Under article 8.3, in determining the final average indexed earnings for an individual under the FRG benefit formula (see preceding paragraph), the FRG would consider only German periods of coverage and German covered earnings in those periods.  Under the FRG benefit formula, which has no weighting of benefits paid at lower earnings levels and no minimum benefit, a computation based on the actual work record in the FRG results in a fair reflection of what would be achieved by prorating a benefit based on combined records and is a much simpler operation.