In January 2003 Italy presented a request to the Council to authorise state aid for Italian co-operatives. This would consist of applying national and regional laws, which provided for the Italian state to assume the obligations entailed by security provided for agricultural co-operatives by their members, where these co-operatives were in a situation of insolvency.

After a presentation of the aid at the February Council and clarification of the scope of the request at the Special Committee on agriculture, the Council is expected to adopt this state aid.