No L 27/22 Official Journal of the European Communities 31.1.84 COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 219/84 of 18 January 1984 instituting a specific Community regional development measure contributing to overcoming constraints on the development of new economic activities in certain zones adversely affected by restructuring of the textile and clothing industry THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Euro- pean Economic Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 724/75 of 18 March 1975 establishing a Euro- pean Regional Development Fund ('), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3325/80 (2), and in particular Article 13 (3) thereof, Héving regard to the proposal from the Commis- sion (3), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (4), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (), Whereas Article 13 of Regulation (EEC) No 724/75 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Fund Regulation’) provides independently of the national allocations of resources fixed by Article 2 (3) (a) of that Regula- tion, for participation by the Fund in financing spe- cific Community regional development measures which are in particular linked with Community poli- cies and with measures adopted by the Community in order to take better account of their regional dimension or to reduce their regional consequences; Whereas the Member States concerned have pro- vided the Commission with information on regional . problems which would be suitable for a specific Community measure; Whereas the Fund’s resources are allocated with due regard to the relative severity of regional imbalances within the Community; ) OJNoL73,21.3.1975,p. 1. ) OJ No L 349, 23. 12. 1980, p. 10. ) OJ NoC15,19.1.1983, p. 10. ) OJ No C 184, 10. 6. 1983, p. 163. ) OJNoC124,9.5.1983,p.2. Whereas, pursuant to Article 92 er seq. of the EEC Treaty, the Commission established on 22 July 1971 an approach to aids to the textile industry, supple- mented on 4 February 1977, which was notified to the Member States; whereas, under the approach to aids, aid granted to textile undertakings can only be allowed if they satisfy certain conditions, and in particular they must facilitate improvements in the industrial and commercial structure, in particular the industry’s adaptation to new market and tech- nical conditions; Whereas, with respect to its external policy in the textile and clothing fields, the Community is a party to the Arrangement regarding International Trade in Textiles (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Multifibre Agreement’) which is designed to overcome the dif- ficulties on the international textile and clothing market; whereas the measures taken under the Multifibre Agreement ‘should notinterrupt or discour- age autonomous industrial adjustment processes’ and should ‘encourage businesses which are less competitive internationally to move progressively into more viable types of production or into other sectors of the economy’; Whereas between 1974 and 1977, the period of application of the first Multifibre Agreement, imports of textile products into the Community increased at an exceptionally fast rate; whereas since 1978; the year in which the second Multifibre Agreement came into force, such imports have con- tinued to grow, a fact which has contributed to the substantial reduction in employment in this indus- try; Whereas the third Multifibre Agreement was con- cluded on 22 December 1981 and bilateral negotia- tions between the Community and third countries are in progress; whereas, given the economic crisis and the stagnation of consumption, it is inevitable, even assuming constant import levels, that jobs will continue to be lost in the textile and clothing indus- try for several years to come; Whereas a number of zones in the Community which are highly dependent on the textile and cloth- ing industries and which have already suffered con- siderable job losses as a result of the decline in