Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 75/2008 of 6 June 2008 amending Protocol 30 to the EEA Agreement, on specific provisions on the organization of cooperation in the field of statistics
Date: 2008-06-06
Institutions: EEA Joint Committee
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, EU statistics, Economic and Monetary Union, Eurostat, enlargement of the Union, statistical method

25.9.2008

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Official Journal of the European Union

L 257/41

DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE

No 75/2008

of 6 June 2008

amending Protocol 30 to the EEA Agreement, on specific provisions on the organization of
cooperation in the field of statistics

THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, as amended by the Protocol adjusting the
Agreement on the European Economic Area, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Agreement’, and in particular
Article 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

Protocol 30 to the Agreement was amended by Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 90/2004 of
8 June 2004 (1).

The EEA statistical programme 1998 to 2002 is no longer applicable and should consequently be
deleted under the Agreement.

(3)

The structure of Protocol 30 should be simplified.

(4)

(5)

That structural simplification should have no bearing on the substance concerning the EEA statistical
cooperation 2003 to 2007, as included in Protocol 30 by Decisions of the EEA Joint Committee No
163/2003 (2) and No 90/2004.

The EEA Statistical Programme 2008 to 2012 should be based on Decision No 1578/2007/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2007 on the Community Statistical
Programme 2008 to 2012 (3) and should include those programme elements which are necessary
for the description and monitoring of all relevant economic, social and environmental aspects of the
European Economic Area.

(6)

Protocol 30 to the Agreement should therefore be amended in order to allow for this extended
cooperation to take place from 1 January 2008,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Protocol 30 to the Agreement shall be amended as specified in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 1

Article 2

The list of committees agreed upon by the Contracting Parties to the Agreement and contained in the
Agreed Minute Ad Protocol 30 of the negotiations for an agreement between the European Economic
Community, the European Coal and Steel Community and their Member States and the EFTA States on the
European Economic Area shall be without prejudice to participation by the EFTA States in any other EC
committee or body in accordance with Article 1(2) of Protocol 30 as amended by this Decision.

(1) OJ L 349, 25.11.2004, p. 52.
(2) OJ L 41, 12.2.2004, p. 64.
(3) OJ L 344, 28.12.2007, p. 15.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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This Decision shall enter into force on the day following the last notification to the EEA Joint Committee
under Article 103(1) of the Agreement (*).

Article 3

It shall apply from 1 January 2008.

Article 4

This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal of
the European Union.

Done at Brussels, 6 June 2008.

For the EEA Joint Committee
The President

Alan SEATTER

(*) No constitutional requirements indicated.

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The text of Protocol 30 to the Agreement shall be replaced by the following:

ANNEX

‘Article 1

General provisions

A conference of representatives of national statistical organisations of the Contracting Parties, the Statistical
1.
Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) and the EFTA Statistical Office (ESO) shall guide statistical cooper­
ation and develop programmes and procedures for statistical cooperation in close coordination with those of the
Community and monitor their implementation. This conference and the Statistical Programme Committee (SPC)
shall organise their tasks for the purposes of this Protocol in combined meetings as SPC/EEA Conference pursuant to
specific rules of procedure to be established by the SPC/EEA Conference.

2.
The EFTA States shall, as from the start of the cooperation in connection with the programmes and actions
referred to in this Protocol, participate fully without the right to vote in the EC committees and other bodies which
assist the EC Commission in the management or development of these programmes and actions.

3.
Statistical information from EFTA States shall be transmitted from the EFTA States to Eurostat for storage,
processing and dissemination. To this end, ESO shall work in close cooperation with the EFTA States and Eurostat in
order to ensure that data from the EFTA States is transmitted properly and disseminated to the various user groups
through the normal dissemination channels as part of the EEA statistics.

The EFTA States shall defray the additional costs incurred by Eurostat for storing, processing and disseminating

4.
data from their countries.

The EFTA States shall contribute financially to the Community’s overhead costs arising from their participation
5.
in programmes and actions referred to in this Protocol other than those incurred for storing, disseminating or
processing data in accordance with Article 82(1)(b) of the Agreement.

The handling of statistics from the EFTA States shall be governed by Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 of

6.
17 February 1997 on Community Statistics (OJ L 52, 22.2.1997, p. 1).

7.
A joint ESO/Eurostat annual report assessing whether the objectives, priorities and actions planned in
connection with this Protocol have been achieved, shall be produced and submitted to the SPC/EEA conference
to which reference is made in paragraph 1 and to the EEA Joint Committee.

Article 2

Statistical Programme 2003 to 2007

1.
The Community statistical programme 2003 to 2007 as established by Decision of the European Parliament
and of the Council to which reference is made in paragraph 4 shall constitute the framework for the EEA statistical
actions to be carried out between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2007. All main fields and statistical themes of
the Community statistical programme 2003 to 2007 shall be considered to be relevant for the EEA statistical
cooperation and shall be open for full participation by the EFTA States.

From 1 January 2003, a specific EEA Annual Statistical Programme shall be developed every year by the EFTA
2.
Statistical Office in consultation with the EFTA Heads of National Statistical Institutes Working Group. The EEA
Annual Statistical Programme shall be based on a subset of, and in parallel with the annual work programme
elaborated by the Commission in accordance with the Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council
referred to in paragraph 4.

3.
From 1 January 2003, the EFTA States shall contribute financially in accordance with Article 82(1)(a) of the
Agreement and the Financial Regulations thereto to an amount representing 75 per cent of the amount shown in
budget lines B5-600A and B5-600B or successor article (Statistical Information Policy) entered in the Community
budget.

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4.

The following Community acts are the object of this Article:

— 32002 D 2367: Decision No 2367/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December
2002 on the Community statistical programme 2003 to 2007 (OJ L 358, 31.12.2002, p. 1), as amended by:

— 32004 D 0787: Decision No 787/2004/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004

(OJ L 138, 30.4.2004, p. 12).

Article 3

Statistical Programme 2008 to 2012

1.
The Community statistical programme 2008 to 2012 as established by Decision of the European Parliament
and of the Council to which reference is made in paragraph 4 shall constitute the framework for the EEA statistical
actions to be carried out between 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012. All main fields and statistical themes of
the Community statistical programme 2008 to 2012 shall be considered to be relevant for the EEA statistical
cooperation and shall be open for full participation by the EFTA States.

2.
From 1 January 2008, a specific EEA Annual Statistical Programme shall be developed every year jointly by the
EFTA Statistical Office and Eurostat. The EEA Annual Statistical Programme shall be based on a subset of, and in
parallel with the annual work programme elaborated by the Commission in accordance with the Decision of the
European Parliament and of the Council referred to in paragraph 4. The EEA Annual Statistical Programme shall be
approved by the Contracting Parties in accordance with their own internal procedures.

3.
From 1 January 2008, the EFTA States shall contribute financially in accordance with Article 82(1)(a) of the
Agreement and the Financial Regulations thereto to an amount representing 75 per cent of the amount shown in
budget lines 29 02 03 and 29 01 04 01 (Statistical Information Policy) entered in the Community budget.

4.

The following Community act is the object of this Article:

— 32007 D 1578: Decision No 1578/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December

2007 on the Community Statistical Programme 2008 to 2012 (OJ L 344, 28.12.2007, p. 15).’