17.11.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L 290/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) REGULATION (EC) No 2516/2000 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 7 November 2000 modifying the common principles of the European system of national and regional accounts in the Community (ESA) 95 as concerns taxes and social contributions and amending Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 285 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (%), Whereas: (1) Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 of 25 June 1996 on the European system of national and regional accounts in the Community (*) (ESA 95) contains the reference framework of common standards, definitions, classifications and accounting rules for drawing up the accounts of the Member States for the statistical require- ments of the Community, in order to obtain comparable results between Member States. (2)  Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 sets out the conditions under which the Commission may adopt amendments to the ESA 95 methodology which are intended to clarify and improve its content. (3) It is therefore necessary to refer the clarifications concerning the recording of taxes and social contribu- tions in ESA 95 to the European Parliament and to the Council as these clarifications modify basic concepts. (4)  Article 2 of the protocol on the excessive deficit proce- dure relating to Article 104 of the Treaty states that the government deficit means net borrowing of the general () O] C 21 E, 25.1.2000, p. 68. () O] C 75, 15.3.2000, p. 19. (*) Opinion of the European Parliament of 13 April 2000 (not yet published in the Official Journal), Council Common Position of 26 June 2000 (O] C 245, 25.8.2000, p. 1) and Decision of the European Parliament of 3 October 2000 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () OJ L 310, 30.11.1996, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) No 448/98 (O] L 58, 27.2.1998, p. 1). government sector as defined in the European system of integrated economic accounts (ESA). (5)  The Statistical Programme Committee (SPC), set up by Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom (°), the Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payments Statistics (CMFB), set up by Council Decision 91/115/EEC (), and the Gross National Product Committee (GNP Committee) can state their opinion on the country-specific accounting treatment of taxes and social contributions whenever they consider it relevant. (6)  The SPC and the CMFB have been consulted. (7)  The measures necessary for the implementation of Regu- lation (EC) No 2223/96 should be adopted in accord- ance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (7), HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 Purpose The purpose of this Regulation is to modify the common principles of ESA 95 as concerns taxes and social contributions so as to ensure comparability and transparency among the Member States. Article 2 General principles The impact on the net lending/borrowing of general govern- ment of taxes and social contributions recorded in the system shall not include amounts unlikely to be collected. () O] L 181, 28.6.1989, p. 47. (®) O] L 59, 6.3.1991, p. 19. Decision as amended by Decision 96/ 174/EC (O] L 51, 1.3.1996, p. 48). () O] L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.