Press Release: Negative decision on aid measures to combat bird flu crisis in Italy

The European Commission decided that the €20 million in aid which Italy had planned to grant in the form of urgent measures to cope with the bird flu crisis in 2005 was not compatible with the rules on State aid in agriculture. In July 2006 the Commission launched the procedure to investigate the measures set out in Article 5 of Italian Decree-Law No 202/05 which provided for: the purchase by the Italian Government of 17 000 tonnes of poultry meat and other poultry products to be used for humanitarian aid; the suspension of tax payments, social security contributions and bills for operators in the poultry sector; and aid for loans to convert and restructure poultry undertakings affected by the crisis in the poultry sector.