No L 356/22 Official Journal of the European Communities 6. 12. 89 COMMISSION DECISION of 30 November 1989 concerning measures to assist the Belgian inland waterway fleet contained in the plan to restructure the Belgian inland waterway fleet (Only the French and Dutch texts are authentic) (89/620/EEC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular the first paragraph of Article 93 (2) thereof, Having given notice to the interested parties to submit their comments in accordance with the abovementioned Article, Whereas, The Belgian Government is considering introducing, for the period 1987 to 1991, an aid regime for its inland waterway fleet under a plan to restructure the Belgian inland waterway fleet. This regime provides for state aid in the form of interest relief on loans for boat-building, buying second-hand vessels and modernization; it also provides for boat-scrapping premiums, social benefits - for early retirement or leaving the industry, and certain other benefits of a fiscal nature. An overall budget of Bfrs 775 million has been provided for, which does not, however, include the cost of financing the social measures. Having been notified of this regime, the Commission proceeded to examine it under Article 92 of the EEC Treaty, as a result of which it decided that the aid in question, essentially aimed at renewing and modernizing the Belgian inland waterway fleet, without requiring of its. recipients any definite reciprocation in terms of restruc- turing the sector, would consitute aid likely to affect trade and distort competition in a manner incompatible with the common market, and did not seem to meet the conditions for any of the derogations in Article 92 (3) of the- EEC Treaty. Consequently, the Commission decided to open the procedure provided for in the first paragraph of Article 93 (2), and to this end gave the Belgian Government notice to submit its comments in letter SG(88)D 03370 of 15 March 1988 ; the other Member States were informed on 25 April 1988 and other interested parties on 29 April 1988. I In letter P11/91/553/12.688 of 29 September 1988 from its Permanent Representative, the Belgian Government submitted its comments under the procedure provided for in Article 93 (2) of the EEC Treaty. According to the Belgian. Government the  planned restructuring of the fleet was only to prevent its further decline so that-the Belgian fleet' could- improve its: competitiveness vis-d-vis the fleets of other Member States. This aid was indispensable to the sector’s survival ; the decline in both the quantity and quality of the Belgian fleet, which had deteriorated further since the plan was presented to the Commission, proved this. The Belgian-~Government also = stated that it was abandoning aid for building new boats and redirecting the sums earmarked for this to bolstering other types of aid envisaged in the plan. The plan’s other components remained unchanged. During the procedure, some Member States and a trade organization submitted their comments to the Commission, which then transmitted them to the Belgian Government. - I The plan to restructure the Belgian inland waterway fleet would enable it, according to the Belgian Government, to become more competitive vis-3-vis other Member States’ fleets operating in the same transport markets. The . Belgian fleet’s position.in relation.to its competitors was to be improved by modernizing existing- vessels. This modernization would raise the productivity of these vessels, leading to an increase in capacity. It should be noted that the inland waterway market is afflicted by a pronounced structural imbalance between transport supply and demand, due mainly to an overca- pacity estimated.at 20 % of the deadweight tonnage of the Member States’ fleets. Moreover, the evolution of thé - market shows that, despite measures: taken at national level by the countries affected, the current imbalance is not being corrected. It must be said also that the existing overcapacity is economically damaging to . inland waterway freight carriers.