No L 137/18 Official Journal of the European Communities 18. 5. 82 COMMISSION DECISION of 28 April 1982 approving aids from the French Republic to the coal-mining industry during (Only the French text is authentic) (82/305/ECSC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to Commission Decision No 528/76/ ECSC of 25 February 1976 regarding the Community system of measures taken by the Member States to assist the coal-mining industry ('), Having consulted the Council, 1 Whereas the French Government has informed the Commission, pursuant to Article 2 of the above Deci- sion, of the financial measures which it intends to implement directly or indirectly for the benefit of the coal industry during 1981 ; whereas, of these measures, the following may be approved pursuant to that Deci- sion ; Wheteas the French Government intends to grant to Charbonnages de France for 1981 aid amounting to FF 2000200 000 to permit the economic restruc- turing of the coalfields to proceed in an appropriate manner ; Whereas the French Government also proposes to grant to the central administration of Charbonnages de France in 1981 aid amounting to FF 374 000 000 to cover the charges incurred in borrowing and trans- ferred from the pits to the central administration of Charbonnages de France under the French Govern- ment’s financial improvement scheme. Whereas this aid is paid not to the coalfields but only to the central administration of Charbonnages de France; Whereas the abovementioned aids meet the criteria laid down in the Decision for the admissibility of State assistance ; Whereas the aid of FF 2 374 200 000 proposed by the French Government for 1981 to cover losses (of which FF 2 000 200 000, is to cover the coalfields” losses on mining and FF 374000000 to cover the losses sustained by the central administration of Charbon- () OJ No L 63, il. 3. 1976, p. 1. nages de France) will not be higher than the likely operating losses of Charbonnages de France; Whereas the following points are relevant in connec- tion with aid to the individual coalfields : 1. In 1981, aid to the Nord/Pas-de-Calais and Centre- Midi coalfields will be calculated in such a way that, as a result of the closure of further pits, there will be a reduction in production, which will mean that some 500 fewer persons will be employed in the coal industry. The aids will prevent severe economic and social disruption in areas where there are not yet adequate opportunities for re-employment The aids to these coalfields there- fore comply with the provisions of the first sub- paragraph of Article 12 (1) and Article 12 (2) of the Decision ; 2. The output planning of the Charbonnages de France in the Lorraine coalfields aims at long-term stabilization, since the coking coal produced in this coalfield is important for supplying the steel “industry. The aid granted for this purpose complies with the second subparagraph of Article 12 (1) and Article 12 (3) of the Decision; 11 Whereas, under Article 3 (2) of the Decision, an examination of the compatibility of the proposed aids with the proper functioning of the common market must also extend to all other financial measures to support current production in 1981 ; Whereas the sum of all these aids to support current production by the French coal industry is 404 200 000 ECU, or 23-10 ECU per tonne, for 1981 ; whereas this is higher than corresponding German and United Kingdom aids but lower than Belgian aid; Whereas the following points must be made about the compatibility of the proposed aid with the proper functioning of the common market : — there were no supply difficulties on the French coal market in 1981,