EN Official Journal of the European Union L 75/26

COMMISSION DECISION

of 9 March 2006

granting derogations to bring Member States’ statistical systems into conformity with Regulation (EC) No 1161/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council

(notified under document number C(2006) 706)

(Only the Czech, Danish, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Greek, Hungarian, Maltese, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovene, and Swedish texts are authentic)

(2006/209/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1161/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2005 on the compilation of quarterly non-financial accounts by institutional sector (1), and in particular Article 3(4) thereof,

Having regard to the requests made by the Czech Republic, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Estonia, the Hellenic Republic, Ireland, the Republic of Cyprus, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of Finland, the Kingdom of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EC) No 1161/2005 specifies the list of quarterly data that have to be transmitted from 3 January 2006 onwards.

(2) Article 3(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1161/2005 provides that derogations from that Regulation may be accepted by the Commission if national statistical systems require major adaptation. Such derogations are not to last more than three years from the date of entry into force of the Regulation.

(3) A number of Member States authorities have asked, by letter, to be granted derogations under Article 3(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1161/2005.

(4) It emerges from the information provided to Eurostat that the Member States’ requests for derogations are due to the need for major adaptations to national statistical systems in order to comply in full with Regulation (EC) No 1161/2005. The compilation of quarterly non-financial accounts by institutional sector requires additional data sources, the development of new statistical tools, and the design and implementation of a production system that is capable of meeting short deadlines. The requested derogations should therefore be granted,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Derogations are hereby granted to the Member States listed in the Annex, under the conditions and subject to the limits set out therein, in order to enable those Member States to bring their respective national statistical systems into conformity with Regulation (EC) No 1161/2005.

Article 2

This Decision is addressed to the Czech Republic, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Estonia, the Hellenic Republic, Ireland, the Republic of Cyprus, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of Slovenia, the Slovak Republic, the Republic of Finland, the Kingdom of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Done at Brussels, 9 March 2006. For the Commission Joaquín ALMUNIA Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 191, 22.7.2005, p. 22.