2002/100/EC: Commission Decision of 30 January 2002 granting Portugal a transitional period to bring its accounting systems into line with Regulation (EC) No 2516/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council (notified under document number C(2002) 340)
Date: 2002-01-30
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European accounting system, Portugal, financial statistics, social-security contribution, tax, transitional period (EU)

7.2.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 37/17

COMMISSION DECISION

of 30 January 2002

granting Portugal a transitional period to bring its accounting systems into line with Regulation
(EC) No 2516/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council

(notified under document number C(2002) 340)

(Only the Portuguese text is authentic)

(2002/100/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 2516/2000 of the Euro-
pean Parliament and of the Council of 7 November 2000
modifying the common principles of the European system of
national and regional accounts in the Community (ESA) 95 as
concerns taxes and social contributions and amending Council
Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 (1), and in particular Article 7(2)
thereof,

Having regard to the request made by Portugal on 21 June
2001,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 of 25 June 1996
on the European system of national and regional
accounts in the Community (2), as last amended by
Regulation (EC) No 2516/2000, contains the reference
framework of common standards, definitions, classifica-
tions and accounting rules for drawing up the accounts
of the Member States for the statistical requirements of
the Community, in order to obtain comparable results
between Member States.

Regulation (EC) No 2516/2000 ensures better compar-
ability and transparency among the Member States in
the recording of taxes and social contributions in ESA
95 for the Excessive Deficit Procedure. It provides that
net lending/net borrowing of general government is not
to include amounts of taxes and social contributions
unlikely to be collected.

Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 2516/2000 Member
States may ask the Commission for a transitional period
in which to bring their accounting systems into line with
that Regulation.

(4)

(5)

By letter dated 21 June 2001, the Portuguese authorities
have requested a transitional period to bring their
accounting systems into line with Regulation (EC) No
2516/2000.

Portugal has provided to the Commission evidence of
the need to improve the knowledge of the parts of taxes
and social contributions which are assessed and declared
but unlikely to be collected. This improvement will
benefit from the new Official Plan of Public Accounting
which is being implemented and which is fully consis-
tent with ESA 95 principles. However, the Commission
considers that Portugal can be ready for a correct imple-
mentation of Regulation (EC) No 2516/2000 in mid
2002.

(6)

The request by Portugal should therefore be granted up
until 30 June 2002,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Portugal is granted a transitional period in order to bring its
accounting systems into line with Regulation (EC) No 2516/
2000 no later than 30 June 2002.

This Decision is addressed to the Portuguese Republic.

Article 2

Done at Brussels, 30 January 2002.

For the Commission

Pedro SOLBES MIRA

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 290, 17.11.2000, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 310, 30.11.1996, p. 1.