3.5.2003 Official Journal of the European Union L 110/15 COMMISSION DECISION of 29 April 2003 approving the technical action plan 2003 for improving agricultural statistics (notified under document number C(2003) 1369) (2003/304/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, (4)  Certain activities launched under previous action plans Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European need to be consolidated and the efforts made need to be c . followed. ommunity, (5)  The measures provided for in this Decision are in accor- Having regard to Council Decision No 96/411/EC of 25 June 1996 on improving Community agricultural statistics (), as last amended by Decision No 1919/2002/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (), and particularly Article 4(1) and Article 6(2) thereof, Whereas: (1) In accordance with Decision 96/411/EC, the Commis- sion establishes a technical action plan for agricultural statistics each year. (2)  Data on the physical aspects of European agriculture need to be improved, detailed agri-environmental indica- tors need to be obtained, the environmental aspects of agricultural accounting need to be developed and infor- mation systems on rural development need to be estab- lished for the implementation of the relevant Commu- nity policies. (3)  In accordance with Decision 96/411/EC, the Commis- sion shall contribute to the costs realised by each Member State in making adaptations to national agricul- tural statistical systems or to such costs for preparatory work relating to new or increasing needs which are part of a technical action plan. () OJL 162, 1.7.1996, p. 14. 0J L 293, 29.10.2002, p. 5. dance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Agricultural Statistics. HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Atrticle 1 The 2003 technical action plan for improving agricultural statistics (TAPAS 2003) annexed to the present Decision is approved. Article 2 This Decision is addressed to the Member States. Done at Brussels, 29 April 2003. For the Commission Pedro SOLBES MIRA Member of the Commission