30/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - France. On Wednesday 30 March the European Commission authorised a prolongation until 31 December 2011 of the French short-term export-credit insurance scheme. The Commission found the prolongation of the scheme, initially approved on 6 October 2009 to be in line with the conditions of its Temporary Framework for state aid measures to support access to finance in the current financial and economic crisis (see related article). France provided recent evidence that, for certain markets, the short-term export-credit insurance cover on the private markets is still unavailable. The Commission concluded, therefore, that this measure represents an appropriate means of remedying a serious disturbance in the French economy. (F.G./transl.rt)