Article 1
1. The aid of FRF 70 million implemented by France at central administration level and the public capital increase of around FRF 246 million carried out by French regional and local authorities in favour of the Bretagne Angleterre Irlande company ("BAI" or "Brittany Ferries") were granted in violation of Article 88(3) of the EC Treaty. However, these aids are compatible under Article 87(3)(c) of the Treaty. 2. The notified restructuring aid of FRF 80 million constitutes restructuring aid incompatible with the Treaty. 3. The guarantee provided by the Conseil général de la Manche in 1992 was provided in violation of Article 88(3) of the EC Treaty. The aid element to be quantified with the French authorities with reference to the market rate constitutes State aid incompatible with the Treaty. This aid element must be recovered with interest calculated on the basis of the reference rate applying at the time of the grant in accordance with the procedures of national law. This interest shall be calculated from the date on which the aid was made available to the beneficiary until that of its recovery. France is nonetheless invited to quantify, with the help of the Commission communication of 11 March 2000 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to State aid in the form of guaranties(119) and on the basis of objective criteria, the amount of aid relating to this guarantee. 4. The capital increases carried out prior to 1996 in the semi-public companies (SPCs) Sabemen, Senacal and Senamanche and the funds allocated to Brittany Ferries by Crédit Agricole Caisse Régionale du Finistère as from the privatisation of Crédit Agricole in 1988 do not constitute State aid within the meaning of Article 87(1) of the EC Treaty. 5. The aid granted under the ACOMO scheme and schemes for the reimbursement of business tax, early cessation of activities (ESA) and the reimbursement of employers' contributions, and the investment aid measures up to and including 1997 have been approved separately by the Commission. 6. Aid granted up to 16 April 1989, i.e. ten years before Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 entered into force, is deemed to be existing aid in accordance with Article 15(3) of that Regulation.