Amended proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91 on the statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States, with specific reference to the nomenclature of products (Intrastat)
Date: 1998-04-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Combined Nomenclature, extra-EU trade, intra-EU trade, statistics

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 27.04.1998 

COM(1998) 269  final 

97/0162 (COD) 

Amended proposal for a 

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) 

amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91 on the statistics relating to the 
trading of goods between Member States, with specific reference to the 
nomenclature of products (INTRASTAT) 

(presented by the Commission pursuant to Article 189 a (2) 
of the EC-Treaty) 

EXPLANATORY  MEMORANDUM 

1 The Commission has studied the report of the European Parliament1 and the adopted 
amendments2. 

2. The Commission approves the amendments of the European Parliament. 

3.  The  Commission  thus  accepts  the  position  that  the  simplification  benefits  of  a 
specific  INTRÀSTAT  nomenclature  including  a  substantial  reduced  number  of 
subheadings  could  in  tho  present  collection  system  be  counterbalanced  by  additional 
costs for maintaining two nomenclature versions for intra and extra-Community trade. 
This position  has  also  been  emphasized  by representatives  of European  federations  at 
several occasions. 

4.  The  amendments  proposed  by  the  European  Parliament  emphasizes  the  idea  of  a 
single  nomenclature  -  the  Combined  Nomenclature  (CN)  -  for  intra  and  extra-
Community  trade  statistics,  and  refers  to  the  second  phase  of  the  SLIM  initiative  in 
which the CN is subject  of simplification.  The Commission supports this approach. 

5.  The  Commission  shares  the  point  of  view  of  the  European  Parliament  that  the 
simplifications  should be designed in particular for the SMEs by introducing thresholds 
or  other  measures,  e.g.  tools  facilitating  ths classification  of the  products,  to  simplify 
the declaration of the product code. 
The  Commission  finds  that  such  measures  will  reinforce  the  simplification  impact  of 
the revised  proposal,  and  will  respond  to  the  complaints  of the  providers  in terms  of 
the difficulties  to determine the correct product code. 

6.  The  Commission  finds  it  important  to  achieve  concrete  legislative  results,  and 
emphasizes  the  strong  political  support  which  has  been  expressed  in  respect  of  the 
SLIM project  of which INTRASTAT is part. 

• A4-0102/98 of 19 March,  1998 
2 PE 268.231 of 1 April, 1998 

J 

Amended proposa! for  a 
European  Parliament and  Council Regulation  (EC) 
amending Council Regulation  (EEC) Nc 3330/91 on the statistics  relating to the 
trading of goods between Member  States, with specific  reference  to the 
nomenclature  of products  (INTRASTAT) 

Text proposed by the Commission^) 

Amendments proposed 

(Amendment  1) 
Recital 4 

Whereas the simplification  of the  product 
nomenclature  to  be  used  for  Intrastat 
purposes  is  one  such  proposal,  since 
information  providers  generally  regard 
the classification  of products as  difficult; 

for 

simplified  use  of 

Whereas 
the 
the 
Intrastat 
Combined  Nomenclature 
purposes,  together  with  the  availability  to 
information  providers  of  tools  facilitating 
the  classification  of  goods,  is  one  such 
information  providers 
proposal, 
generally 
the  classification  of 
products  in  the  Combined  Nomenclature 
as  difficult; 

since 
regard 

(Amendment 2) 
Recital 4a (new) 

simplification 

the 
the 
Whereas 
Combined  Nomenclature 
been 
proposed  as  a  pilot  project  as  part  of  the 
second phase of the SLIM initiative(-); 

has 

of 

iLl 

(SEC( 97)0951) 

(Amendment 3) 
Recital 5 

Whereas,  therefore,  there  is  a  need  to 
simplify 
the  use  of  this  nomenclature 
while preserving a single nomenclature  for 
the  trading  of  goods  within  the  single 
market  and  with  non-member  countries 
which  is  compatible  with  other  statistical 
classifications; 

its 

this 

Whereas,  therefore,  there  is  a  need  to 
nomenclature  while 
simplify 
maintaining 
the 
nomenclature  used  for  the  trading  of 
goods  with  non-member  countries  and  its 
compatibility  with 
statistical 
classifications; 

other 

with 

link 

(2)OJC 245, 12.8.1997, p. 12. 

