‘No L 125/38 Official* Journal of the European Communities. 19. 5. 88 COMMISSION DECISION of 20 April 1988 ' approving aids from the United Kingdom for the coal-mining industry during the 1986/87 financial year (Only the English text is authentic) (88/293/ECSC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUVROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, 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, Whereas the United Kingdom Government has informed the Commission, pursuant to Article 2 of Decision No 528/76/ECSC, of the financial measures which it intends to implement directly or indirectly for the benefit of the coal industry during the 1986/87 financial year ; whereas, of these measures, the following may be approved pursuant to that Decision : (million £) — aid for the recruitment of skilled workers ‘ 18,0 — aid to cover National Coal Board (NCB) losses on mining 290,2 ; Whereas. the aid for attracting and keeping skilled workers (£ 18,0 million) is intended to offset half the NCB’s costs arising from rationalization and the transfer of production to their best pits; whereas this reults in outgoing on removals, transport, etc.; whereas the aid is compatible which Article 8 of Decision No 528/76/ECSC; . Whereas the planned aid to cover losses on mining (£ 290,2 million) will cover only part of the losses sustained by NCB pits in 1986/87 ; whereas the aid is given to avoid serious economic and social problems in those coalfields where there are not yet adequate re-employment opportunities for miners made redundant as a result of pit closures; whereas the aid is therefore compatible with  Article 12 of Decision No 528/76/ECSC; () OJ No L 63, 11. 3. 1976, p. 1. II Whereas the sum of all aids to support current production by the British coal industry is 460 000 000 ECU, or 4,40 ECU per tonne, for 1986/87 ; whereas this is the lowest of all Community Member States ; Whereas the following points must be made about the compatibility of the proposed aid with the proper functioning of the common market : ’ - — there are unlikely to be supply difficulties on the British coal market in 1986/87, — British coal exports to the other Community countries will increase slightly in 1986 compared with 1985, — hardly any price alignment agreements were entered into for British coal in 1986, — industrial consumers of coal will not receive indirect aids in 1986/87 as a result of the prices of British coking coal and steam coal, — the closure of several pits has resulted in rational- jzation and concentration of production on pits where productivity is highest ; Whereas it can therefore be stated that the aids for the British coal industry for current production in the 1986/87 financial year are compatible with the proper functioning of the common market ; III Whereas, pursuant to Article 14 (1) of the abovemen- tioned Decision, the Commission must ascertain that aids authorized are used exclusively for the purposes set out in Article 7 to 12 thereof ; whereas the Commission must be informed in particular of the amount of these aids and the manner in which they are apportioned, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION : Article 1 The United Kingdom is hereby authorized in respect of the 1986/87 financial year to grant the following aids to the British coal-mining industry :