Statistics on the trading of goods between Member States: computer networks between administrations, EDICOM 1996-1999

This proposal is designed to replace Council Decision 96/445/EC on telematic networks for statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States (EDICOM), annulled by the Court of Justice on 26 March 1996 on the grounds that it had an inappropriate legal basis, following the appeal lodged by Parliament. The Commission is now submitting as a 'new' proposal the original text of the proposal adopted before the entry into force of the TEU, but adopting as legal basis Article 129d(3) of the Treaty (in place of Article 100a) to enable the programme to continue. The text proposed by the Commission continues to refer to the establishment of the internal market, whilst the chosen legal basis concerns the establishment of the trans-European networks. Moreover, this proposal is identical in content to Council Decision 94/445/EC (EDICOM) and takes no account either of the discussions within the Council and the EP, or of relevant developments following the entry into force of the TEU, or of the adoption of the initial telecommunications guidelines for the ISDN and the TELECOM-TEN. For the record, the purpose of this measure is to support the application of the INTRASTAT Regulation as regards the collection, processing and dissemination of statistics on the trading of goods between Member States by means of increased use of telematic networks and by promoting the exchange of data between businesses and national and Community administrations. On the basis of this Europe-wide multiannual measure (1996-2000), it is possible to increase the level of harmonization of data and procedures by using standardized electronic forms and to reduce