Brussels, 29/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has opened an investigation into two aid regimes to the Italian publishing sector. It concerns all media: press agencies, multimedia undertakings, printing firms, distributors of newspapers, periodicals and books as well as radio and television. The measures include tax credit and loan interest payments as part of loans for the funding of certain projects comprising technical restructuring, the acquisition, extension or modernisation of equipment and vocational training costs. The Commission states that it hopes to verify the compatibility of the regimes, but that it has no a priori at this stage: "the Commission is not against, but we need to be sure" said spokesperson Tilman Lueder. According to the Italian authorities, intra-Community exchanges in Italian-language publications are marginal, but the Commission intends to look into the matter, as the beneficiaries of the aid include multimedia enterprises and printing firms whose activities go further than the domestic market. If certain measures could indirectly promote the Italian language and culture, the objective which is in line with Community policy, other projects go beyond it and their legitimacy must be scrutinised, said the Commission.