Common Position (EC) No 34/2000 of 29 May 2000 adopted by the Council, acting in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 251 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, with a view to adopting a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Decision 96/411/EC on improving Community agricultural statistics
Date: 2000-05-29
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU programme, EU statistics, action programme, agricultural statistics, national statistics, statistical method

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I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COMMON POSITION (EC) No 34/2000

adopted by the Council on 29 May 2000

with a view to adopting a Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council of ... amending
Decision 96/411/EC on improving Community agricultural statistics

(2000/C 240/01)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com-
munity, and in particular Article 285 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

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

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Council Decision 96/411/EC of 25 June 1996 on
is
improving Community agricultural
designed to allow such statistics to respond more
satisfactorily to the information needs arising from the
reform of the common agricultural policy.

statistics (3),

The report by the Commission to the European Parlia-
ment and the Council on progress in implementing
Decision 96/411/EC makes a positive assessment of the
application of that Decision.

(1) OJ C 307 E, 26.10.1999, p. 29.
(2) Opinion of the European Parliament of 17 December 1999 (not
yet published in the Official Journal), Council Common Position
of 29 May 2000 and Decision of the European Parliament of ...
(not yet published in the Official Journal).

(3) OJ L 162, 1.7.1996, p. 14. Decision as last amended by
Commission Decision 98/514/EC (OJ L 230, 18.8.1998, p. 28).

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

The process of adapting national statistical systems to
the needs arising from the reform of the common
agricultural policy has not yet been completed.

Both the internal development of the common agricul-
tural policy and the external context of enlargement to
the East, and the opening of the new round of multilat-
eral trade negotiations, call for improved identification
of statistical needs and, where appropriate, for measures
to complete the current regulatory framework laying
down the scope of the statistical information on the
common agricultural policy which Member States are
obliged to make available to the Commission.

Council Decision 1999/126/EC of 22 December 1998
on the Community statistical programme 1998 to
2002 (4) recommends continuation of the actions to
improve existing agricultural statistics and to plan
future developments with a view to responding more
satisfactorily to the needs of the common agricultural
policy.

The validity of Decision 96/411/EC needs
extended.

to be

Certain provisions of Decision 96/411/EC need to be
amended in the light of experience, so as to simplify
their implementation.

(4) OJ L 42, 16.2.1999, p. 1.

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(8)

(9)

This Decision lays down, for the entire duration of the
programme, a financial
framework constituting the
primary reference, within the meaning of point 33 of
the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 between
the European Parliament, the Council and Commission
on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budget-
ary procedure (1), for the budgetary authority during the
annual budgetary procedure.

The measures necessary for the implementation of
Decision 96/411/EC should be adopted in accordance
with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999
laying down the procedures
the exercise of
implementing powers conferred on the Commission (2).

for

(10) Current feasibility studies should be continued to deter-
mine whether it is technically possible to establish a
database on aid paid by the EAGGF (Guarantee Section)
and what resources would be required to do so,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Decision 96/411/EC is amended as follows:

1. Article 2(a) shall be replaced by the following:

‘(a) define the priority statistical fields, among those set
out in Annex II, which may be the subject of actions
at Member State level for the following year;’.

2. Article 3 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 3

Application time-frame and procedure

The process of adapting Community agricultural statistics
provided for in Article 1 shall be continued during the
period 2000 to 2002. It shall be coordinated by the
Commission through technical action plans as provided
for in Article 4. After this period, the European Parliament
and the Council may decide to extend the process in
accordance with the Commission proposals provided for
in Article 11.’

3. Article 4(2) shall be deleted.

(1) OJ C 172, 18.6.1999, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

4. Article 5 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 5

Member State reports

The Member States shall submit to the Commission:

(a)

(b)

(c)

by 31 May at the latest of each year, a communi-
cation setting out their intention, if any, to partici-
pate in priority actions for the following year,
accompanied by a summary of
the plans for
implementation and an estimate of costs;

the
following adoption by the Commission of
technical action plan, a working plan for each action
which concerns them;

after completion of each action, a brief report on
implementation of the action in which they have
participated.

The documents to be submitted pursuant to points (a),
(b) and (c) should cover the planned amendments to the
methodology of implementation, work to be carried out,
difficulties identified and proposals for overcoming them,
the national and Community resources to be mobilised
and proposals for improvements at Community level.
is
Actions for which Community financial support
required shall be identified as such.

Following the procedure laid down in Article 10, the
Commission shall draw up simplified standard forms to
facilitate the presentation of the above information.’

5. Article 6 is amended as follows:

(a)

paragraph 3 shall be replaced by the following:

‘3.
The contribution shall be paid to the Member
States in two instalments, the first of which, equiva-
lent to 30 % of the Community share of the cost of
the action, shall be paid as an advance, after
notification to and acceptance by the Commission
of the working plan for the action in question.
The balance shall be paid once the report on
implementation of the action by the Member States
has been submitted to and approved by the Com-
mission. The Commission shall carry out any on-
the-spot checks it deems necessary in cooperation
the Member
with the competent authorities of
States.’;

(b) The following paragraph shall be added:

The financial framework for the implemen-
‘4.
tation of this programme for the period 2000 to
2002 is hereby set at EUR 3 million.

The annual appropriations shall be authorised by
the budgetary authority within the limits of the
financial perspective.’

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6. Article 10 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 10

1.
The Commission shall be assisted by the Standing
Committee on Agricultural Statistics, hereinafter referred
to as “the Committee”.

2.
Where reference is made to this Article, Articles 4
and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having
regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.

The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Deci-
sion 1999/468/EC shall be set at three months.

3.

The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.’

In Article 11, the year ‘1999’ shall be replaced by ‘2002’.

