Agricultural and fishery statistics: aligning certain legislative acts with the TFEU (Commission delegated and implementing powers)

PURPOSE: the amendment of nine legislative acts in the domain of agricultural and fishery statistics with a view to aligning them with the new institutional context (Commission powers in regard to delegated and implementing acts).

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

BACKGROUND: as a consequence of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the powers conferred upon the Commission need to be aligned to Articles 290 and 291 of the TFEU.

The Commission has committed itself, with regard to Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission’s exercise of implementing powers16, to reviewing legislative acts which currently contain references to the regulatory procedure with scrutiny in the light of the criteria laid down in the Treaty.

The overall objective is by the end of Parliament's seventh term (June 2014), to remove all provisions referring to the regulatory procedure with scrutiny from all legislative instruments.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: the Commission did not undertake an impact assessment.

LEGAL BASIS: Article 338(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

CONTENT: the aim of this proposal is to modify nine legislative acts in the domain of agricultural and fishery statistics in order to align them with the new institutional context. In particular, the aim is to identify what powers the Commission has and establish the appropriate procedure for adopting measures on the basis of these powers.

Another aspect of the proposal is the streamlining of the European Statistical System (ESS). It is recalled that the European Statistical System Committee (ESSC), established by Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, is regarded as the umbrella committee within the ESS. It assists the Commission in exercising of its implementing powers in certain statistical domains. These exclude agricultural and fishery statistics where the Commission is assisted by the Standing Committee for Agricultural Statistics (SCAS).

The Commission is proposing a new ESS structure aimed at improving coordination and partnership in a clear pyramid structure within the ESS, with the ESSC as highest strategic body. One aspect of this streamlining is to concentrate comitology powers in the hands of the ESSC.

The suggestion is therefore to modify the nine legislative acts in order to replace the reference to the SCAS by a reference to the ESSC.

BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: the proposal has no implications for the EU budget.