Regulation (EC) No 138/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council
of 5 December 2003
on the economic accounts for agriculture in the Community
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 285(1) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty(1),
Whereas:
(1) The monitoring and evaluation of the common agricultural policy requires comparable, up-to-date and reliable information on the economic situation of agriculture, and more specifically on changes in agricultural income.
(2) Agricultural accounts are a basic tool for analysing the economic situation of a country's agriculture, provided that they are drawn up on the basis of a single set of principles. Agricultural accounts also make a valuable contribution to the calculation of the national accounts.
(3) The economic accounts for agriculture are compiled in accordance with the basic concepts and rules of Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 of 25 June 1996 on the European system of national and regional accounts in the Community(2).
(4) Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 of 17 February 1997 on Community statistics(3) provides a reference framework for this Regulation.
(5) Since the objective of the proposed action, namely the creation of common statistical standards which will allow the production of harmonised data, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of the scale of the action, be better achieved at Community level, the Community may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective.
(6) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission(4).
(7) The Standing Committee on Agricultural Statistics and the Statistical Programme Committee have been informed,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Subject matter
1. This Regulation sets up the economic accounts for agriculture in the Community (hereinafter referred to as "EAA"), by providing for:
(a) an EAA methodology (common standards, definitions, classifications and accounting rules), intended to be used for compiling accounts on comparable bases for the purposes of the Community, and for the transmission of data in accordance with Article 3;
(b) time limits for the transmission of the agricultural accounts compiled in accordance with the EAA methodology.
2. This Regulation shall not oblige any Member State to use the EAA methodology in compiling agricultural accounts for its own purposes.
Article 2
Methodology
1. The EAA methodology referred to in Article 1(1)(a) is set out in Annex I.
2. The EAA methodology shall be updated in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 4(2).
Article 3
Transmission to the Commission
1. The Member States shall transmit to the Commission (Eurostat) the data set out in Annex II within the time limits specified for each table.
2. The first transmission of data shall take place in November 2003.
3. The list of variables and the time limits for the transmission of data set out in Annex II shall be updated in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 4(2).
Article 4
Committee pocedure
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Standing Committee on Agricultural Statistics.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.
The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at three months.
3. The Committee shall adopt its Rules of Procedure.
Article 5
Final provision
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 5 December 2003.