(Amendment 4) 
Recital 6 

Whereas  the  Commission  considers  it 
desirable  to  establish  a  partnership  with 
the  national  authorities  and  the  European 
representatives  of the providers  and  users 
of statistical  information  in order to draw 
the 
up  proposals 
nomenclature  applicable 
Intrastat 
purposes; 

simplifying 
for 

for 

Whereas  it  is  desirable  to  establish  a 
partnership  with  the  national  authorities 
and  the  European  representatives  of  the 
providers 
statistical 
users 
information  in  order  to  draw up proposals 
Combined 
for 
Nomenclature; 

simplifying 

and 

the 

of 

(Amendment 5) 
Recital 6a (new) 

Whereas this partnership  must still  make 
it  possible  to  preserve  a  sufficiently 
detailed  level  of  information  to meet  the 
specific  needs of some sectors. 

(Amendment  6) 
ARTICLE 1 
Article 21(1) to (5) (Regulation (EEC) 3330/91) 

shall  be 

1.  On  the  statistical  medium  to  be 
transmitted  to  the  competent  authorities, 
the 
goods 
subheadings  of the  current  version  of the 
nomenclature  applicable  to the  trading  of 
goods  between  Member  States  (Intrastat 
Nomenclature). 

identified  by 

1.  On  the  statistical  medium 
to  be 
transmitted  to  the  competent  authorities. 
the 
goods 
subheadings  of  the  current  version  of  the 
Combined Nomenclature. 

shall  be 

identified 

by 

2.  The  Intrastat  Nomenclature  shall  be 
a  goods  code  nomenclature  based  on  the 
Harmonized  System  in  force.  In  order  to 
take  account  of  specific  needs,  it  may 
contain  a  strictly 
limited  number  of 
subdivisions  below  Harmonized  System 
subheading  level.  Any  such  subdivisions 
below  Harmonized  System  subheading 
level  shall  be  identified  by  subheadings 
of  the  current  version  of  the  Combined 
Nomenclature. 

2.  However,  in  accordance  with  the 
detailed  procedures  set out  in paragraph 3. 
providers of statistical  information  maw in 
the  interests  of  reducing  their  statistical 
the 
burden,  limit  themselves  to  using 
to 
nomenclature 
Harmonized  System. 
identify  certain goods. 

4 

3.  This  nomenclature  shall  be  adopted 
by  the  Commission  in  accordance  with 
Article  30,  account  being  token  of  the 
results  of  the  work  of  a  group  composed 
of  representatives  of  the  providers  and 
users  of  statistical  information  on  the 
trading of goods. 

4.  The  operational  procedures  of  this 
group 
the 
Commission  in  accordance  with  Article 
30. 

adopted 

shall 

by 

be 

intended 

facilitate 
for 

3-  The  arrangements  for  the  application 
of  paragraph  2,  and  any  other  technical 
measures 
the 
to 
classification  of  goods 
statistics 
relating  to  the  trading  of  goods  between 
Member  States,  shall  be  adopted  by  the 
Commission  in  accordance  with  Article 
30,  account  being  taken  of  the  results  of 
the  work  of  a  group  composed  of 
representatives  of  the  providers  and  users 
of  statistical  information  on  the trading of 
goods. 

4.  The  operational  procedures  of  this 
group shall be adopted by the Commission 
in accordance with Article 30. 

To  take  account  of  their  internal 
ii 
statistical 
organization,  providers  of 
information  may  use 
the  Combined 
Nomenclature  to  identify  goods  on  the 
statistical data medium. 

Deleted 

S~ 

ISSN 0254-1475 

COM(98) 269  final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

17  06  02  10 

Catalogue number  :  CB-CO-98-283-EN-C 

ISBN 92-78-35462-7 

Office  for Official  Publications of the European Communities 

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