No L 271/16 Official Journal of the European Communities 15. 10. 80 COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2617/80 of 7 October 1980 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 European Economic Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 724/75 of 18 March 1975 establishing a European Regional Development Fund (*), as amended by Regulation (EEC) No 214/79 (%), and in particular Article 13 (3) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commis- sion (%), Having regard to the opinion of the European Par- liament (), 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 Regulation, for participation by the Fund in financing specific Community regional development measures, which are in particular linked with Community policies 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 State concerned has provided the Commission with information on regional problems likely to be the subject of a specific Community measure; Whereas the Fund’s resources are allocated having due regard to the relative severity of regional imba- lances within the Community; (') O] No L73,21.3.1975, p. 1. () OJNo L 35,9.2.1979,p. 1. ¢) O] No C 285, 15. 11. 1979, p. 3. (*) OJ No C 85, 8. 4. 1980, p. 24. (*) OJ No C 83, 2. 4. 1980, p. 4. Whereas on 4 April 1978 the Council adopted Directive 78/338/EEC on aid to shipbuilding (%), in which it stated that production structures should be adjusted to the new market conditions such that undertakings in the industry may in due course be able to follow general economic developments and to meet competition on the world market without the support of intervention by public authorities; Whereas on 19 September 1978 the Council adopted a resolution on the reorganization of the shipbuilding industry (7), in which it requested the public auth- orities at local, national and Community level to lay particular stress on the creation of new jobs in conjunction with those progressively lost in the shipbuilding industry, to take account of these objectives in their regional policies and to make available adequate funds for this purpose; Whereas a number of zones in the Community which are heavily dependent on shipbuilding and associated activities and  which  have already suffered considerable job losses as a result of the decline in the shipbuilding industry are likely to see a worsening of these adverse consequences; Whereas certain of these zones in the United Kingdom are in regions which already have high levels of unemployment; Whereas it is necessary for the Community to reinforce by means of a specific Community regional | development measure existing local, national and Community measures aimed at stimulating the creation of new employment in such zones in order to replace - job losses and thus to contribute to reducing regional imbalances; Whereas other assistance from Community funds, capable of being usefully combined, should be given in these zones; Whereas the existence of an unfavourable physical and social environment due to the dereliction of () O] No L 98, 11. 4. 1978, p. 19. () OJ No C 229, 27.9. 1978, p. 1.