IE-: COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
C0M(93) 593 final 
Brussels, 2 December 1993 
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) 
..tending Council Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 establishing 
European Forestry Information and Communication System (Efics) ex 
a 
(presented by the Commission) 
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Explanatory memorandum 
The purpose of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 is to establish a 
European Foresty Information and Communication System. According to Article 
3, the Commission is to set up the System in close cooperation with the 
Member States during an initial four-year stage starting on 1 January 1989 
and ending on 31 December 1992. According to Article 5, a report on the 
implementation of the System and the initial results obtained must be 
presented to the Council before 1 January 1993. 
The period provided for in the first paragraph of Article 3 of Regulation 
(EEC) No 1615/89 expired at the end of 1992. 
Unfortunately, in view of the work involved, it has not been possible for 
the System to be implementated during the period covered by the Regulation. 
The programme is particularly ambitious given the limited harmonization of 
forestry statistics and the total absence of data on a whole range of 
activities in the sector. 
A certain amount of preparatory work on future trends proved to be necessary 
for a fuller understanding of the data available on the sector in the 
various Member States. 
The timetable set in the Regulation for establishing the System could not be 
respected, therefore, and the report became purposeless. 
"7> 
t ^ 
The development of the measures envisaged and the implementation of the 
System mean that the Regulation needs to be prolonged. 
The purpose of the System is to make up for the lack of reliable information 
on the forestry sector within the Community and between the Member States, a 
situation which was at the basis of Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 and which 
still exists. The need for relevant information both for implementing 
Community measures relating to forestry and in the context of the findings 
of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, Rio 
de Janeiro, June 1992) has further increased. 
The existing data systems are unable to compensate for the said lack of 
information. For that reason it is necessary to proceed with the 
implementation of the System. 
The System must be established in close cooperation with the Member States. 
To that end an Efics working group has been set up within the Standing 
Forestry Committee. The aims of the System, the rules for its organization 
and its content have been dealt with by the Standing Forestry Committee and 
discussed by the working group. 
This has led to unanimous agreement on the part of the Member States' 
delegations in favour of proceeding with the establishment of the System and 
consequently of amending Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89. 
The contents of the Regulation, including its financial terms, can remain 
unchanged. The deadlines which have expired need simply be extended and the 
references to the applicable Community legislation amended. 
t 
COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 
of 1993 
extending Council Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 establishing 
a European Forestry Information and Communication System (Efics) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic community, 
and in particular Article 213, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission(1), 
Having regard to the opinion of thm European Parliament(2), 
Having regard to t**e «pinioti of t.hm Econoreic and Social Coawifct«e<3), 
Whereas the ia§>le*ei»tatia*i *nd neaitaring of Regulations <E£C) 
W© 2QWQ/§2(4)s <EC£) He T*l$/S9<^„ (EEC) !«o *47/9«<6), of decision 
85/347/EECO) a«d of *e3j&Wti<wie |IÊC) Mo 21S?/92(8), (EEC) «o 2158/92(9) o* 
measures relating to the forestry aéctor call for detailed, consistent a**d 
comparable information on the situation of and developments in that sector 
in the community; 
Whereas the forestry data available at Community level are incomplete and 
cover only part of the information necessary for taking consistent forestry 
measures; whereas, however, a considerable amount of information already 
exists in many Member States and this should be collected and made 
comparable; whereas to that end there should be an appropriate system for 
the collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of the information; 
whereas such data must cover not only the present situation of woodlands and 
their structure and the production and consumption of wood but also 
developments in the afforestation of agricultural land, the forestry 
situation in the various regions of the Community and a description of the 
exploitation, processing and marketing of forestry products; 
(1) 
(2) 
(3) 
(4) OJ No L 215, 30.7.92, p. 96. 
(5) OJ No L 165, 15.6.89, p. 3. 
(6) OJ No L 91, 6.4.90, p. 7. 
(7) OJ NO L 165, 15.6.89, p. 14. 
(8) OJ NO L 217, 31.7.92, p. 1. 
