Crop statistics

2008/0079(COD)

PURPOSE: to establish a common framework for the systematic production of Community statistics on land use and crop production.

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT: Council Regulation (EEC) No 837/90 concerning statistical information to be supplied by the Member States on cereals production and Council Regulation (EEC) No 959/93 concerning statistical information to be supplied by Member States on crop products other than cereals have been amended several times. Since further amendments and simplifications are now necessary, these acts should, for reasons of clarity, be replaced.

Statistics on crops are essential for management of the EU markets. It is also considered essential that vegetable and permanent crop statistics be covered in addition to statistics on cereals and remaining crops from arable land currently governed by legislation. In order to ensure that the common agricultural policy is properly administered, the Commission requires that data on areas, yields and production of crops is regularly provided.

Member States shall provide annually to the Commission the data referred to in Annex II of the proposed Regulation. The reference period shall be the harvest year. The first reference year shall be 2010.

The measures necessary for implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission. In particular, powers should be conferred on the Commission to adapt the transmission tables. Since such measures are of general scope and are intended to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation or to supplement it by adding new non-essential elements, they must be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny provided for in Article 5a of Decision 1999/468/EC.