Agricultural statistics: improving and extension until 2007

PURPOSE : to present a proposal for a decision to amend Decision 96/411/EC on improving Community agricultural statistics. CONTENT : Decision 96/411/EC on improving agricultural statistics has put at the Commission's disposal a flexible tool which allows this to adapt statistical applications to changes in information needs. Decision 2298/2000/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council extends the tool introduced by Decision 96/411/EC until 2002. This tool, and in particular its extension, has helped to further the process of adapting the system of Community agricultural statistics to changed in the statistical information needs of the common agricultural policy. This tool has already been used and technical action plans have been adopted for the years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002. However, this process has not yet been completed. Indeed, these efforts will need to continue in the coming years to take account on the one hand of the planned changes to the CAP and, secondly, of EU enlargement, which will significantly increase the number of Member States which may need to make major adaptations to their agricultural statistcs. The Commission considers that the tool established by Decision 96/411/EC should be extended until 2007, to accompany 2003-2007 Community statistical programme, and that Article 6(4) should be amended as required under the Interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May 1999 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and improvement of the budgetary procedure.