6. 8. 81 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 220/37 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 8 July 1981 on aid to maintain farm incomes in 1980 granted by the French Government (Only the French text is authentic) (81/601/EEC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN CO{AMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular the first subparagraph of Article 93 (2) thereof, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 804/68 of 27 June 1968 on the commo:* organization of the market in milk and milk products ('), as last amended by the Act of Accession of Greece, and in particular Articles 23 and 24 thereof, and to the corres- ponding conditions of other Regulations establishing common organization of the markets in agricultural products, After having given notice, pursuant to the provisions of the first subparagraph of Article 93 (2), to those concerned to submit their observations, and having regard to those observations (%), I Whereas the French Government informed the Commission by telex from its Permanent Representa- tion to the European Communities dated 14 February 1981, received by the Commission the same day, pursuant to Article 93 (3) of the Treaty and at the Commission’s request, of a number of aid measures decided upon during the 1980 agricultural confer- ence ; wheteas one of these measures was for grant of an exceptional payment to farmers to maintain their incomes covered by Decree 81-59 of 26 January 1981 and by a ministerial Order of the same date; Whereas the exceptional aid takes the form of an indemnity calculated on the basis of receipts in 1980 for sale of certain agricultural products, on the basis of — 3% for meat and charcuterie animals up to a limit of FF 15000 per farm ; — 1 %, up to a limit of FF 5000 per farm, for milk, eggs, poultrymeat, rabbits and other stock (1) OJ No L 148, 28. 6. 1968, p. 13. (?) OJ No C 95, 25. 4. 1981, p. 2. products ; for plant products and seeds therefore, with the exception of timber; beet, oil seeds, protein plants and sceds therefore and cereals other than maize and sorghum ; for ‘vins délimités de qualité supérieure’ and for table wines; Whereas the said described above falls within Articles 92 to 94 of the Treaty pursuant to specific Articles in the common market organizations, with the exception of a few products (horsemeat, alcohol, potatoes other than for starch, fresh pineapple) for which only Atrticle 93 (1) and the first sentence of Article 93 (3) apply; Whereas the Commission, after an initial study, felt that this aid was not compatible with the common market within the meaning of Article 92 of the Treaty, and initiated in that respect, on 25 February 1981 the procedure laid down in Article 93 (2) of the Treaty and, for this purpose, gave notice to those concerned to submit their observations ; II Whereas the French Government, in its answer to the Commission on 17 March 1981, stated that the measure has a purely social objective, namely to make up for farmers’ loss of income and to assure them the same level of income as in other social and profes- sional categories which have been eligible for specific measures, such as the rise in the guaranteed minimum wage ; whereas the French authorities state that this is a measure which merely provides internal social and economic compensation and, for this reason and on account of its detailed presentation, the aid has no effect on the competitivity on French producers and is not such as to distort competition ; whereas they feel that the measure could, accordingly, be eligible for the exception provided for in Article 92 (3) (b) of