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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(79)382
Vol.1979/0136

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COMMISSION
OFTHE
EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
GeneralSecretariat\COM(79)382final
Brussels,13thJuly1979
FOROFFICIAL USEONLY
APPLICATION FORTHEGRANTOFAGLOBALLOANONBEHALF
OFINVESTMENTS ININDUSTRY ANDSERVICEACTIVITY
INNORD/PAS-DE-CALAIS(FRANCE),PURSUANT TOTHE
PROVISIONS OFARTICLE56OFTHEECSCTREATY-N°263:
BANQUEPOPULAIRE DUNORD(FRANCE)
(Communication fromtheCommission totheCouncil)
COM(79)382final

INTERNAL DOCUMENT
COMMUNICATION TOTHECOUNCIL
Subject:Applicationforthegrantofagloballoanonbehalfofinvestments
inindustryandserviceactivityinNord/Pas-de-Calais(France),pursuantto
theprovisionsofArticle56oftheECSCTreaty-N°263:
BanquePopulaireduNord(France).
I.BASICINFORMATION
Applicant
Finalbeneficiaries
Project
Location
Globalamountofinvestment
Globalloanrequested
Interestrebate
Jobscreated:BanquePopulaireduNord
:Variousundertakings
:Creationandextensionofsmallandmedium
sizeconcerns
:Nord/Pas-de-Calais
:FF100millionminimum
(+17.20millionEUA)
:FF50million(+8.60millionEUA)
:258,000EUAayearforthefirst5years
:500jobsminimumareintendedasapriority
forformerECSCworkersinNord/Pas-de-Calais.
II.CONFORMITY WITHARTICLE56OFTHEECSCTREATY
TheNord/Pas-de-Calaisisanoldindustrialregionwithgreatpopulation
density,3,920,000populationcovering2.2XofFrenchterritory;forseveral
yearsithasrecordedasustaineddeclineinemployment.Thistrendisdue
toadjustmentproblemsconfrontingtheprevailingindustriesandtothe
generaleconomicsituation.
On31March1979,theproportionofapplications forjobsremainingun­
satisfiedinrelationtototalworkingpopulation was8.6Xinthe
DepartmentofPas-de-Calaisand7.7XintheNordDepartment;this
comparedwithanaverageof6XinFranceasawhole.
•••immm
sionaladdress:RuedelaLoi200,B–1040Brussels–Telephone350040-358040–Télégraphieaddress:«COMEURBrussels»–
Telex:.COMEURBRU 21877.

-2-
Withasmallinterruption in1975,thefallinemploymentinthecoalmines
ofNord/Pas-de-Calaisresumedatanaveragerythmof4,000jobsayear
asshownbythefollowingfigures:
Totalemployedat31December1965 107,679
at31December1975 44,297
at31December1976 40,757
at31December1977 36,505
at31December1978 32,389
By1985-1986coalminingwillhaveallbutceasedinNord/Pas-de-Calais.
With39,400employedatthestartof1975,regionalemploymentinsteel
reacheditsmaximum.Thereafterjobshavedeclined.Theywere33,500at
31March1979;alossthereforeof6,000jobsinalittlemorethan
4years.
Theseredundancies concernedprincipally theSambreandValenciennes areas.
Moreoverrecentdecisionswillinvolvethelossof5,850jobsinthe3
USIN0RofValenciennes factoriesbetweennowandtheendof1980,namely:
5,000attheDenainfactory(3,500in1979and1,500in1980)
550in1979attheValenciennes factory
300attheAnzinfactory.
TheregionofBoulogne-sur-Merhassufferedonethousandredundancies in
1979atthefactoryproducingferro-manganese oftheAcieriesdeParis-
Outreau(steelworks)(A.P.O.).
Inall,miningandsteelconversionhasconcernedalargepartoftheregion
directlyand,indirectly,almostallNord/Pas-de-Calaisinviewoftheeffect
onsub-contractors andsuppliers.
Alltheregionalsectorsdirectlyconcerned:intheNord:theDouai,
SambreandValenciennes areasandinthePas-de-Calais:thedistricts
(arrondissements )ofBethune,LensandtheBoulonnaishavebeenclassed
inmostcasesforseveralyearsaspriorityaidareasforregional
development bytheFrenchGovernment.Thisactionbythepublicauthorities
hasalreadyencouragedimportantindustrialinvestment.Over10years,
measuresaidedbythepublicauthorities haveinvolved:
inthearrondissement ofBoulogne-sur-Mer 19,000jobs
inthearrondissements ofBethuneandLens 7,400jobs
ofwhich(FrançaisedeMécaniqueatDouvrin
(SociétédeTransmissions Automatiques atRuiz
(FirestoneatBéthune

