2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) by reason of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU - Main contents

1. Legislative text

5.3.2008

Official Journal of the European Union

L 61/1

REGULATION (EC) No 176/2008 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 20 February 2008

amending Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) by reason of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 285(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1),

After consulting the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (2),

Whereas:

(1)	Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) constitutes the legal framework for regional classification for the purpose of enabling the collection, compilation and dissemination of harmonised regional statistics in the Community.

(2)	All Member States' statistics transmitted to the Commission broken down by territorial units should use the NUTS classification, where applicable.

(3)	It is necessary to adapt the Annexes to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 to take into account the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union.

(4)

Since the objective of this Regulation, namely the creation of common statistical standards that permit the production of harmonised data, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore be better achieved at Community level, the Community may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve that objective.

(5)	Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 is hereby amended as follows:

1.	Annex I shall be amended in accordance with the text shown in Annex I to this Regulation;

2.	Annex II shall be amended in accordance with the text shown in Annex II to this Regulation;

3.	Annex III shall be amended in accordance with the text shown in Annex III to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Strasbourg, 20 February 2008.

For the European Parliament

The President

H.-G. PÖTTERING

For the Council

The President

J.

LENARČIČ

(1)

OJ C 175, 27.7.2007, p. 13.

(2)

Opinion of the European Parliament of 4 September 2007 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and Council Decision of 21 January 2008.

(3)

OJ L 154, 21.6.2003, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 105/2007 (OJ L 39, 10.2.2007, p. 1).

ANNEX I

Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 is amended as follows:

the following table is inserted between BE — BELGIQUE/BELGIË and CZ — ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA:

‘БЪЛГАРИЯ

CODE	NUTS 1	NUTS 2	NUTS 3
BG
BG3	СЕВЕРНА И ЮГОИЗТОЧНА БЪЛГАРИЯ
BG31		Северозападен
BG311			Видин
BG312			Монтана
BG313			Враца
BG314			Плевен
BG315			Ловеч
BG32		Северен централен
BG321			Велико Търново
BG322			Габрово
BG323			Русе
BG324			Разград
BG325			Силистра
BG33		Североизточен
BG331			Варна
BG332			Добрич
BG333			Шумен
BG334			Търговище
BG34		Югоизточен
BG341			Бургас
BG342			Сливен
BG343			Ямбол
BG344			Стара Загора
BG4	ЮГОЗАПАДНА И ЮЖНА ЦЕНТРАЛНА БЪЛГАРИЯ
BG41		Югозападен
BG411			София (столица)
BG412			София
BG413			Благоевград
BG414			Перник
BG415			Кюстендил
BG42		Южен централен
BG421			Пловдив
BG422			Хасково
BG423			Пазарджик
BG424			Смолян
BG425			Кърджали
BGZ	EXTRA-REGIO
BGZZ		Extra-Regio
BGZZZ			Extra-Regio’;

the following table is inserted between PT — PORTUGAL and SI — SLOVENIJA:

‘ROMÂNIA

CODE	NUTS 1	NUTS 2	NUTS 3
RO
RO1	MACROREGIUNEA UNU
RO11		Nord-Vest
RO111			Bihor
RO112			Bistriţa-Năsăud
RO113			Cluj
RO114			Maramureş
RO115			Satu Mare
RO116			Sălaj
RO12		Centru
RO121			Alba
RO122			Braşov
RO123			Covasna
RO124			Harghita
RO125			Mureş
RO126			Sibiu
RO2	MACROREGIUNEA DOI
RO21		Nord-Est
RO211			Bacău
RO212			Botoşani
RO213			Iaşi
RO214			Neamţ
RO215			Suceava
RO216			Vaslui
RO22		Sud-Est
RO221			Brăila
RO222			Buzău
RO223			Constanţa
RO224			Galaţi
RO225			Tulcea
RO226			Vrancea
RO3	MACROREGIUNEA TREI
RO31		Sud — Muntenia
RO311			Argeş
RO312			Călăraşi
RO313			Dâmboviţa
RO314			Giurgiu
RO315			Ialomiţa
RO316			Prahova
RO317			Teleorman
RO32		Bucureşti — Ilfov
RO321			Bucureşti
RO322			Ilfov
RO4	MACROREGIUNEA PATRU
RO41		Sud-Vest Oltenia
RO411			Dolj
RO412			Gorj
RO413			Mehedinţi
RO414			Olt
RO415			Vâlcea
RO42		Vest
RO421			Arad
RO422			Caraş-Severin
RO423			Hunedoara
RO424			Timiş
ROZ	EXTRA-REGIO
ROZZ		Extra-Regio
ROZZZ			Extra-Regio’.

ANNEX II

Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 is amended as follows:

1.	the following is inserted in the paragraph referring to NUTS level 3 between Belgium and the Czech Republic: ‘for Bulgaria “Области (Oblasti)”,’;

2.	the following is inserted in the paragraph referring to NUTS level 3 between Hungary and the Slovak Republic: ‘for Romania “Judeţe”,’.

ANNEX III

Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 is amended as follows:

1.	the following is inserted between Belgium and the Czech Republic: ‘for Bulgaria “Общини (Obshtini)”,’;

2.	the following is inserted between Portugal and Slovenia: ‘for Romania “Municipii, Oraşe, Comune”,’.

This summary has been adopted from EUR-Lex.