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COMMISSION DECISION

of 31 October 1989

on the establishment of Community support framework for Community structural assistance in the region of the United Kingdom concerned by Objective 1, namely Northern Ireland

(Only the English text is authentic)

(89/639/EEC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2052/88 of 24 June 1988 on the tasks of the Structural Funds and their effectiveness and on coordination of their activities between themselves and with the operations of the European Investment Bank and the other existing financial instruments (1), and in particular Article 8 (5) thereof,

Whereas, in accordance with Article 8 (5) of Regulation (EEC) No 2052/88, the Commission, on the basis of the regional development plans submitted by the Member States, shall establish, through partnership and in agreement with the Member State concerned, the Community support frameworks for Community structural operations;

Whereas, in accordance with the second paragraph of that provision, Community support frameworks shall cover in particular the priorities, the forms of assistance, the indicative financing plan, with details of the amount of assistance and its source, and the duration of the assistance;

Whereas Title III, Article 8 et seq of Council Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 (2) laying down provisions for implementing Regulation (EEC) No 2052/88 sets out the conditions for the preparation and implementation of Community support frameworks;

Whereas the United Kingdom Government submitted to the Commission on 28 March 1989 and 26 June 1989 the plans and operations referred to in Article 8 (4) of Regulation (EEC) No 2052/88 in respect of the region referred to in Article 8 (2) of the said Regulation;

Whereas the plans submitted by the Member State include a description of the main priorities selected and an indication of the use to be made of assistance under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF), Guidance Section, and the European Investment Bank (EIB), in implementing the plans;

Whereas this Community support framework has been established in agreement with the Member State concerned through the partnership defined in Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No 2052/88;

Whereas the EIB has also been involved in the preparation of the Community support framework in accordance with Article 8 of Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88; whereas it has declared its readiness to help implement these frameworks;

Whereas the Commission is prepared to examine the possibility of the other Community lending instruments contributing to the financing of this framework in accordance with the specific provisions governing them;

Whereas this Decision is consistent with the opinion of the Advisory Committee on the Development and Conversion of Regions and of the European Social Fund Committee;

Whereas, in accordance with Article 10 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88, this Decision is to be sent as a declaration of intent to the Member State;

Whereas in accordance with Article 20 (1) and (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 4253/88 the budgetary commitments relating to the contribution from the Structural Funds to the financing of the operations covered by the Community support framework will be made on the basis of subsequent Commission decisions approving the operations concerned,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The Community support framework for Community structual assistance in the United Kingdom region concerned by Objective 1, covering the period from 1 January 1989 to 31 December 1993, is hereby approved.

The Commission declares that it intends to contribute to the implementation of this Community framework in accordance with the detailed provisions thereof and in compliance with the rules and guidelines for the Structural Funds and other existing financial instruments.

Article 2

The Community support framework shall include the following essential information:

(a) a statement of specific priorities for joint action:

- improvement of the physical and social environment,

- reducing the effects of peripherality

- diversifying and strengthening of the industrial and tradeable sectors of the economy,

- the development of agriculture, the rural economy and tourism,

- human resource development;

(b) an outline of the forms of assistance to be provided, primarily in the form of operational programmes;

(c) an indicative financing plan specifying, at constant 1989 prices, the total cost of the priorities adopted for joint action by the Community and the Member State concerned, that is ECU 1 764 million for the whole period, and the financial arrangements envisaged for budgetary assistance from the Community, broken down as follows:

(in million ecus)

1.2 // // // ERDF // 348 // ESF // 315 // EAGGF, Guidance Section // 130 // // // Total for Structural Funds // 793 // //

The resultant national financing requirement, that is approximately ECU 572 million for the public sector and ECU 399 million for the private sector, may be partially covered by Community loans from the European Investment Bank and the other lending instruments.

Article 3

This declaration of intent is addressed to the United Kingdom.

Done at Brussels, 31 October 1989.

For the Commission

Bruce MILLAN

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ No L 185, 15. 7. 1988, p. 9.

(2) OJ No L 374, 31. 12. 1988, p. 1.