-3-
intheDouaisis(Douaiarea) 8,500jobs
ofwhich(LaRégieNationaledesUsinesRenault
(L'ImprimerieNationaleatDouai-\NationalPrintingWorks)
*
intheSambrearea 6,200jobs
ofwhichChaussonetFruehaufàMaubeuge
intheValenciennes area 5,200jobs
ofwhichChrysler
RecentlytheP.S.A.hasstateditsintentiontobuildafactorymanufacturing
mechanicalgearboxesandthisshouldcreate2,500wageearningjobsin
1985.
However,takingaccountofplannedredundancies,meansalreadyemployed
mustbereinforcedespeciallywithaviewtoaidingthedevelopment or
settlementofsmallandmediumsizeconcernscapableofdiversifying the
localindustrialfabricandrenderingtheregionaleconomylessvulnerable
toeconomicswings.
TheBanquePopulaireduNordisaregionalbank,whichbelongstothegroup
ofBanquesPopulaires,createdbytheLawof1917forHandicraftworkers,
tradersandsmallandmediumsizeconcerns;itiscontrolled bytheChamber
ofAssociation (ChambreSyndicale)oftheBanquesPopulaires (Peoples'Banks).
With37localofficestheBanquePopulaireduNordisrepresentedatall
majorplacesoftheregion.
Capitalisheldbythecustomers;itwasFF18,000,000at31December1978
distributed among29,000shareholders .
TheBankseekstogeneratecreditthroughmutualaidandhashelpedtocreate
threeregionalmutualsecurityassociations :theSocaminord (privatepersons
fixedassettransactions),theSocama.Nord (financinginvestmentfor
handicraftworkers),theSocaunord(financingsmallandmediumsize
industries).
TheBankisauthorisedtoissueloanstohandicraft workersatreducedrate
ofinterestfromtheEconomicandSocialDevelopment Funds(Fondsde
D6veloppement EconomiqueetSocial)andloansissuedbytheStateentitled
tointerestrebate.Itcollaborates regularlywiththeCaisseCentralede
CreditHotelierCommercialetIndustriel (oftheBanquesPopulairesGroup)
(CentralCreditInstitutionforHotels,TradeandIndustry)ongrantingloans
tosmallandmediumsizeconcerns.
ThefundswhichcanbeavailabletotheBanquePopulaireduNordare
FF50,000,000forthecreationofatleast500jobs.

-4-
III.THEPROJECT
Thefundswillbedisbursedinseveraltranchesinaccordance withsub-loans
approvedforeligibleundertakings .Theintermediary agencywillsubmit
eachsub-loanrequesttotheCommissionforapproval.
Thedecisionrelatingtoindividualsub-loanswillbetakeninaccordance
withthecriteriaandobjectivespublishedbytheCommission (O.J.C178/2of
27July1977andO.J.C82/8of29March1979)takingaccountofthenumber
ofjobscreatedandsuitableforex-ECSCworkersinrelationtothesizeof
theloanenvisagedandoftheamounttobeinvestedinfixedcapital.
Theinterestratefixedforeachtrancheofthegloballoanwillbeappliedto
thesub-loan;aninterestrebatewillbegranted.
Thisgloballoanfacility,validforthreeyears,contributestothefinancing
ofsmallandmediumsizedenterprises whichoftenfinditmoredifficultto
borrowonthecapitalmarketsthanlargerenterprises,andinwhichinvestment
calculatedasanamountperjobcreated,isoftenlowerthaninlarger
enterprises.
BanquePopulaireduNordwillreporttotheCommissionatsix-monthlyintervals
onthewayinwhichthegloballoanhasbeenused;itwillreportannuallyon
there-employment ofex-ECSCworkersinactivitiesfinancedbythisgloballoan.
IV.IMPACTOFTHELOANONRE-EMPLOYMENT OFWORKERS
Itisplannedfortheindividualprojectsreceivingaidtocreate500new
jobsminimumintendedforformerECSCworkers.Itisimportanttoencourage
investmentoutsideECSCsectorsinNord/Pas-de-Calais,moreespeciallythrough
smallandmediumsizeconcerns.Shouldthepresentdecisionproveinsufficient,
furtherinstalments couldbeenvisaged.
V.CONCLUSIONS
(a)TheCommissionconsidersthattheapplication complieswiththe
conditionsofArticle56(2a)oftheECSCTreaty.Ithastherefore
authorisedthegrantofagloballoanofFF50million(+8.60million
EUA)oranequivalent amounttotheBanquePopulaireduNord.
Interestwillbeeligibleforrebatetotalling258,000EUAperyear
forthefirstfiveyearsfollowingpayment/paymentsoftheloan.
(b)TheCommissioninvitestheCounciltogiveitsassentto
thisdecisionandtoitsextensionbythesameamountifsuchextension
provessoonnecessary.