L 157/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 5. 98 COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1100/98 of 25 May 1998 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 establishing a European forestry information and communication system (EFICS) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 213 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas the period of application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 of 29 May 1989 establishing a Euro- pean forestry information and communication system (EFICS) (') expired on 31 December 1997; Whereas several Community measures have already been undertaken to establish the system based mainly on an analysis of the reliability and comparability of the data obtained from Member States’ forest inventories and on improving coordination of the statistical work undertaken by international organisations on the forest sector; whereas that work has demonstrated the timeliness of the process initiated by the Community and the benefits which the latter can expect from the continuation of that work; Whereas the system cannot be implemented unless the Member States take appropriate measures to that end,; whereas such measures must be specified in a work- programme prepared by the Commission and presented to the Standing Forestry Committee; Whereas the implementation of Community policies, the European Union’s international commitments as part of the post-Helsinki process and the special session of the United Nations General Assembly (1997) (UNGASS) and the work of the European Environmental Agency require that the measures to be taken to improve the quality of international forestry data and to improve the use of the computer and data-processing techniques most suitable for disseminating those data, should be reinforced; Whereas, furthermore, the European Parliament Resolu- tion of 30 January 1997 on the European Union’s forestry strategy (%) stresses that the Commission must ensure that EFICS is effectively implemented; whereas the own- initiative opinion of the Economic and Social Committee of 24 April 1997 on the situation and problems of forestry in the European Union and potential for developing for- estry policies (°) notes the importance of improving infor- mation in the forestry sector and the contribution that (") OJ L 165, 15. 6. 1989, p. 12. Regulation as amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 400/94 (OJ L 54, 25. 2. 1994, p. 5). () OJ C 55, 24. 2. 1997, p. 22. () OJ C 206, 7. 7. 1997, p. 128. EFICS could make to that, in particular by including data on forest protection; Whereas the above Regulation should therefore be extended and amended to take account of the above requirements, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 Regulation (EEC) No 1615/89 is hereby amended as follows: 1. Article 1 shall be replaced by the following: Article 1 In order to collect and provide objective, reliable, comparable and pertinent information on the structure and operation of the forestry sector in the Community, and thus: — improve consideration of the interests of the for- estry sector in international discussions, — facilitate the implementation of measures in favour of the forestry sector under existing Community policies, — facilitate implementation of Member States’ poli- cies relating to forestry or having an impact on the forestry sector, — permit access by the general public to information on the European forestry sector, a European forestry information and communication system (EFICS), hereinafter called “the System”, is hereby set up, the objective of which is to collect, coor- dinate, standardise, process and disseminate informa- tion concerning the forestry sector and its develop- ment’. 2. Article 3 shall be replaced by the following: Article 3 The Commission shall set up the System in close cooperation with the Member States and international bodies active in the field of European forestry statistics during a period commencing 1 January 1989 and ending on 31 December 2002.