
Article 1 
Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 is amended as follows:

1.. in Article 2, paragraph 2 is replaced by the following:
'
2. Amendments to the ESA 95 methodology which are intended to clarify and improve its content shall be adopted by the Commission provided that they do not change its underlying concepts, do not require additional resources for their implementation and do not cause an increase in own resources. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, inter alia, by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 4(2).';
2.. in Article 3(2), the second subparagraph is replaced by the following:
'Within the limits set in Article 2(2), any changes — new tables, countries and/or regions concerned — in the data requested from the Member States shall be adopted by the Commission. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, inter alia, by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 4(2).';
3.. Article 4 is replaced by the following:
'
Article 4 

1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Statistical Programme Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Committee).
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5a(1) to (4) and Article 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.'.
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th 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, 23 April 2009.
For the European Parliament
The President
H.-G. PÖTTERING
For the Council
The President
P. NEČAS