Commission Regulation (EC) No 2602/2000 of 17 November 2000 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 2494/95 as regards minimum standards for the treatment of price reductions in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (Text with EEA relevance)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 2602/2000
of 17 November 2000
laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 2494/95 as regards minimum standards for the treatment of price reductions in the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2494/95 of 23 October 1995 concerning harmonised indices of consumer prices(1), and in particular Article 4 in conjunction with Article 5(3) thereof,
After consulting the European Central Bank(2),
Whereas:
(1) By virtue of Article 5(1)(b) of Regulation (EC) No 2494/95, each Member State is required to produce a Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) starting with the index for January 1997.
(2) There is considerable scope for procedural differences in the treatment of price reductions and the relationship between price reductions and purchase price. A harmonised methodology for the treatment of price reductions in the HICP is necessary to ensure that the resulting HICPs meet the comparability requirement of Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 2494/95. It will also improve their reliability and relevance.
(3) Prices used in the HICP should be purchaser prices actually paid by households to purchase individual goods and services in monetary transactions, including any taxes less subsidies on the products, after deductions for discounts for bulk or off-peak purchases from standard prices or charges, and excluding interest or services charges added under credit arrangements and any extra charges incurred as a result of failing to pay within the period stated at the time the purchases were made.
(4) In the event of changes in specification, prices should be treated in accordance with the rules regarding quality adjustment set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1749/96 of 9 September 1996 on initial implementing measures for Council Regulation (EC) No 2494/95 concerning harmonised indices of consumer prices(3), as last amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 1688/98(4).
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Statistical Programme Committee (SPC) established by Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom(5),