24. 12. 96 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 335/3 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 2467/96 of 17 December 1996 amending Regulation (EEC) No 571/88 on the organization of Community surveys on the structure of agricultural holdings THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parlia- ment (%), Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 571/88 of 29 February 1988 on the organization of Community surveys on the structure of agricultural holdings between 1988 and 1997 (} provides for a programme of four Community surveys on the structure of agricultural holdings in the period 1988 to 1957; whereas this survey programme follows on from a series of Community surveys on agricultural structures, the first of which was conducted in 1966/67; whereas, further, the Regulation in question provides for the implementation of the Eurofarm data bank for storing, processing and disseminating the survey results; Whereas trends in the structure of agricultural holdings are an important factor in determining the development of the common agricultural policy; whereas these struc- ture surveys should therefore be continued after 1997 according to a similar survey programme; whereas the list of survey characteristics required should be kept under review to make sure the existing characteristics can be fully justified and that new or emerging needs are con- sidered; Whereas Regulation (EEC) No 571/88 has been shown to be in accordance with these objectives; whereas it is necessary to extend the period of application of the said Regulation for a 10-year period covering the period 1998 to 2007; Whereas structure statistics broken down in small re- gional detail are increasingly needed in the context of the reform of the common agricultural policy, but also for regional policy purposes; whereas it is therefore necessary to organize and conduct structural surveys in such a way that disaggregate survey results can be provided at district level; whereas, consequently, the survey costs will be () OJ No C 293, 5. 10. 1996, p. 38. () O] No C 347, 18. 11. 1996. () OJ No L 56, 2. 3. 1988, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Decision 96/170/EC (O] No L 47, 24. 2. 1996, p. 23). higher and it will be necessary to increase the Com- munity contribution towards costs of the 1999/2000 basic survey; Whereas, in order to carry out these surveys, both the Member States and the Community will need to set aside over a number of years substantial budgetary resources, a large proportion of which will have to be used to meet the information requirements of the Community institu- tions; whereas continuing provision should therefore be made in the Community budget for the necessary funds for a Community contribution towards the carrying out of the surveys and towards the processing and dissemination costs of the survey results via the Eurofarm system; Whereas, for the purpose of implementing this Regula- tion and in particular the Eurofarm project, the individual data transmitted to the Statistical Office of the European Communites must be treated in accordance with the provisions of Regulation (Euratom, EEC) No 1588/90 (¥ on the transmission of data subject to statistical confiden- tiality to the statistical office of the European Commun- ities; Whereas the financial reference amounts, within the meaning of point 2 of the Declaration by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission of 6 March 1995, are included in this Regulation for the entire dura- tion of the programme, without thereby affecting the powers of the budgetary authority as they are defined by the Treaty; Whereas, in order to carry out these surveys successfully, the close and trusting cooperation between the Member States and the Commission must continue, in particular via the Standing Committee on Agricultural Statistics set up by Decision 72/279/EEC (%), HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 Regulation (EEC) No 571/88 is hereby amended as follows: 1. in the title, ‘between 1988 and 1997 shall be deleted; () OJ No L 151, 15. 6. 1990, p. 1. () OJ No L 179, 7. 8. 1972, p. 1.