Council Regulation (EC) No 78/2008 of 21 January 2008 on the measures to be undertaken by the Commission in 2008-2013 making use of the remote-sensing applications developed within the framework of the common agricultural policy
Date: 2008-01-21
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU financing, agricultural statistics, common agricultural policy, crop yield, exchange of information, land use, remote sensing

30.1.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 25/1

(Acts adopted under the EC Treaty/Euratom Treaty whose publication is obligatory)

I

REGULATIONS

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 78/2008

of 21 January 2008

on the measures to be undertaken by the Commission in 2008-2013 making use of the remote-
sensing applications developed within the framework of the common agricultural policy

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community, and in particular
Article 37(2) thereof,

establishing the European
the third subparagraph of

notably, Council Decision 88/503/EEC of 26 September
1988 adopting a pilot project on remote sensing applied
to agricultural statistics (3), has enabled the agro-meteo-
rological system for forecasting yields and monitoring
land and crop conditions to achieve an advanced opera-
tional and development stage, and to demonstrate its
effectiveness.

Having regard to the proposal by the Commission,

(3)

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Under Article 33(2)(a) of
the Treaty establishing the
European Community, the common agricultural policy
(CAP) is to take account of the particular nature of agri-
cultural activity, which results from the social structure of
agriculture and from structural and natural disparities
between the various agricultural regions. In this respect,
it is necessary to have information on the condition of
the
land and crops
management of
the
markets. Remote-sensing applications can provide some
of the information required to this end, provided that
the
all
they can cover
management of the agricultural markets.

context, notably for
common organisations of

in this
the

areas of

interest

the

for

Experience gained in 2004-2007, within the framework
of Decision No 1445/2000/EC of
European
Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2000 on the
application of aerial-survey and remote-sensing tech-
for 1999 to
agricultural
niques
2003 (2), as amended, and prior decisions
such as,

statistics

to the

the

perfect

agricultural

forecasting models,

specific and ancillary applications

Remote sensing has thus demonstrated that it provides a
response tailored to the management needs of the CAP,
and that the needs identified cannot be met by the tradi-
tional agricultural statistics and forecasting systems. It has
also enhanced the accuracy, objectivity,
speed and
frequency with which observations are made, and has
helped
in
particular by
establishing regionally based models.
Finally, remote sensing has facilitated the development
of
the estab-
lishment and collection of agricultural statistics, and
has enabled savings to be made in the costs of moni-
toring and control of agricultural expenditure. Provision
should, therefore, be made for the continuation of these
remote sensing applications using financing from the
European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF)
in the
period 2008-2013, pursuant
to Article 3(2)(e) of
Council Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 of 21 June
2005 on the financing of
the common agricultural
policy (4).

for

(4)

the CAP making use of

The detailed implementing rules for measures to be
undertaken by the Commission within the framework
of
remote sensing should,
however, be adjusted and reorganised, and the operatio-
nal measures undertaken within the framework of this
system should be separated from those which require
Separate
more
development work.
the latter
provision should therefore be made for
research
measures in the framework programme for
and development.

research

and

(1) Opinion of 16.1.2008 (not yet published in the Official Journal).
(2) OJ L 163, 4.7.2000, p. 1. Decision as last amended by Decision No

(3) OJ L 273, 5.10.1988, p. 12.
(4) OJ L 209, 11.8.2005, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

786/2004/EC (OJ L 138, 30.4.2004, p. 7).

lation (EC) No 1437/2007 (OJ L 322, 7.12.2007, p. 1).

L 25/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.1.2008

(5)

It should also be laid down that the information and
estimates which result
from the measures undertaken
and are held by the Commission be made available to
the Member States, and the European Parliament and the
Council should be informed by means of an interim and
a final report of the conditions for implementation of the
remote-sensing measures undertaken and on the use of
the resources made available to the Commission, accom-
panied, where appropriate, by a proposal to continue
these measures beyond the period laid down in this
Regulation,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

(b) creation of a spatial data infrastructure and a website;

(c) carrying out specific studies on climatic conditions;

(d) updating agro-meteorological and econometric models.

Where necessary, these measures shall be carried out in close
collaboration with national laboratories and bodies.

Article 2

The Commission shall make the information and estimates
which result
from the measures referred to in Article 1(1)
available to the Member States electronically.

1.
the
From 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2013,
measures undertaken by the Commission making use of
the
remote-sensing applications within the framework of
common agricultural policy (CAP) may be financed by the
EAGF, pursuant
to Article 3(2)(e) of Regulation (EC) No
1290/2005, where their aim is to give the Commission the
means to:

Article 3

Detailed rules for the implementation of this Regulation shall be
adopted in accordance with the procedure set out in Article
41(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005,
in particular as
regards making available
information and estimates
referred to in Article 2 of this Regulation.

the

(a) manage agricultural markets;

Article 4

(b) ensure agro-economic monitoring of agricultural land and
of the condition of crops, to enable estimates to be made, in
particular as regards yields and agricultural production;

(c) promote access to the estimates referred to in point (b);

(d) ensure technological follow-up of the agro-meteorological

system.

The measures referred to in paragraph 1 shall be in

2.
particular:

(a) collection or purchase of data needed to implement and
monitor the CAP, in particular satellite data and meteoro-
logical data;

Not later than 31 July 2010 and 31 July 2013 respectively, the
Commission shall submit an interim and a final report to the
European Parliament and to the Council on the implementation
of the remote-sensing measures and on the use of the financial
resources made available to it under this Regulation.

Where appropriate, the final report shall be accompanied by a
proposal to continue these measures within the framework of
the CAP.

Article 5

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publi-
cation in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2013.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 21 January 2008.

For the Council
The President

I. JARC