(9) OJ No L 217, 31.7.92, p. 3. 
s 
Whereas it is necessary to grant assistance to certain Member States or 
regions to help them to compile data or improve the availability of 
comparable data which can be used at Community level; 
Whereas the setting-up of this system requires close cooperation between the 
Commission and the Member States, and in particular assistance from the 
relevant bodies within the Member States, in order to facilitate access to 
the data; 
Whereas, in addition to meeting the Community's requirements, the system 
should facilitate the implementation of decisions taken at national and 
regional level concerning the forestry sector and thereby improve knowledge 
of that sector at all levels; 
Whereas the system must be set up taking account of existing information 
systems at Community level in order to ensure complementarity and achieve 
consistency and comparability in data collected in the Member States, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
Council Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 of 29 May 1989 is hereby amended as 
fol lows: 
1. In Article 1, the numbers 1609/89, 1612/89, 1613/89 and 1614/89 are 
replaced by 2080/92, 867/90, 2157/92 and 2158/92 respectively. The number 
1611/89 is deleted. 
2. In Article 3, the words "four-year stage" are replaced by "stage" and the 
date "31 December 1992" is replaced by "31 December 1997". 
3. In Article 4, the year "1992" is replaced by "1997". 
4. In the first sentence of Article 5, the year "1993" is replaced by 
"1998". In the second sentence of Article 5, the year "1993" is replaced 
by "1998" and the year "1998" by "2002". 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its 
publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities. 
It shall apply with effect from 1 January 1993. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in 
all Member states. 
Done at Brussels; ,For *ne Council 
The President 
^ 
EFICS 
FINANCIAL STATEMENT 
1. TITLE OF OPERATION 
Forests 
2. BUDGET HEADING INVOLVED 
B2-515 
3. LEGAL BASIS 
(Extension of) Council Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 of 29 May 1989 
establishing a European Forestry Information and Communication System 
(Efics) 
4. DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION 
4.1. Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 (Efics) is an integral part of the forestry 
action programme launched by the Commission in 1988 and is seen as an 
essential element in the optimum implementation of Community forestry 
policy. 
The development of an effective forestry policy, the follow-up to the 
resolutions of the United Nations conference on the environment and 
development in Rio in 1992 and the international conference on the 
protection of forests in Helsinki in June 1993 (sustainable management of 
forests) call for an improvement in information in the forestry sector. 
The existing information systems could not meet this information 
requirement, which is why Efics was needed, to work in close collaboration 
with the Member States. 
Unfortunately, it was not possible to build up Efics during the period 1989 
to 1992 on account of the priority given to the implementation of the other 
operations under the forestry action programme. The need for information in 
the forestry sector remains imperative. The general objective of Efics 
(European Forestry Information and Communication System) will be "to collect 
comparable and objective Information on the structure and operation of the 
forestry sector in the Community, and thus facilitate implementation and 
monitoring of the Community forestry provisions in force." 
The Efics system will not have to be a large data bank in the Commission, 
but rather a network linking the different existing systems, via which the 
Member States can obtain forestry data. So that the data are comparable and 
to fiI I in gaps, new methods of data collection or approprlate processing 
systems need to be developed. Efics must also make it possible to promote 
and ensure the monitoring and implementation of the main Community 
operations to assist forestry (afforestation, support for timber processing, 
etc.). 
It is envisaged, with the aid of the various existing geographical 
information systems in the Commission (CORINE, GISCO within Eurostat) to 
produce and distribute maps. 
4.2 The period covered is 1993 to 1997. 
5. CLASSIFICATION OF EXPENDITURE OR REVENUE 
5.1 Non-compulsory expenditure 
5.2 Differentiated appropriations 
5.3 No revenue involved 
6. TYPE OF EXPENDITURE OF REVENUE 
100% of expenditure chargeable to the Community 
7. FINANCIAL IMPACT 
7.1 Method of calculating total cost of operation 
The total cost of the operation is estimated at ECU 3.0 million, broken down 
as fol tows: 
a. Detailed design ECU 0.35 million 
- full development of appropriate methodology 
- demonstrations in pilot areas, on a limited scale 
- estimate of human and financial resources required 
- programming of operations 
b. Specific studies ECU 0.35 million 
- preparatory studies 
for the establishment and improvement of statistics (forestry products, 
forest ownership) and 
for the production of documentation at Community level 
- analysis of needs/possibilities for harmonization as regards the results 
of the various national forestry inventories 
- standardization of definitions, units of measurement and classification 
cr iteria 
c. Adaptation of data to Efics requirements ECU 1.50 million 
Once the main gaps have been identified, a reference network in the Member 
States must be set up; this network will integrate the national data. With 
the aid of methods already developed, these data will be harmonized and 
supplemented where necessary. 
