2.10.76 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoL270/39
COMMISSION DECISION
of8September1976
concerningassistancegrantedbytheItalianGovernmentthroughtheIstituto
NazionaleperilCommercioEsteroforadvertisingcampaignstoexpandthe
saleofexportsbycertainItalianindustries
(OnlytheItaliantextisauthentic)
(76/780/EEC)
THECOMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN
COMMUNITIES ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropean
EconomicCommunity ,andinparticularthefirst
subparagraph ofArticle93(2)thereof,
Aftergivinginterestedpartiesnotice,pursuanttothe
aboveArticle,tosubmittheircomments ;having
regardtothecommentssubmittedbyMemberStates
andotherinterestedparties,Whereas,furthermore ,theindustriesoftheother
MemberStatessellingtheirproductsonthesame
marketsdonothavethesamefacilitiesforfinancing
theiradvertisingbudgets;whereastheadvertising
campaignfinancedbytheItalianGovernmentaffects
mainlyindustriescurrentlyexperiencingseriousdiffi­
cultiesinthemajorityoftheMemberStates;
WhereastheItalianassistanceislikely,therefore,to
directlyaffecttradebetweenMemberStatesand
threatenstodistortcompetitionwithinthemeaning
ofArticle92(1)oftheEECTreaty;
IIII
Whereas,inviewofitspurpose,theassistanceclearly
cannotbeexemptedonanyofthegroundslistedin
Article92(2)and(3)(a)and(b)oftheEECTreaty;
Whereastheassistanceisintendedtopromotethe
exportoftheproductsofcertainItalianindustriesto
theotherMemberStates;whereasthegrantofsuch
assistanceforexportsintradebetweenMemberStates
isirreconcilable withthegeneralprinciplesofthe
CommonMarket,particularlythefreemovementof
goods;
Whereastheassistancecannotbeexemptedtherefore
onthegroundslistedinArticle92(3)(c)oftheEEC
Treaty,sinceitislikelytoaffecttradingconditionsto
anextentcontrarytothecommoninterest,Whereas,followingcomplaintsorrequestsforinforma­
tionbycertainMemberStatesandverioustradeassoci­
ations,theCommission wasinformedthattheItalian
Governmentwashelping,throughtheIstitutoNazio­
naleperilCommercioEstero(ICE),tofinancejoint
advertisingcampaignslaunchedbyvariousItalian
industriesonthemarketsoftheotherMemberStates;
Whereas,whenquestionedastothetruthoftheallega­
tions,theItalianGovernment confirmedthatsuch
assistancewasbeinggrantedmainlytotheItaliantoy,
textile,clothingandfootwearindustries;
Whereasthisassistance,ofwhichtheCommission
wasnotnotifiedinadvanceasrequiredbyArticle93
(3)oftheEECTreaty,involvestheGovernment
paying,throughICE,allorpartoftheexpenditure
incurredbytheindustriesconcernedinconnection
withjointadvertisingcampaignslaunchedonthe
marketsofvariousMemberStatestopromotethesale
oftheirproducts;HASADOPTED THISDECISION :
Article1
TheItalianGovernmentshall,withoutdelay,adopt
thenecessarymeasurestoensurethattheIstitutoNazi­
onaleperilCommercioEstero(ICE)discontinuesits
financialassistanceforadvertisingcompaigns
designedtopromotethesaleoftheexportsofcertain
ItalianindustriesonthemarketsoftheotherMember
States.WhereastheItalianGovernment thusbearscosts
whichshouldnormallybemetbytheItalianfirms
concerned ;whereasthiscouldgivethelatteraconsid­
erableadvantage,estimated,bytheItalianauthorities
themselvesat1%oftheannualturnoverofcertain
Italianindustriesonthemarketsconcerned ;

NoL270/40 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 2.10.76
Article2
ThisDecisionisaddressedtotheItalianRepublic.
DoneatBrussels,8September1976.
FortheCommission
G.THOMSON
MemberoftheCommission