16.12.2005 Official Journal of the European Union L 32931 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 16 March 2004 concerning the aid scheme that Italy plans to implement to compensate processing and marketing cooperatives for losses caused by an outbreak of blue tongue — Article 5 of Region of Sardinia Law No 22 of 17 November 2000 (notified under document number C(2004) 471) (Only the Italian text is authentic) (2005/906/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 above Article, Whereas: I. PROCEDURE By letter dated 24 November 2000, registered on 28 November 2000, the Permanent Representation of Italy to the European Union notified the Commission, under Article 88(3) of the Treaty, of Region of Sardinia Law No 22 concerning measures to enable livestock farmers to cope with the epizootic disease blue tongue ("), hereafter referred to as ‘Law No 22/2000. Article 10 of the Law makes the grant of some aid conditional on Commission approval under the procedure provided for in Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty. By letter dated 15 December 2000, registered on 19 December 2000, the Permanent Representation of Italy to the European Union sent the Commission the additional information requested in a letter dated 13 December 2000. (') The Law was approved by the Regional Council of Sardinia on 25 October 2000 and published in the Bollettino ufficiale della Regione Sardegna (Official Bulletin of the Region of Sardinia) No 36 on 25 November 2000. G) By letter dated 2 February 2001, the Commission informed Italy of its decision to initiate the procedure provided for in Article 88(2) of the Treaty in respect of this aid. The Commission Decision to initiate the procedure was published in the Official Journal of the European Commu- nities (3). The Commission called on the interested parties to make their comments on the measure in question. In that same Decision, the Commission approved the aid measures provided for in Articles 2, 3 and 4 of Law No 22/2000, taking the view that they complied with the conditions for being considered aid to facilitate the devel- opment of certain economic activities within the meaning of Article 87(3)(c) of the Treaty. The Italian authorities submitted no comments on the measures in question. The Commission received no comments from other interested parties. 1. DESCRIPTION The aid is based on Article 5 of Region of Sardinia Law No 22/2000 concerning measures to compensate processing and marketing cooperatives for losses caused by blue tongue. () 0] C 327, 22.11.2001, p. 5.