Decision No 2298/2000/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 September 2000 amending Council Decision 96/411/EC on improving Community agricultural statistics (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2000-09-28
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Subjects: EU statistics, action programme, agricultural statistics, national statistics, statistical method

18.10.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 263/1

I

(Acts whose publication is obligatory)

DECISION No 2298/2000/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

amending Council Decision 96/411/EC on improving Community agricultural statistics

of 28 September 2000

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community, 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)

(3)

(4)

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

statistics (3),

agricultural

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.

The process of adapting national statistical systems to
the needs arising from the reform of the common agri-
cultural 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.

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

improve existing agricultural statistics and to plan future
developments with a view to responding more satisfac-
torily 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, inter alia, to
simplify their implementation.

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 Commis-
sion (5), 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 for the exercise of imple-
menting powers conferred on the Commission (6).

(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

(5)

Council Decision 1999/126/EC of 22 December 1998
on the Community statistical programme 1998 to
2002 (4) recommends continuation of
the actions to

(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 (OJ C 240, 23.8.2000, p. 1) and Decision of the Euro-
pean Parliament of 5 September 2000.

(3) OJ L 162, 1.7.1996, p. 14. Decision as last amended by Commis-

sion Decision 98/514/EC (OJ L 230, 18.8.1998, p. 28).

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

Decision 96/411/EC is hereby amended as follows:

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

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

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

L 263/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

18.10.2000

2. Article 3 shall be replaced by the following:

(b) The following paragraph shall be added:

‘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.

4. Article 5 shall be replaced by the following:

‘Article 5

Member State reports

The Member States shall submit to the Commission:

(a) by 31 May at the latest of each year, a communication
setting out
to participate in
priority actions for the following year, accompanied by
a summary of the plans for implementation and an
estimate of costs;

their intention,

if any,

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

(c) after completion of each action, a brief report on imple-
mentation 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 meth-
odology of implementation, work to be carried out, difficul-
ties identified and proposals for overcoming them,
the
national and Community resources to be mobilised and
proposals for improvements at Community level. Actions
for which Community financial support is 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.’

‘4.
The financial framework for the implementation
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.’

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 Decision 1999/
468/EC shall be set at three months.

3.

The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.’

7. In Article 11,

‘1999’ shall be replaced by ‘2002’.

8. The following Article shall be inserted in the Decision:

‘Article 11a

Database of payments by the EAGGF (Guarantee
Section)

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 (Guarantee
Section) to include in particular, at the level of each benefi-
ciary, 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

5. Article 6 is hereby amended as follows:

(a) paragraph 3 shall be replaced by the following:

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

‘3.
The contribution shall be paid to the Member
States in two instalments, the first of which, equivalent
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 Commission. The Commission shall carry out any
on-the-spot checks it deems necessary in cooperation
with the competent authorities of the Member States.’

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 3

Done at Brussels, 28 September 2000.

For the European Parliament

For the Council

The President

N. FONTAINE

The President

P. MOSCOVICI