5.5.1999 Official Journal of the European Communities L117/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 933/1999 of 29 April 1999 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1210/90 on the establishment of the European Environment Agency and the European environment information and observa- tion network THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 130s(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (%), Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Atrticle 189c¢ of the Treaty (%), (1)  Whereas Regulation (EEC) No 1210/90 (°) estab- lished the European Environment Agency and the European environment information and observa- tion network; whereas Article 20 of the Regulation made provision for a decision by Council on whether to add further tasks to the Agency, based on a report with appropriate proposals from the Commission, no later than two years after the entry into force of the Regulation; whereas Article 21 stipulated that the Regulation would enter into force on the day following that on which the competent authorities decided on the seat of the Agency, and whereas this decision was taken on 29 October 1993; (2) Whereas the Commission in its Communication COM(95) 325 final gave its reason why the report provided for in Article 20 should be postponed, and on 9 November 1995 the Council considered that any decision on further tasks for the European Environment Agency would be premature before 1 (") OJ C 255, 20.8.1997, p. 9 and OJ C 123, 22.4.1998, p. 6. (3) OJ C 73, 9.3.1998, p. 103. () OJ C 180, 11.6.1998, p. 32. (Y) Opinion of the European Parliament of 18 February 1998 (O] C 80, 16.3.1998, p. 134), Council Common Position of 20 July 1998 (O] C 364, 25.11.1998, p. 1 ) and Decision of the European Parliament of 9 February 1999 (not yet published in the Official Journal). () OJ L 120, 11.5.1990, p. 1. the Agency had been fully operational for two years and before its network had been completely estab- lished; (3)  Whereas the European Environment Agency has made good progress in achieving its objectives and completing its tasks, including the establishment of the European environment information and obser- vation network; (40 Whereas the tasks and areas to address are wide and require both consolidation of the work already undertaken and further effort; (5) Whereas the Agency has a primary role as provider of objective, reliable and comparable information on the environment; (6)  Whereas any new tasks allocated to the Agency should complement and enhance its primary role; (7)  Whereas the Translation Centre for bodies of the European Union has the task of translating docu- ments of the European Environment Agency, in accordance with Regulation No 2965/94 (%), (8)  Whereas the organisation and structure of the Agency need to be improved and clarified, in line with the experience of its first years of operation; (9)  Whereas the management board of the Agency should take into account the need to reflect the different  geographic  circumstances in the Community through an appropriate distribution of the topic centres; (10) Whereas the Agency may cooperate with institu- tions in third countries in order to obtain data necessary for the completion of the work- programme; () OJ L 314, 7.12.1994, p. 1. Regulation as amended by Regula- tion No 2610/95 (OJ L 268, 10.11.1995, p. 1).