# COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1265/2008

of 16 December 2008

amending Regulation (EEC) No 1859/82 concerning the selection of returning holdings for the purpose of determining incomes of agricultural holdings

## Preamble

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation 79/65/EEC of 15 June 1965 setting up a network for the collection of accountancy data on the incomes and business operation of agricultural holdings in the European Economic Community [^1] , and in particular Article 4(4) thereof,

Whereas:

**(1)** Article 2 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1859/82 [^2] fixes per Member State the threshold of economic size of returning holdings falling within the field of survey of the farm accountancy data network.

**(2)** In the case of Spain, structural changes have lead to a decrease in the number of smaller holdings and in their contribution to the total output of agriculture. The holdings with an economic size smaller than 4 ESU (435 307 holdings) represent only 4,04 % of total standard gross margin. The most relevant part of agricultural activity can therefore be covered with a threshold excluding the smaller holdings. The threshold set at 2 ESU should consequently be raised to 4 ESU.

**(3)** Regulation (EEC) No 1859/82 should therefore be amended accordingly.

**(4)** The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Community Committee for the Farm Accountancy Data Network,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

## **Article 1**

Article 2 of Regulation (EEC) No 1859/82 is replaced by the following:

‘Article 2 For the 2008 accounting year (a period of 12 consecutive months beginning between 1 January 2008 and 1 July 2008) and for subsequent accounting years, the threshold as referred to in Article 4 of Regulation 79/65/EEC in ESU shall be as follows: — Belgium: 16 ESU — Bulgaria: 1 ESU — Czech Republic: 4 ESU — Denmark: 8 ESU — Germany: 16 ESU — Estonia: 2 ESU — Ireland: 2 ESU — Greece: 2 ESU — Spain: 4 ESU — France: 8 ESU — Italy: 4 ESU — Cyprus: 2 ESU — Latvia: 2 ESU — Lithuania: 2 ESU — Luxembourg: 8 ESU — Hungary: 2 ESU — Malta: 8 ESU — Netherlands: 16 ESU — Austria: 8 ESU — Poland: 2 ESU — Portugal: 2 ESU — Romania: 1 ESU — Slovenia: 2 ESU — Slovakia: 8 ESU — Finland: 8 ESU — Sweden: 8 ESU — United Kingdom (with the exception of Northern Ireland): 16 ESU — United Kingdom (only Northern Ireland): 8 ESU.’

## **Article 2**

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

It shall apply from the 2008 accounting year.

## Final provisions

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 16 December 2008. *For the Commission* Mariann FISCHER BOEL *Member of the Commission*

[^1] [OJ 109, 23.6.1965, p. 1859/65](http://publications.europa.eu/resource/oj/JOP_1965_109_R_TOC) .

[^2] [OJ L 205, 13.7.1982, p. 5](http://publications.europa.eu/resource/oj/JOL_1982_205_R_TOC) .

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