Regulation (EU) No 538/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 amending Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 on European environmental economic accounts Text with EEA relevance

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 338(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (1),

Whereas:

(1) Decision No 1386/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) provides that the pace of current developments and uncertainties surrounding likely future trends require further steps to ensure that policy in the Union continues to draw on a sound understanding of the state of the environment, of possible response options and their consequences. Instruments should be developed with a view to ensuring the preparation of quality-assured data and indicators and to improving its accessibility. It is important that such data be made available in a comprehensible and accessible form.

(2) Under Article 10 of Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) the Commission is invited to report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the Regulation and, if appropriate, to propose the introduction of new environmental economic accounts modules, such as Environmental Protection Expenditure and Revenues (EPER)/Environmental Protection Expenditure Accounts (EPEA), Environmental Goods and Services Sector (EGSS) and Energy Accounts.

(3) The new modules contribute directly to the Union's policy priorities of green growth and resource efficiency by providing important information on indicators such as market output and employment in the EGSS, national environmental protection expenditure and the use of energy in a NACE breakdown.

(4) The United Nations Statistical Commission adopted the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) Central Framework as an international statistical standard at its 43rd session in February 2012. The new modules being introduced by this Regulation are fully in line with the SEEA.

(5) The European Statistical System Committee has been consulted.

(6) In order to take into account technical and scientific progress and supplement the provisions on energy accounts, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of the specification of the list of energy products referred to in Section 3 of Annex VI as contained in the Annex to this Regulation. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level. The Commission, when preparing and drawing up delegated acts, should ensure a simultaneous, timely and appropriate transmission of relevant documents to the European Parliament and to the Council.

(7) In order to facilitate a uniform application of Annex V as contained in the Annex to this Regulation, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission. Those powers should be exercised in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4). The examination procedure should be used for the adoption of those implementing acts.

(8) Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 is amended as follows:

(3) Article 8(2) is replaced by the following: ‘2.   For the purposes of obtaining a derogation under paragraph 1 for Annexes I, II and III, the Member State concerned shall present a duly justified request to the Commission by 12 November 2011. For the purposes of obtaining a derogation under paragraph 1 for Annexes IV, V and VI, the Member State concerned shall present a duly justified request to the Commission by 17 September 2014.’;

(5) Annexes IV, V and VI, as set out in the Annex to this Regulation, are added to Regulation (EU) No 691/2011.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of 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, 16 April 2014.

For the European Parliament The President M. SCHULZ

For the Council The President D. KOURKOULAS

(1) Position of the European Parliament of 2 April 2014 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 14 April 2014.

(2) Decision No 1386/2013/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 November 2013 on a General Union Environment Action Programme to 2020 ‘Living well, within the limits of our planet’ (OJ L 354, 28.12.2013, p. 171).

(3) Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2011 on European environmental economic accounts (OJ L 192, 22.7.2011, p. 1).

(4) Regulation (EU) No 182/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011 laying down the rules and general principles concerning mechanisms for control by Member States of the Commission's exercise of implementing powers (OJ L 55, 28.2.2011, p. 13).