amending the Decisions of the Standing Committee No 5/2004/SC and No 1/2007/SC establishing a principle of cost sharing for the EEA Financial Mechanism

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area as adjusted by the Protocol Adjusting the Agreement on the European Economic Area, hereinafter referred to as the EEA Agreement,

Having regard to Protocol 38a on the EEA Financial Mechanism inserted into the EEA Agreement by the Agreement on the participation of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia, and the Slovak Republic in the European Economic Area, and amended by the Agreement on the participation of Bulgaria and Romania in the European Economic Area,

Having regard to the Decision of the Standing Committee of the EFTA States No 5/2004/SC of 23 September 2004 establishing a principle of cost sharing for the EEA Financial Mechanism,

Having regard to the fact that Liechtenstein now is in the position to produce its own official data on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), however with a delay of normally two years,

Having regard to the Recommendations of the Heads of National Statistical Institutes of 24 April 2008,

The text of Article 1 of the Decision of the Standing Committee No 1/2007/SC amending the Decision of the Standing Committee No 5/2004/SC establishing a principle of cost sharing for the EEA Financial Mechanism, shall be replaced by the following:

‘Paragraphs 6 and 7 of the Annex to the Decision of the Standing Committee No 5/2004/SC establishing a principle of cost sharing for the EEA Financial Mechanism shall be replaced by the following:

“6.

The GDP data on which the contributions for a specific year t are to be based, shall be delivered by 1 February of the same year and shall relate to the year t-2. When GDP data for the year t-2 is not available, for Liechtenstein a proxy based on the latest GDP data available (t-4) adjusted by the growth rate of the Swiss GDP for t-3 and t-2 shall be used. This method is subject to a review within three years.” ’

This Decision shall take immediate effect and apply to the fifth/last tranche (2008/2009).

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, 4 December 2008.

For the Standing Committee

The Chairman

H.S.H. Prinz Nikolaus von LIECHTENSTEIN

The Secretary-General

Kåre BRYN