31.1.84 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 27/15 COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 217/84 of 18 January 1984 amending Regulation (EEC) No 2617/80 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 shipbuilding 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 European Regional Development Fund (!), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3325/80 (), and in particular Article 13 (3) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commis- sion (3), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (%), 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, pursuant to that Article, the Council adopted on 7 October 1980 an initial series of Regu- lations instituting specific Community regional development measures and in particular Regulation (EEC) No 2617/80 (%) instituting a specific Com- munity regional development measure contributing to overcoming constraints on the development of new economic activities in certain zones adversely ) 0OJ NoL73,21.3.1975, p. I. ) OJ No L 349, 23. 12. 1980, p. 10. ) 0J No C 15, 19. 1. 1983, p. 10. $) 0J No C 184, 10. 6. 1983, p. 163. ) OJ No C 124,9.5. 1983, p. 2. ) OJ No L 271, 15. 10. 1980, p. 16. affected by restructuring of the shipbuilding indus- try, this measure being hereinafter referred to as ‘the specific measure’; Whereas, pursuant to that Regulation and in parti- cular Article 3 thereof, the Commission has approved a special programme relating to certain zones in the United Kingdom and has at the same time decided to allocate appropriations to that pro- gramme; Whereas the Member States concerned have pro- vided the Commission with information on regional problems which would be a suitable subject for a specific Community measure, and as a result of the worsening problems in the shipbuilding industry the current specific measure must be extended to certain zones in the Federal Republic of Germany and be supplemented by the introduction of certain new types of assistance with the object of strengthening the economic fabric of these zones in such a way as to contribute to the creation of alternative employ- ment; Whereas the development of small and medium- sized undertakings (hereinafter referred to as ‘SMUs’) may be accelerated by allowing them better to adapt their production potential in particular through investment aids in the form of capital grants on the basis of existing national schemes; whereas provision should be made for such aid to be rein- forced by additional aid chargeable to the Com- munity during a transitional period; Whereas economic activity in the zones concerned should be further stimulated by especially active management of the public aids and services avail- able, particularly those provided for under the special programme; whereas, to this end, there is a need to establish or extend advisory services respon- sible for informing existing or potential undertak- ings about the availability of such aids and services and to help those undertakings to take advantage of them; Whereas, in order to accelerate the implementation of the special programme, the rules laid down by