CELEX: 51977PC0418
Language: en
Date: 1977-09-09
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL REGULATION amending Regulation (EEC) No 1736/75 on the external trade statistics of the Community and statistics of trade between Member States (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (77) 418
Vol. 1977/0136
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
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 ---pagebreak---        COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                COM(77)418 final
                                                Brussels , 9 September 1977
                                    Proposal for a
                                  COUNCIL REGULATION
                 amending Regulation ( EEC ) No 1736/ 75 on the external
                 trade statistics of the Community and statistics of
                              trade between Member States
                    ( submitted to the Council by the Commission )
                              «
C0M(77) 418 final .
 ---pagebreak---                             Reasons for the proposal
1 . Article 24 , paragraph 2 of Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 1736 /75 of
      24 June 1975 on the external trade statistics of the Community and statistics
     of trade between Member States ( 1 ) fixed the statistical threshold at
      250 units of account . It is to be noted , however , that as from 1 January 1977 ,
      statistics will be produced in European units of account . As this is an upper
      limit below which the Member States are free to fix their own thresholds in
     accordance with their own requirements , the need to carry out regular adjust­
     ments of the threshold did not figure in the debates preceding the adoption
     of the regulation . Hence Article 24 paragraph 3 only gave the Commission the
     power to standardize the statistical threshold in accordance with the proce­
     dure provided for in Article 41 of the same regulation . Since 1975 , however ,
     the rapid upward trend in prices has forced several Member States to raise
     their national threshold to the ceiling specified in Article 24 . Unless
     inflationary pressure slackens off in the near future , these Member States
     are worried that the administrative economies achieved by their national
     statistical institutes by reason of the statistical threshold will be jeopar­
     dized if they are not allowed to exceed the 250 EUA barrier .
2 . It thus seams reasonable to propose that the statistical threshold , as expres­
     sed in European units of account , be raised , the first stage being to a limit
     of 300 European units of account .
3 . To avoid in the future the procedure attendant on amending a Council Regulation
     involving in this case consultation with the European Parliament - every time
     the economic situation requires the statistical threshold to be adjusted , it
     seems expedient to give the Commission the power to adapt the relevant
     Community regulations quickly to the changed situation .
4 . To this end , it will suffice to extend the authority already accorded by
     paragraph 3 of Article 24 to those cases where it will be required to change
     the amount fixed by paragraph 2 into European units of account .
( 1 ) OJ No L 183 of 14.7.1975 , page 3
 ---pagebreak--- The use of the statistical threshold constitutes a simplification , enabling
the Member States to disregard a large proportion of their primary statistical
documentation - from the point of view of processing - without any significant
loss of information . Consequently , their own self-interest requires that they
and the Commission - acting together through the medium of the Committee on
External Trade Statistics - come up with appropriate measures as soon as
possible aimed at enabling this rationalized system to continue . .
 ---pagebreak--- PFôgôS&l fe ? à Côunôîl                      Régulation (ESC ) Nè 1T3é/75 en
the external trade statistics of the Community and statistics of trade between
Member States
1HE COUNCIL OP THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community , and
in particular Article 235 thereof ;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ;
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament ;
Whereas , with effect from 1 January 1977 » the external trade statistics of
the Community and statistics of trade between Member States are produced in
European units of account (EUA) as defined by Commission Decision
No 3289/75/ECSC of 18 December 1975 ( 1 );
Whereas , since the adoption of Regulation (EEC ) No 1736/75         Council of
24 June 1975 011 "the external trade statistics of the Community and statistics
of trade between Member States ( 2 ), prices have developed in such a way that
it is necessary to raise the statistical threshold from 25O to 300 EUA in
order to enable the Member States to discontinue the statistical recording of
consignments of minor or trivial value if they wish to make use of this option
for reasons of econonQr ;
Whereas the present situation as regards exchange rates has resulted in the
statistical threshold , as expressed in European Units of Account , being adjusted
more frequently and at shorter intervals than originally planned ; whereas the
system can be simplified by the inclusion of a provision for the statistical
threshold to be adjusted under the procedure set out in Article 41 of
Regulation (EEC ) No 1736/75 ,
( 1 ) OJ No L 327 of 19.12.1975 » P « 4
( 2 ) OJ No L 183 of 14.7.1975 , P « 3
 ---pagebreak--- HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISIONS
Article 1
Article 24 of Regulatipn (EEC ) N o 1736/75 is amended "to read, as follows:
" Article 24
1 . The statistical threshold shall toe the limit , expressed in net weight
     and in value , "below which no figures are compiled.            ' '
2 . The statistical threshold, may not exceed 1000 kg regardless of the
     statistical value of the goods nor 300 European units of account
     regardless of the net weight of the goods . Each Member State shall
     inform the Commission of the statistical threshold which it has adopted .
3 . Such measures as may "be required for purposes of changing the amount in
     European units of account fixed "by paragraph 2 , or of applying that
     paragraph , or of standardizing the statistical threshold shall "be
     adopted in accordance with Article 41 •
4 . The European unit of account (EUA) is that defined "by Commission
     Decision No 3289/75/ECSC of 18 December 1975 0 )."
Article 2
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities .
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable
in all Member States .
                                               Done at Brussels ,
                                               Por the Council
                                               The President
( 1 ) OJ No L 327 of 19.12.1975 , P. 4