21. 10. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 269/7 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Decision amending Council Decision 85/338/EEC in order to provide 
for the continuation of the Commission work programme concerning an experimental project 
for gathering, coordinating and ensuring the consistency of information on the state of the 
environment and natural resources in the Community 
COM(89) 542 final 
(Submitted by the Commission on 27 September 1989) 
(89/C 269/06) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community and, in particular, Article 130s 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas by Decison 85/338/EEC (') the Council 
adopted the Commission work programme concerning 
an experimental project for gathering, coordinating and 
ensuring the consistency of information on the state of 
the environment and natural resources in the Community 
(hereinafter referred to as 'Corine'); 
Whereas the period of time provided for Corine in 
Article 1 of the said Decision was four years with effect 
from 1 January 1985 and the amount of funds estimated 
to be necessary for its implementation, indicated in 
Article 2 of the said Decision was ECU 4 million; 
Whereas in accordance with Article 3 of the said 
Decision, the Commission has furnished a communi­
cation to the Council and the European Parliament indi­
cating the intermediate results and future guidelines as at 
the halfway stage of the said programme (2); whereas the 
said report indicated the importance and usefulness of 
the data generated and of the overall Corine 
programme; 
Whereas the Commission has proposed a Council Regu­
lation for the establishment of a European Environment Agency and a European Environment Monitoring and 
Information Network (3), and whereas Article 4 of the 
said proposal provides that the said Agency shall be 
entrusted with and be responsible for continuing, as 
appropriate, the work undertaken by the Commission 
pursuant to Council Decision 85/338/EEC; 
Whereas, however, it is necessary and expedient to make 
provision that the work programme undertaken pursuant 
to Council Decision 85/338/EEC should be continued 
for a transitional period of two years pending the 
envisaged integration of Corine and the proposed 
European Environment Agency, and to amend 
accordingly by the estimate amount necessary for the 
implementation of the Programme; 
Whereas the financing of the programme of environ­
mental statistics laid down in the 'Statistical Programme 
of the European Communities 1989-1992' (Council 
Resolution 89/C 161/01 of June 1989, OJ No C 161, 
28. 6. 1989), which is complementary to Corine, will be 
covered by a separate Council Decision, 
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 
Article 1 
Council Decision 85/338/EEC is hereby amended in the 
following respects: 
(a) the reference to 'four years' in the first paragraph of 
Article 1 is replaced by 'six years'; 
(b) the reference to 'ECU 4 million' in Article 2 is 
replaced by the words 'ECU 11,5 million'. 
Article 2 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
(') OJ No 176 of 6. 7. 1985. 
O COM(88) 420 final, dated 21 July 1988. O COM(89) 303 final, dated 12 July 1989.