14.10.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L 260[47 COMMISSION DECISION of 3 May 2000 notified by Italy (Marche Region) concerning amendments to the single programming document for 1994 to 1999 for assistance from the Community Structural Funds for Objective 5(b) areas (notified under document number C(2000) 1336) (Only the Italian text is authentic) (2000/621/EC) 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 called on interested parties to submit their comments (') pursuant to the provision cited above and having regard to their comments, Whereas: I PROCEDURE (1) By letter of 14 May 1998, recorded as received on 18 May, the Italian Permanent Representation to the Euro- pean Union notified an aid scheme for the Marche Region in accordance with Article 88(3) of the Treaty. (2) By telex No 28448 of 15 July 1998, the Commission requested further information. By letter of 12 October 1998, recorded as received on 20 October, and by fax of 23 November 1998, recorded as received on the same day, the Italian authorities provided further information and made corrections. (3) By letter of 21 December 1998 (SG(98) D/12141), the Commission informed Italy of its decision to initiate the procedure laid down in Article 88(2) of the EC Treaty in respect of certain aspects of the way the aid measures were applied. (4)  The Commission decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Communi- ties (). The Commission called on interested parties to submit their comments on the aid. (5) By letter of 31 March 1999, the Italian authorities submitted their observations to the Commission. No comments have been received from interested parties. I DESCRIPTION (6)  The measures concern a large number of amendments and extensions to the single programming document (SPD) for assistance from the Community Structural Funds to the areas of the Marche Region eligible under Objective 5(b) in the programming period 1994 to 1999. They consist of grants in respect of investments for primary production, processing and marketing and the mounting of promotional campaigns, research, tech- nical assistance, promotion and dissemination, voca- () O] C 233, 14.8.1999, p. 2. () See footnote 1. tional training, the preparation of production rules and quality manuals and checks, suitability tests and checks on the origin of products listed in Annex I to the Treaty (°). (7)  The objective of the measures is to promote the devel- opment of the areas of the Marche Region eligible under Objective 5(b) which were hit by a number of earth- quakes in 1997, through joint action involving the EAGGF, national financial resources and those of the private sector under the SPD for the Objective 5(b) areas of the Region. (8)  The aid measures were applicable until December 1999. In the case in point, since they involve a package of measures most of which are to be Community part- financed and for reasons of consistency, the Commission has decided to apply Article 15(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 208293 concerning measures part-financed by the Structural Funds (*) to all the measures covered by the notification. Under that Article, expenditure may not be considered eligible for assistance from the Funds if it has been incurred before the date on which the corre- sponding application reaches the Commission. The Commission therefore regards the start date for the granting of the aids covered by this Decision to be the date when it received the first notification, i.e. 14 May 1998. 9) However, in their letter of 12 October 1998, the Italian authorities stated that they intended to grant certain aids to cover expenditure incurred by the beneficiaries before that date. In respect of aid measures for primary agricultural production, the Italian authorities declared that: () For a detailed description of the measures, see O] C 233, 14.8.1999, p. (* Council Regulatmn (EEC) No 2082/93 of 20 July 1993 amending Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 layl down provisions for imple- menting Regulation (EEC) No 2052/g88 as regards coordination of the activities of the dxfferent Structural Funds between themselves and with the operations of the European Investment Bank and the other existing financial instruments (O] L 193, 31.7.1993, p. 20).