EN Official Journal of the European Union L 61/1

REGULATION (EC) No 176/2008 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 20 February 2008

amending Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) by reason of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union

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,

Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1),

After consulting the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (2),

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) constitutes the legal framework for regional classification for the purpose of enabling the collection, compilation and dissemination of harmonised regional statistics in the Community.

(2) All Member States' statistics transmitted to the Commission broken down by territorial units should use the NUTS classification, where applicable.

(3) It is necessary to adapt the Annexes to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 to take into account the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union.

(4) Since the objective of this Regulation, namely the creation of common statistical standards that permit the production of harmonised data, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore 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 to achieve that objective.

(5) Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 is hereby amended as follows:

1. Annex I shall be amended in accordance with the text shown in Annex I to this Regulation;

2. Annex II shall be amended in accordance with the text shown in Annex II to this Regulation;

3. Annex III shall be amended in accordance with the text shown in Annex III to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force the day following 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 Strasbourg, 20 February 2008. For the European Parliament The President H.-G. PÖTTERING For the Council The President J. LENARČIČ

(1) OJ C 175, 27.7.2007, p. 13.

(2) Opinion of the European Parliament of 4 September 2007 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 21 January 2008.

(3) OJ L 154, 21.6.2003, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 105/2007 (OJ L 39, 10.2.2007, p. 1).

ANNEX I Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 is amended as follows: 1. the following table is inserted between BE — BELGIQUE/BELGIË and CZ — ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA: ‘БЪЛГАРИЯ CODE NUTS 1 NUTS 2 NUTS 3 BG BG3 СЕВЕРНА И ЮГОИЗТОЧНА БЪЛГАРИЯ BG31 Северозападен BG311 Видин BG312 Монтана BG313 Враца BG314 Плевен BG315 Ловеч BG32 Северен централен BG321 Велико Търново BG322 Габрово BG323 Русе BG324 Разград BG325 Силистра BG33 Североизточен BG331 Варна BG332 Добрич BG333 Шумен BG334 Търговище BG34 Югоизточен BG341 Бургас BG342 Сливен BG343 Ямбол BG344 Стара Загора BG4 ЮГОЗАПАДНА И ЮЖНА ЦЕНТРАЛНА БЪЛГАРИЯ BG41 Югозападен BG411 София (столица) BG412 София BG413 Благоевград BG414 Перник BG415 Кюстендил BG42 Южен централен BG421 Пловдив BG422 Хасково BG423 Пазарджик BG424 Смолян BG425 Кърджали BGZ EXTRA-REGIO BGZZ Extra-Regio BGZZZ Extra-Regio’; 2. the following table is inserted between PT — PORTUGAL and SI — SLOVENIJA: ‘ROMÂNIA CODE NUTS 1 NUTS 2 NUTS 3 RO RO1 MACROREGIUNEA UNU RO11 Nord-Vest RO111 Bihor RO112 Bistriţa-Năsăud RO113 Cluj RO114 Maramureş RO115 Satu Mare RO116 Sălaj RO12 Centru RO121 Alba RO122 Braşov RO123 Covasna RO124 Harghita RO125 Mureş RO126 Sibiu RO2 MACROREGIUNEA DOI RO21 Nord-Est RO211 Bacău RO212 Botoşani RO213 Iaşi RO214 Neamţ RO215 Suceava RO216 Vaslui RO22 Sud-Est RO221 Brăila RO222 Buzău RO223 Constanţa RO224 Galaţi RO225 Tulcea RO226 Vrancea RO3 MACROREGIUNEA TREI RO31 Sud — Muntenia RO311 Argeş RO312 Călăraşi RO313 Dâmboviţa RO314 Giurgiu RO315 Ialomiţa RO316 Prahova RO317 Teleorman RO32 Bucureşti — Ilfov RO321 Bucureşti RO322 Ilfov RO4 MACROREGIUNEA PATRU RO41 Sud-Vest Oltenia RO411 Dolj RO412 Gorj RO413 Mehedinţi RO414 Olt RO415 Vâlcea RO42 Vest RO421 Arad RO422 Caraş-Severin RO423 Hunedoara RO424 Timiş ROZ EXTRA-REGIO ROZZ Extra-Regio ROZZZ Extra-Regio’.

ANNEX II Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 is amended as follows: 1. the following is inserted in the paragraph referring to NUTS level 3 between Belgium and the Czech Republic: ‘for Bulgaria “Области (Oblasti)”,’; 2. the following is inserted in the paragraph referring to NUTS level 3 between Hungary and the Slovak Republic: ‘for Romania “Judeţe”,’.