8.7.2003 Official Journal of the European Union L 169/37 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1216/2003 of 7 July 2003 implementing Regulation (EC) No 450/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the labour cost index (Text with EEA relevance) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 450/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 February 2003 concerning the labour cost index (), and in particular Article 11 thereof, Whereas: (1) Seasonal and working-day adjustment of the labour cost index is an essential part of the compilation of the index. Adjusted series make it possible to compare results and to interpret the index in a comprehensible manner. (2)  Predetermined transmission formats minimise the problems arising from the data transmission and, together with standardised quality reports, improve the interpretation and fast usage of the labour cost index. (3)  The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Statistical Programme Committee. (4)  Pursuant to Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 450/2003, certain derogations from Regulation (EC) No 450/2003 should be granted, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 Transmission and adjustment procedures 1. The transmitted indices and metadata shall be sent in electronic form by the Member States to the Commission (Eurostat). Transmission shall conform to appropriate inter- change standards approved by the Statistical Programme Committee. Eurostat shall make available detailed documenta- tion in relation to approved standards and shall supply guide- lines on how to implement these standards. 2. The transmitted indices and metadata shall be prepared in such a way as to allow a thorough interpretation of the results and the efficient application of the Commission's (Eurostat) seasonal adjustment procedures for the European aggregates. The index series shall be delivered in the following forms: (a) unadjusted; () OJL 69, 13.3.2003, p. 1. (b) working-day adjusted; (c) seasonally and working-day adjusted. Atticle 2 Quality 1. The quality criteria referred to in Article 8(1) of Regula- tion (EC) No 450/2003 shall comprise the following: (a) relevance; (b) accuracy; (c) timeliness and punctuality; (d) accessibility and clarity; (e) comparability; (f) coherence; (g) completeness. The national authorities shall ensure that the results reflect the true situation regarding the economic activities with a sufficient degree of representativity. 2. The quality reports provided for by Article 8(2) of Regula- tion (EC) No 450/2003 shall be transmitted to the Commission by 31 August each year at the latest and shall relate to data ending in the fourth quarter of the previous calendar year. The first quality report shall be transmitted by 31 August 2004 at the latest. 3. The content of the annual quality reports for the labour cost index shall be as set out in Annex I to this Regulation. Article 3 Transition periods Details relating to the transition periods provided for in Article 9(1) of Regulation (EC) No 450/2003 are set out in Annex II to this Regulation. Atrticle 4 Feasibility studies Details relating to the feasibility studies provided for in Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 450/2003 are set out in Annex III to this Regulation.