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.

The European Parliament adopted, by 643 votes to 12 with 8 abstentions a legislative resolution amending the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning crop statistics. The amendments were the result of a compromise between Parliament and Council.

The main amendments – adopted in 1st reading of the codecision procedure – are as follows: Purpose of the Regulation : it is clarified that the Regulation establishes a common framework for the systematic production of Community statistics on agricultural land use and crop production.

Definitions: definitions should not be included as part of the Annex but should be included in the main part of the Regulation, more specifically in the article on definitions.

Variables with a low prevalence : Variables with a low or zero prevalence in a Member State may be excluded from the statistics, provided that the Member State in question informs the Commission of all such crops and of the applicable threshold for low prevalence of each such crop no later than in the calendar year immediately preceding each of the reference periods.

Precision: precision requirements should not be included in a foot-note as part of the Annex but should be included in the main part of the Regulation. However, the compromise text adopts the Commission's figure of 3% for the variation coefficients.

Evaluation of the report's quality : every 3 years, and for the first time 21 months (rather than 18 months) after the date of application of the Regulation, Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with a report on the quality of the data transmitted making reference to the quality assessment dimensions.

Quality report : the quality report, using the quality assessment dimensions referred to in the text, shall describe: (i) the organisation of the survey and the methodology applied; (ii)the level of precision achieved for the sample surveys; (iii)the quality of sources other than surveys which are used.

Transitional period : a full calendar year transitional period for the implementation of the Regulation, lasting not more than two years from 1 January 2010, may be granted to a Member State in accordance with the management procedure in so far as the application of the Regulation to its national statistical system necessitates major adaptations and is likely to cause significant practical problems.

Reduce the burden on respondents : a provision in the text states that where administrative sources are used, Member States shall inform the Commission in advance about methods used and the quality of data from such sources. Furthermore, consideration shall be given to the principle that additional costs and burdens remain within reasonable limits.

Annex : lastly, changes are made to the Annex.

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development adopted a report drafted by Elisabeth JEGGLE (EPP-ED, DE), and amended the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning crop statistics.

The main amendments – in the framework of the consultation procedure – are as follows :

Purpose of the Regulation: members wanted the reference to land use to be deleted, given that such information will already be available to the Commission in 2010, 2013 and 2016 pursuant to the Regulation on farm structure surveys and the survey on agricultural production methods and repealing Council Regulation no.571/88.

Definitions : definitions should not be included as part of the Annex but should be included in the main part of the Regulation, more specifically in the article on definitions.

Variables with a low prevalence : Member States shall inform the commission of their definition off low prevalence. Members felt that the Commission and Member States should know when exactly exclusion from the statistics is possible and can be applied.

Precision : precision requirements should not be included in a foot-note as part of the Annex but should be included in the main part of the Regulation. Furthermore it is proposed to raise the variation coefficients from 3 to 4 % in order to keep the costs and administrative burdens for Member States within reasonable limits.

Evaluation of the report's quality : every three years, and for the first time 21 months (rather than 18 months) after the date of application of the Regulation, Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with a report on the quality of the data transmitted making reference to the quality assessment dimensions.

Comitology : Members considered that the regulatory procedure with scrutiny should be applied to the data covered by the Regulation, the modalities and the structure of the quality reports.

Reduce the burden on respondents : the committee inserted a provision which states that where administrative sources are used, Member States shall inform the Commission in advance about methods used and the quality of data from such sources. Furthermore, consideration shall be given to the principle that additional costs and burdens remain within reasonable limits.

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.

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.