7.

8.

(Guarantee Section) to include in particular, at the level
of each beneficiary, data on the level of aid received, the
areas and the number of animals concerned, and the
most appropriate computer system for processing such
data.

At the latest on 31 December 2001, the Commission
shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to
the Council on the results of these feasibility studies, and
on the resources (technical, financial and human) which
would be required to implement the database and to
process the data statistically.’

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the third day following
its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Article 3

The following Article shall be inserted in the Decision:

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

‘Article 11a

Done at …

Database of payments by the EAGGF (Guarantee Section)

For the European Parliament

For the Council

The Commission shall continue current feasibility studies
to determine the technical possibility of setting up a
database relating to the payments made by the EAGGF

The President

The President

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STATEMENT OF THE COUNCIL’S REASONS

I.

INTRODUCTION

1. On 9 July 1999 the Commission submitted to the Council and the European Parliament a
proposal for a Decision amending Council Decision 96/411/EC on improving Community
agricultural statistics.

2.

In accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Amsterdam the Commission proposal is
based on Article 285, which makes provision for the codecision procedure referred to in
Article 251.

3. On 17 December 1999, the European Parliament adopted a legislative resolution, at first

reading, approving the Commission proposal and making four amendments to it.

4. At its meeting on 29 May 2000, the Council adopted its Common Position in accordance with

Article 251 of the Treaty.

II. OBJECTIVES

5.

The purpose of the proposal for a Decision is to extend, for the period 2000 to 2002, subject
to certain adjustments, the measure introduced by Council Decision 96/411/EC (1), with a view
to facilitating adjustment of the system of Community agricultural statistics to the needs for
information resulting from the development of the CAP.

The adjustments proposed by the Commission to simplify implementation of the measure and
to make it more effective are as follows:

— a new provision aimed at specifying the Commission’s role in defining priority areas for

statistics,

— adjustment of the provisions on the content of the technical action plans,

— simplification of the procedures for forwarding Member States’ reports to the Commission,

— advance payment of 30 % of the Community contribution, once the Commission has

accepted the work plan for the measure concerned.

III. ANALYSIS OF THE COMMON POSITION

6.

Bearing in mind the objective set out above, the Council approved the substance of the
Commission proposal, with the introduction of some changes. On three points, those changes
correspond perfectly to three of the four amendments approved by the European Parliament.
In making the last amendment, the Council is to a large extent taking account of the European
Parliament’s expressed concern on the advisability of establishing a database on EAGGF
(Guarantee Section) payments.

The changes introduced are as follows:

(1) OJ L 162, 1.7.1996, p. 14.

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New recitals

7.

Three new recitals were introduced:

— a new fourth recital stressing that the development of the CAP, enlargement and the new
trade negotiations militate in favour of better pinpointing of statistical needs and, where
appropriate, the supplementing of the current regulatory framework,

— a new eighth recital specifying the new total appropriation established for the entire

duration of the programme,

— a new 10th recital stressing the desirability of continuing the feasibility studies under way,
in order to determine the technical possibilities and means necessary to establish a
database on aid paid out by the EAGGF (Guarantee Section).

Application period and application procedure

(New Article 3)

8.

The Commission is proposing that the action be extended for the period 2000 to 2002; it is to
submit, by the end of 2002, an evaluation report on the substance of the action, accompanied,
if appropriate, by proposals for extending it (see Article 11). The Council made provision for
inclusion of the European Parliament addition to the text of Article 3 of the Decision, so that
Parliament could, together with the Council, decide possibly to continue the measure.

Financial provisions

(New Article 6(3) and (4))

9. Under the system in force the Community contribution to the expenditure borne by Member
States is paid entirely after the conclusion of the measures provided for, sometimes entailing
significant delays. The Commission plans to remedy this difficulty by making an advance
payment of 30 % of the cost of the measure, after acceptance by the Commission of the work
plan for the measure concerned. In accordance with the European Parliament amendment, the
Council specifies that the advance payment of 30 % refers to the Community contribution to
the cost of the measure.

Furthermore, a new paragraph 4 is added in which the total appropriation for implementing
the programme for the period 2000 to 2002 is set at EUR 3 million.

Procedure for the adoption of the implementing measures

(New text of Article 10)

10. With regard to the choice of procedure for the adoption of the implementing measures, the
text of the Common Position is based on the criterion set out in Article 2(a) of Council
Decision 1999/468/EC (1), under which management measures, such as those relating to the
application of the common agricultural and common fisheries policies, or to the implemen-
tation of programmes with substantial budgetary implications, should be adopted by use of the
management procedure.

(1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

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New Article 11a

11.

In its last amendment, the European Parliament makes provision for the introduction of a new
Article stipulating that the EAGGF is to carry out the statistical processing of information
concerning EAGGF (Guarantee Section) payments which the Commission receives pursuant to
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2390/1999 (1), by aggregating data concerning aid, surface
area or the number of livestock units affected and the number of beneficiaries at NUTS 2 level
in terms of the type of measures and broken down by amount of aid received. The EAGGF is
to forward the results of its aggregation exercise to EUROSTAT, which will publish them
annually.

The Council approves the desirability of looking into the possibility of setting up a database on
EAGGF (Guarantee Section) payments and makes provision for the Commission to continue
the feasibility studies under way and submit a report to the European Parliament and the
Council on the results of those studies.

IV. GENERAL CONCLUSION

12. The Council adopted as its Common Position the Commission proposal, as approved by the
European Parliament, subject to the changes set out above, that the Commission can take on
board, and which to a very large extent incorporate the amendments submitted by the
European Parliament.

(1) OJ L 295, 16.11.1999, p. 1.