Decision of the EEA Joint Committee

No 31/2004

of 19 March 2004

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 14/2004 of 6 February 2004(1).

(2) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1216/2003 of 7 July 2003 implementing Regulation (EC) No 450/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the labour cost index(2) is to be incorporated into the Agreement.

(3) This Decision is not to apply to Liechtenstein,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The following point shall be inserted after point 18g (Regulation (EC) No 450/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council) of Annex XXI to the Agreement:

"18h. 32003 R 1216: Commission Regulation (EC) No 1216/2003 of 7 July 2003 implementing Regulation (EC) No 450/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the labour cost index (OJ L 169, 8.7.2003, p. 37).

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

This Regulation shall not apply to Liechtenstein."

Article 2

The texts of Regulation (EC) No 1216/2003 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 20 March 2004, provided that all the notifications pursuant to 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, 19 March 2004.

For the EEA Joint Committee

The President

P. Westerlund

(1) OJ L 116, 22.4.2004, p. 66.

(2) OJ L 169, 8.7.2003, p. 37.

(3) No constitutional requirements indicated.