were received. Representatives of the Commission went to Mirafiori on 24 February 1999 to discuss the Fiat Rivalta plan, among other matters. On 9 April 1999 the Italian authorities requested an extension of the deadline for replying and on 16 April 1999 they sent a letter to the Commission containing the information they considered necessary for it to complete its examination of the case. () OJ C 120, 1.5.1999, p. 6.