Decision of the EEA Joint Committee

No 23/2000

of 25 February 2000

amending Annex XXI (statistics) to the EEA Agreement

THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, as adjusted by the Protocol adjusting the Agreement on the European Economic Area, hereinafter referred to as "the Agreement", and in particular Article 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Annex XXI to the Agreement was amended by Decision No 16/2000 of the EEA Joint Committee of 28 January 2000(1).

(2) It has become necessary, in order to maintain the homogeneity of the Agreement in the area of statistics and in order to ensure the production and dissemination of coherent and comparable statistical information for describing and monitoring all relevant economic, social and environmental aspects of the European Economic Area, to incorporate into Annex XXI to the Agreement a number of legal acts adopted by the European Community during the time which has passed since the last amendments were made to Annex XXI,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

Annex XXI to the Agreement shall be amended as specified in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

The texts of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2700/98(2), Commission Regulation (EC) No 2701/98(3), Commission Regulation (EC) No 2702/98(4), Commission Regulation (EC) No 2645/98(5) and Commission Regulation (EC) No 2646/98(6) in the Icelandic and Norwegian languages, which are annexed to the respective language versions of this Decision, are authentic.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on 26 February 2000, provided that all the notifications under Article 103(1) of the Agreement have been made to the EEA Joint Committee(7).

Article 4

This Decision shall be published in the EEA section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Done at Brussels, 25 February 2000.

For the EEA Joint Committee

The President

F. Barbaso

(1) See page 32 of this Official Journal.

(2) OJ L 344, 18.12.1998, p. 49.

(3) OJ L 344, 18.12.1998, p. 81.

(4) OJ L 344, 18.12.1998, p. 102.

(5) OJ L 335, 10.12.1998, p. 22.

(6) OJ L 335, 10.12.1998, p. 30.

(7) No constitutional requirements indicated.

ANNEX

to Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 23/2000

Annex XXI (STATISTICS) to the Agreement shall be amended as specified below: A. BUSINESS STATISTICS

The following points shall be inserted after point 1 (Council Regulation (EC) No 58/97): "1a. 398 R 2700: Commission Regulation (EC) No 2700/98 of 17 December 1998 concerning the definitions of characteristics for structural business statistics (OJ L 344, 18.12.1998, p. 49).

1b. 398 R 2701: Commission Regulation (EC) No 2701/98 of 17 December 1998 concerning the series of data to be produced for structural business statistics (OJ L 344, 18.12.1998, p. 81).

1c. 398 R 2702: Commission Regulation (EC) No 2702/98 of 17 December 1998 concerning the technical format for the transmission of structural business statistics (OJ L 344, 18.12.1998, p. 102)."

B. FOREIGN TRADE STATISTICS

The text of point 9 (Commission Regulation (EC) No 2317/97) shall be replaced by the following: "398 R 2645: Commission Regulation (EC) No 2645/98 of 9 December 1998 on the nomenclature of countries and territories for the external trade statistics of the Community and statistics of trade between Member States (OJ L 335, 10.12.1998, p. 22)."

C. ECONOMIC STATISTICS

The following point shall be inserted after point 19f (Commission Regulation (EC) No 2454/97): "19g. 398 R 2646: Commission Regulation (EC) No 2646/98 of 9 December 1998 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 2494/95 as regards minimum standards for the treatment of tariffs in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (OJ L 335, 10.12.1998, p. 30)."