Commission Regulation (EC) No 2204/2004 of 21 December 2004 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1915/83 on certain detailed implementing rules concerning the keeping of accounts for the purpose of determining the incomes of agricultural holdings

22.12.2004 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 374/40
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2204/2004
of 21 December 2004
amending Regulation (EEC) No 1915/83 on certain detailed implementing rules concerning the keeping of accounts for the purpose of determining the incomes of agricultural holdings
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation No 79/65/EEC of 15 June 1965 setting up a network for the collection of accountancy data on the incomes and business operation of agricultural holdings in the European Economic Community (1), and in particular Article 6(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Pursuant to Article 5(1) of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1915/83 (2), the Commission shall pay a standard fee to the Member State concerned in respect of each duly completed farm return forwarded to it within the period prescribed in Article 3 of that Regulation. For the sake of clarity some provisions relating to those payments laid down in Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1859/82 of 12 July 1982 concerning the selection of returning holdings for the purpose of determining incomes of agricultural holdings (3) should also be included in Regulation (EEC) No 1915/83.
(2) For budgetary reasons and to facilitate financial management, the maximum number of farm returns per Member State to be paid should be limited to the number indicated in Annex I to Regulation (EEC) No 1859/82.
(3) Some flexibility in the number of farm returns per division eligible for payment should be allowed, within the maximum number of returning holdings per Member State as laid down in Annex I to Regulation (EEC) No 1859/82 if the Member State concerned has more than one division.
(4) If the number of duly completed farm returns forwarded within the time limit per division or per Member State is less than 80 % of the number fixed for the division or the Member State in question, the standard fee for the farm returns from that division or from the Member State concerned should be reduced as from accounting year 2005. However, it is appropriate, as a transitional measure, to postpone the application of the reduction system in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia, in order to allow a smooth adaptation of the new Member States to the system of keeping accounts for the purpose of determining the incomes of agricultural holdings, that is new for them.
(5) Regulation (EEC) No 1915/83 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(6) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Community Committee for the Farm Accountancy Data Network,