Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation No 79/65/EEC setting up a network for the collection of accountancy data on the incomes and business operation of agricultural holdings in the European Economic Community (95/C 307/13) COM(95) 407 final - 95/0220(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 7 September 1995)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Whereas Regulation No 79/65/EEC setting up a network for the collection of accountancy data on the incomes and business operation of agricultural holdings in the European Economic Community (1), as last amended by the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden, lays down for certain Member States the number of returning holdings in the field of survey;

Whereas the field of survey of the data network must comprise all agricultural holdings of a certain economic size, irrespective of any outside work the operator may engage in; whereas this field of survey should be re-examined periodically in the light of new Farm Structure Survey data;

Whereas returning holdings must be selected in accordance with the rules laid down in the context of a selection plan aimed at obtaining a representative accounting sample of the field of survey; whereas the number of holdings required to provide a representative sample should be examined following analysis of recent field of survey data;

Whereas the detailed rules of application, in particular the threshold for the economic size of holdings and the number of returning holdings per division, are adopted under the Community Committee procedure; whereas technical criteria such as the appropriate sample size should be laid down in the detailed rules of application; whereas, in order to ensure a uniform approach, the number of returning holdings should be fixed under that procedure for all Member States;

Whereas following the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden to the European Union, the Annex of Regulation 79/65/EEC should be completed by the list of divisions for these Member States,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation 79/65/EEC is hereby amended as follows:

Article 4 is replaced by the following text:

'Article 4

1. The field of survey referred to in Article 1 (2) (a) shall cover the agricultural holdings having an economic size equal to or greater than a threshold expressed in European size units (ESU).

2. To qualify as a returning holding, an agricultural holding shall:

(a) have an economic size equal to or greater than a threshold to be determined in accordance with paragraph 1;

(b) be farmed by a person willing and able to keep farm accounts and willing to allow the accountancy data from his holding to be made available to the Commission;

(c) be representative, together with the other holdings and at the level of each division, of the field of survey.

3. The maximum number of returning holdings shall be 80 000 for the Community.

4. Detailed rules for the application of this Article in particular the threshold for the economic size of holdings and the number of returning holdings per division, shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 19.`

Article 2

The Annex of Regulation 79/65/EC is completed by the Annex of this Regulation.

Article 3

This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following its publication in the Offical Journal of the European Communities.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

(1) OJ No 109, 23. 6. 1965, p. 1859/65.

ANNEX

Austria

Constitutes a single division

Finland

1. Etelae-Suomi

2. Sisae-Suomi

3. Pohjanmaa

4. Pohjois-Suomi

Sweden

1. Southern and central Sweden: lowland agriculture

2. Southern and central Sweden: agriculture/forestry

3. Northern Sweden