30. 11. 95 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 287/33 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 23 November 1995 concerning the Community list of less-favoured farming areas within the meaning of Directive 75/268/EEC (Sweden) (95/498/EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Directive 75/268/EEC of 28 April 1975 on mountain and hill farming and farming in certain less- favoured areas (), and in particular Article 2 (2) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the opinion of the European Parlia- ment (%), Whereas a significant proportion of the territory of Sweden suffers from permanent natural handicaps; whereas Declaration No 37 of the 1994 Act of Accession recognizes that the boundaries of the mountain and other less-favoured farming areas within the meaning of Article 3 of Directive 75/268/EEC should be delimited without delay ; Whereas the permanent natural handicaps in these areas result in higher production costs and prevent farmers from obtaining a reasonable income from their produc- tion at a level similar to that available to comparable farmers in other regions; Whereas, in accordance with Article 2 (1) of Directive 75/268/EEC, the Swedish Government has sent the (') OJ No L 128, 19. 5. 1975, p. 1. Directive as last amended by the 1994 Act of Accession. (3) Opinion delivered on 17 November 1995 (not yet published in the Official Journal). Commission a list of communes (Rommuner) and, where necessary, parts of communes (forsamlingar) likely to appear on the Community list of less-favoured farming areas, together with the information relating to the characteristics of those areas; Whereas the information available leads to the conclusion that all the areas situated north of the 62nd parallel are affected by very difficult climatic conditions the effect of which is to substantially shorten the growing season and that they satisfy the conditions set out in Article 3 (3) of Directive 75/268/EEC ; Whereas the abovementioned Declaration No 37 allows Sweden to include, pursuant to Article 3 (3) of Directive 75/268/EEC, four of the five agricultural support areas existing in the north of Sweden at the time of accession of that State to the European Union; Whereas certain adjacent communes may be classified within the meaning of Article 3 (3) in that they are affected by very difficult climatic conditions the result of which is a substantially shortened growing season of a maximum of 170 days with an average temperature not lower than S °C; Whereas the steep slopes referred to in the second indent of Article 3 (3) of Directive 75/268/EEC are defined as greater than 20 % ; Whereas, where there is a combination of the two factors altitude and steep slopes, as referred to in the third indent of Article 3 (3) of Directive 75/268/EEC, a minimum alti- tude of 500 metres and an average slope of at least 15 % are the characteristics selected ;