Statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States (Intrastat); Commission implementing powers

The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs adopted a report drafted by Eoin RYAN (UEN, IE), and amended the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 on Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States.

The main amendments – adopted in 1st reading of the codecision procedure – are as follows : 

- the future introduction of a single flow system could be another step forward. To this end, the value and viability of the introduction of single flow reporting should be investigated by the Commission, if appropriate, inter alia, by launching a pilot project;

- for defining thresholds below which parties are exempted from providing any Intrastat information, Member States shall ensure that the information made available by the parties responsible for providing information, covers at least 90 % and at most 95 % of arrivals and dispatches of the relevant Member State's total trade expressed in value. The Commission may adapt the thresholds to technical and economic developments. Those measures will be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny;

- the committee has also made amendments in the area of statistical confidentiality and in the paragraphs relating to the reporting on trade by business characteristics, bringing the regulation in line with developments in related legislation.