Decision of the EEA Joint Committee

No 62/2003

of 16 May 2003

amending Annex XXI (Statistics) to the EEA Agreement

THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, as amended by the Protocol adjusting the Agreement on the European Economic Area, hereinafter referred to as "the Agreement", and in particular Article 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Annex XXI to the Agreement was amended by Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 17/2003 of 31 January 2003(1).

(2) Regulation (EC) No 1221/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 June 2002 on quarterly non-financial accounts for general government(2) is to be incorporated into the Agreement.

(3) Due to the necessity of major changes in the national statistical systems in Iceland and Norway, the date for the first transmission of quarterly data from these countries shall be postponed,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The following point shall be inserted after point 19db (Commission Decision 98/715/EC) of Annex XXI to the Agreement:

"19dc. 32002 R 1221: Regulation (EC) No 1221/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 June 2002 on quarterly non-financial accounts for general government (OJ L 179, 9.7.2002, p. 1).

The provisions of the Regulation shall, for the purposes of the present Agreement, be read with the follow adaptation:

The following paragraph shall be added to Article 5:

'3. For Iceland, the first transmission of quarterly data shall relate to data for the first quarter of 2004. Iceland shall deliver these data no later than 30 June 2004.

For Norway, the first transmission of quarterly data shall relate to data for the first quarter of 2003. Norway shall deliver these data no later than 30 June 2003.'"

Article 2

The texts of Regulation (EC) No 1221/2002 in the Icelandic and Norwegian languages, to be published in the EEA Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union, shall be authentic.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on 17 May 2003, provided that all the notifications under Article 103(1) of the Agreement have been made to the EEA Joint Committee(3).

Article 4

This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Brussels, 16 May 2003.

For the EEA Joint Committee

The President

P. Westerlund

(1) OJ L 94, 10.4.2003, p. 76.

(2) OJ L 179, 9.7.2002, p. 1.

(3) No constitutional requirements indicated.