15.7. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No L.185/9 COUNCIL REGULATION- (EEC) Né 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 THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 130d thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2), : Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (3), Whereas Article 130a of the Treaty provides for the Community to develop and pursue its actions leading to the strengthening of its economic and social cohesion and in particular for it to aim at reducing disparities between the various regions and the backwardness of the least-favoured regions; Whereas Article 130c states that the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is intended to help redress the principal regional imbalances in the Community through participating in the development and structural adjustment of regions whose development is lagging behind and in the conversion of declining industrial regions; Whereas, to that end, Article 130d of the Treaty provides for a comprehensive proposal the purpose of which will be to make such amendments to the structure and operational rules of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, Guidance Section (EAGGF Guidance Section), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the ERDF as are necessary to clarify and rationalize their tasks in order to contribute to the achievement of the objectives set out in Articles 130a and 130c of the Treaty, to increase their efficiency and to coordinate their activities between themselves and with the operations of the existing financial instruments; Whereas Community action through the Structural Funds, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the other existing financial instruments must be in support of the objectives set out in Articles 130a and 130c; Whereas the action taken through the Structural Funds, the EIB and the other existing financial instruments, the (1) OJ No C 151, 9. 6. 1988, p. 4. (2) OJ No C 167, 27. 6. 1988. (3) OJ No C 175, 4. 7. 1988. coordination of Member States’ economic and social policies, the coordination of national regional policies, the coordination of national schemes of assistance and other measures taken with a view to implementing the common policies and the internal market form, in accordance with Article 130b of the Treaty, part of a series of policies and measures aimed at strengthening economic and social cohesion, and whereas the Commission is called upon to make appropriate proposals in this regard; Whereas it is necessary, in order to achieve the aim set by Article 130d of the Treaty, to direct all Community activity in this field towards the attainment of priority objectives which are clearly defined in the light of that aim; Whereas on 11 and 12 February 1988 the European Council, with a view to strengthening the impact of Community structural measures, agreed to double in real terms commitment appropriations for the Structural Funds by 1993 as compared with the 1987 level; whereas at the same time it fixed the increases to be made up to 1992; whereas, within this context the Structural Fund contributions for regions coming under Objective 1 (see Article 1 below) are'to be doubled in real terms by 1992; whereas in so doing the Commission is to ensure that, in the framework of the additional funds for the regions falling within Objective 1, a particular effort is made to assist the least-prosperous regions; Whereas it is necessary to specify which Funds are to contribute — and to what extent and under what conditions they are to do so — to the achievement of each of the priority objectives and to determine the conditions under which the EIB and other existing Community financial instruments can make their contributions, particularly in conjunction with operations of the Funds; Whereas, of the three Structural Funds, the ERDF is the main instrument for achieving the objective of ensuring the development and structural adjustment of regions whose development is lagging behind; whereas it plays a central role in the conversion of regions, frontier regions and parts of regions (including employment areas and urban communities) seriously affected by industrial decline; Whereas the essential tasks of the ESF are combating long-term unemployment and the occupational integration of young people; whereas it helps to support economic and social cohesion; whereas it is also an instrument of decisive importance in the promotion of consistent employment policies in the Member States and in the Community;