No L 197/38 Official Journal of the European Communities 20.7. 81 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 30 June 1981 on the development of agriculture in the French overseas departments (81/527/EEC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2), Whereas, in order to attain the objectives of the common agricultural policy set out in Article 39 (1) (a) and (b) of the Treaty, special measures must be taken, at Community level, to remedy the situation in those agricultural areas where production conditions are particularly difficult; Whereas from 1980 onwards there can be no aid from the European Development Fund; Whereas the French overseas departments are very little developed compared with the other regions of the (1) OJ No C 291, 10. 11. 1980, p. 83. (2) O] No C 348, 31.12. 1980, p. 6. Community and are in a particularly unfavourable situation as regards agricultural yield and incomes, while the agricultural sector is the only one capable of playing a prominent part in the economic development of the said departments; Whereas the conditions and limits laid down in Articles 13 and 19 of Council Directive 72/159/EEC of 17 April 1972 on the modernization of farms (3), as last amended by Directive 81/528/EEC (*), are not well-suited to the particular structural situation of the said departments; ‘ Whereas the objective should be to enable the structural development of these regions to catch up through measures having lasting effects on their agricultural economies; Whereas  agricultural production in the said departments is seriously affected by a water supply situation which is distorted by an inadequate infrastructure in rural areas, and by soils which require much improvement before they can yield well or be efficiently exploited for forestry; (*) OJ No L 96, 23.4.1972, p. 1. (*) See page 41 of this Official Journal.