- calculation and development of the reference network (+/- ECU 0.3 
m iI Ii on) 
- breakdown of national samples according to the reference framework (+/-
ECU 0.9 mi I I ion) 
- definition of the format for the transmission of data to Efics (+/- 0.3 
m i11 Ion) 
/\ £=> 
d. Testing of Efics on a Community scale ECU 0.80 mi 11 ion 
- definitive description of the system 
- determination of action to be taken by the Member States 
- demonstration of the properties and potential uses of the system 
7.2 Breakdown (ECU million) 
Breakdown 
Efics 1993 
0.3 1994 
0.5 1995 
0.7 1996 
0.7 1997 
0.8 TOTAL 
3.0 
"M 
7.3.1. Schedule (ECU million) 
Commitment approprs. 
Payment approps. 
1993 
1994 
1995 
1996 
1997 
TOTAL *993 
0.3 
0.2 
0.1 
0.3 1994 
0.5 
0.2 
0.3 
0.5 1995 
0.7 
0.4 
0.3 
0.7 1996 
0.7 
0.4 
0.3 
0.7 1997 
0.8 
0.8 
0.8 TOTAL 
3.0 
0.2 
0.3 
0.7 
0.7 
1.1 
3.0 
8. ANT I-FRAUD MEASURES 
Payments will be made on the basis of documentary evidence 
9. ELEMENTS OF COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS 
9.1 The implementation of an effective forestry policy requires a thorough 
knowlege of the forestry sector and forstry-based industries. 
All the countries which apply such a policy are making efforts to ensure 
that they have reliable, effective information systems. The same applies to 
Community poll icy. Efics is designed to provide - at Community, national and 
regional level - all the information relevant to the optimum implementation 
of measures relating to the forestry sector. 
9.2 Experience shows that the Community's forestry operations have not 
always been as effective as hoped. One of the reasons for this problem has 
been the lack of adequate information for the correct evaluation of the 
measures planned. A provisional assessment of the Community action to assist 
forestry shows that Community financing since 1980 has totalled around 
ECU 1 500 million. Such an important financing supposes an adapted tool to 
give community aid the best suitability. A thorough knowledge of the 
forestry sector at national and regional level would have enabled aid to be 
concentrated in such a way as to achieve maximum effectiveness. 
In the next few years the appropriations for the forestry sector will be 
very large (e.g. afforestation of agricultural land under Regulation 
(EEC) No 2080/92). 
Financing totalling ECU 500 to 600 million a year is planned. There is an 
obvious need therefore for appropriate instruments in terms of 
implementation and monitoring for optimum management of resources. 
the cost of Efics is very low when seen in relation to the total budget 
for forestry pi icy and the financial benefits which could accrue from 
better application of measures relating to the forestry sector as a 
whole. 
9.3 The monitoring and evaluation of the operation are to be done in close 
collaboration between DGs VI, XI, XI, Eurostat and the Member States, 
represented in an Efics working group under the Standing Forestry 
^3 
Committee*, use also being made of contacts with international 
organizations such as ECE/FAO in Geneva which already have various forestry 
data at their disposal and methods for collecting them. The involvement of 
these various bodies helps to assure optimum execution of the operation. 
- The data gathered by Efics are likely to be published in various forms 
- The need for the implementation of Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 (Efics) 
has been stressed on several occasions, both by the Standing Forestry 
Committee and by members of the Efics working group. 
The Standing Forestry Committee is unanimously in favour of the 
establishment of such a system. 
10. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE (part A of the budget) 
The implementation of the Regulation does not require additional resources 
to those already earmarked. 
* The Efics working group of the Standing Forestry Committee is made up of 
representatives/experts from the Member States to oversee the 
establishment of the European Forestry Information and Communication 
System (Efics). 
ISSN 0254-1475 *h 
COM (93) 593 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 16 03 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-93-628-EN-C 
ISBN 92-77-61683-0 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
L-2985 Luxembourg