19.7.2003 Official Journal of the European Union L 181/43 COUNCIL DECISION of 15 July 2003 on the statistical data to be used for the adjustment of the key for subscription to the capital of the European Central Bank (2003/517[EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Com- munity, and in particular Article 107(6) thereof and Article 29.2 of the Protocol on the Statute of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and of the European Central Bank (ECB) annexed thereto (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Statute’), Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (!), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (%), Having regard to the opinion of the European Central Bank (), Whereas: (1) Pursuant to Decision 98/382/EC (¥), the Council adopted rules on the statistical data to be used for the determina- tion of the initial subscription key to the ECB's capital. (2)  According to Article 29.3 of the Statute, the weighting of the national central banks in the key for subscription of the ECB's capital is to be adjusted every five years. (3)  Upon one or more countries becoming Member States of the European Union, their national central banks will become members of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and subscribers to the ECB's capital. The weighting of the national central banks in the key for subscription of the ECB's capital needs to be adjusted accordingly. (4) It is necessary to lay down rules for the provision of the statistical data to be used for the adjustments of the weighting of the national central banks in the key for subscription of the ECB's capital. (5) The nature of, and sources for, the data to be used and the method of calculation of the weighting of the national central banks in the key for subscription of the ECB's capital should be defined. (6)  Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96/EC of 25 June 1996 on the European system of national and regional accounts in the Community (°) provides for a metho- dology on common standards, definitions, classifications and accounting rules intended to be used for compiling (") Proposal of 14 March 2003 (not yet published in the Official Journal). (*) Opinion delivered on 3 July 2003 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () O] C 102, 29.4.2003, p. 11. () OJL 171, 17.6.1998, p. 33. () OJ L 310, 30.11.1996, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regula- tion (EC) No 359/2002 of the European Parliament and 0? the Council (OJ L 58, 28.2.2002, p. 1). accounts and tables on comparable bases for the purpose of the Community and provides for a programme for transmitting for Community purposes the accounts and tables compiled according to that Regulation on precise dates. That Regulation takes account of the most recent standards and developments in statistical methodology and the definitions therein should therefore be used for the purposes of this Decision. (7)  Since the key for the ECB capital subscription determines the respective shares of the national central banks in the capital of the ECB and in the pooling of external reserves, as well as their voting weights in the ECB Governing Council for all decisions to be taken by weighted votes (in accordance with Article 10.3 of the Statute) and the distribution among them of the mone- tary income of the ESCB, it is important that the calcula- tion of their weighting in this key is carried out in an accurate manner. The Commission should therefore consult the relevant committees on the data on popula- tion and on gross domestic product at current market prices, HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: Atrticle 1 Subject matter The statistical data to be used for the adjustment of the weighting of the national central banks in the key for subscrip- tion of the capital of the European Central Bank (ECB) shall be provided by the Commission in accordance with the rules laid down in this Decision. Atticle 2 Population 1. ‘Population’ shall mean the total population as defined in Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 compiled as an average of the year and rounded to the nearest thousand people.