20.4.2005 Official Journal of the European Union L 100/19 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 16 March 2004 concerning the aid which Italy is planning to implement in order to tackle the peach-growing crisis in Piedmont (notified under document number C(2004) 473) (Only the Italian text is authentic) (2005/313EC) 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, After having asked the parties concerned to submit their comments in accordance with that Article, Whereas: I. PROCEDURE By letter dated 20 September 2002, recorded as received on 25 September 2002, the Italian Permanent Represen- tation to the European Union notified the Commission of aid intended to tackle the peach-growing crisis in Piedmont. By letters dated 10 April 2003, recorded as received on 15 April 2003, and 7 August 2003, recorded as received on 8 August 2003, the Italian Permanent Representation to the European Union forwarded to the Commission the additional information it had requested from the Italian authorities by letters of 13 November 2002 and 5 June 2003. By letter dated 2 October 2003 the Commission informed Italy of its decision to initiate the procedure provided for in Article 88(2) of the Treaty in respect of the aid concerned. 4 The Commission decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (1). The Commission invited interested parties to submit their comments on the aid in question. The Commission has received no comments on the aid concerned from interested parties. II. DESCRIPTION The measure under consideration had been presented as a result of the adverse weather conditions, and in particular the hailstorms, which affected Piedmont in 2002 and damaged the peach and nectarine crops. It consisted initially of the withdrawal from the market of 6 000 tonnes of fruit (peaches and nectarines) to be made into compost. According to the Italian authorities the measure should have qualified for the derogation provided for in Article 87(2)(b) of the Treaty. The withdrawal operations took place on 25, 26, 27 and 30 September 2002. The quantities withdrawn amounted to 204,16 tonnes of peaches (value: EUR 18 782) and 977,94 tonnes of nectarines (value: EUR 89 970,48). The total quantity withdrawn amounted therefore to 1182,10 tonnes of fruit. As the aid envisaged was EUR 0,092 per kilo withdrawn, the budget allocation set aside for the measure was EUR 108 752. () O] C 266, 5.11.2003, p. 3.