THE PROCESSING REQUIREMENTS OF THEIR CUSTOMS AND STATISTICAL ADMINISTRATIONS . SOME MEMBER STATES ARE ALSO LOOKING INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF USING COMPUTERS MORE WIDELY IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR .
MOST MEMBER STATES HAVE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITY OF USING MORE ADVANCED DATA PROCESSING AND TRANSMISSION TECHNIQUES FOR EXCHANGING INFORMATION WITH THE COMMISSION . SOME MEMBER STATES ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN THE DIRECT EXCHANGE OF CERTAIN STANDARD TYPES OF IMPORT/EXPORT DATA BY INFORMATIC METHODS .
THE COMMISSION IS UNDER AN OBLIGATION TO ORGANIZE ITS OWN INFORMATIC METHODS IN SUCH A WAY AS TO PROVIDE AN EFFICIENT SERVICE SUITED NOT ONLY TO ITS OWN PURPOSES BUT ALSO TO THOSE OF THE MEMBER STATES AND , AS FAR AS POSSIBLE , COMPATIBLE WITH THE VARIOUS SYSTEMS USED BY MEMBER STATES .
ADMINISTRATIVE , BUSINESS AND POLITICAL CIRCLES ARE VERY INTERESTED IN THE SIMPLIFICATION OF IMPORT/EXPORT PROCEDURES .
MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION WILL CONTINUE TO WANT TO DEVELOP THEIR OWN , INDEPENDENT INFORMATIC SYSTEMS IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE . THESE DEVELOPMENTS CANNOT REASONABLY BE DELAYED BUT AN OVERALL COMMUNITY FRAMEWORK IS URGENTLY REQUIRED SO THAT COMMUNITY REQUIREMENTS CAN BE FITTED INTO THE NEW SYSTEMS AS THEY ARE DESIGNED .
2 . WORK DONE BY THE COMMISSION
IN THE LIGHT OF THE SITUATION OUTLINED ABOVE THE COMMISSION ASKED INDEPENDENT CONSULTANTS TO CONDUCT TWO INTERRELATED PRELIMINARY SURVEYS . THE FIRST WAS DESIGNED TO OUTLINE STRATEGIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITY IMPORT/EXPORT INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND THE SECOND , MORE SPECIFICALLY , TO EXPLORE HOW COMPUTERS MIGHT BE USED MORE EFFICIENTLY IN THE APPLICATION , MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL CONTROL OF THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY .
THESE SURVEYS CONFIRMED THE URGENT NEED FOR A COMMUNITY FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATIC SYSTEMS FOR IMPORTS/EXPORTS AND AGRICULTURE AND INDICATE IN SOME DETAIL THE STEPS REQUIRED TO DEVELOP THIS FRAMEWORK , AS WELL AS A NUMBER OF SHORT- AND MEDIUM-TERM IMPROVEMENTS WHICH SHOULD BE MADE .
3 . FURTHER ACTION REQUIRED
THE NEED TO DEVELOP SYSTEMS TO MEET SHORT- AND MEDIUM-TERM NEEDS IS SO GREAT THAT DEVELOPMENT WORK BY THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION ON DATA AND INFORMATION CONCERNING IMPORTS/EXPORTS , AND ON THE MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL CONTROL OF THE AGRICULTURAL MARKET ORGANIZATIONS , NEEDS TO BE PUSHED AHEAD AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE . IT IS ENVISAGED THEREFORE THAT SHORT- AND MEDIUM-TERM MEASURES WILL BE TAKEN WHERE APPROPRIATE .
TO MEET LONGER-TERM NEEDS , AND IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A COMMUNITY FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF COORDINATED AND COMPATIBLE SYSTEMS , IT WILL ALSO BE NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT A DETAILED STUDY OF THE MAJOR REQUIREMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES AND THE COMMISSION . THE SCALE AND TECHNICAL CHARACTER OF THIS WORK ARE SUCH THAT THE NORMAL COMMUNITY COMMITTEE MACHINERY NEEDS TO BE SUPPLEMENTED BY A STUDY ALONG THE LINES OUTLINED ABOVE .
THE RESULTS OF THE PRELIMINARY SURVEYS WILL HELP TO ORIENTATE THE IN-DEPTH STUDY .
****
II . CONTENT OF THE PROJECT
USING THE INFORMATION GATHERED DURING THE PRELIMINARY SURVEYS AS A BASIS ,