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Crop statistics

2008/0079(COD)

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

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EC) No 543 concerning crop statistics and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 837/90 and (EEC) No 959/93.

CONTENT: the Council adopted a regulation concerning crop statistics, following a first-reading agreement with the European Parliament. The new legislative act will establish a common framework for the systematic production of Community statistics on agricultural land use and crop production. It repeals Council Regulations (EEC) No 837/90 and (EEC) No 959/93 with effect from 1 January 2010.

Statistics on crops are essential for management of the Community markets. It is also considered essential that vegetable and permanent crop statistics be included in addition to statistics on cereals and remaining crops from arable land, currently governed by Community legislation.

The new Regulation contains provisions on the coverage of statistics, the frequency and reference period (the first reference year is 2010), precision requirements, transmission to the Commission, regional statistics and statistical quality and report. The text:

  • defines the territorial units in accordance with the NUTS classification, in order to establish comparable regional statistics;
  • limits the burden on Member States, by providing that regional data requirements should not exceed the requirements established by previous legislation unless new regional levels have come into existence in the meantime;
  • maintains close cooperation between Member States and the Commission, in particular with the assistance of the Standing Committee for Agricultural Statistics set up by Council Decision 72/279/EEC;
  • allows for the granting of a derogation for a period of not more than two years to Member States where application of this Regulation to their national statistical systems would require major adaptations and would be likely to cause significant practical problems.

The transmission tables that appear in the annex may be modified by the Commission. These measures shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny (comitology).

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 19/07/2009.

APPLICATION: from 01/01/2010.