2. 3. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 56/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 571/88 of 29 February 1988 on the organization of Community surveys on the structure of agricultural THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in pamcular Article 43 thereof, Having regard to the proposals from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parli- ament (%), Whereas trends in the structure of agricultural holdings are an important factor in determining the development of the common agricultural policy ; whereas the series of surveys on the structure of agricultural holdings, carried out on a Community basis since 1966/67, should be continued ; ‘Whereas such trends cannot be examined at Community level unless comparable data are available for all the Member States; whereas it is therefore necessary to continue previous harmonization and synchronization efforts ; Whereas the workloads of the Member States and of the Commission in the execution of this task must be reduced as much as possible ; Whereas , where at all possible, the characteristics, defini- tions and geographic units laid down for similar previous structure surveys should be retained ; Whereas, when determining the characteristics to be examined during the period 1993 to 1997, there must be an endeavour to curtail as far as possible the workload of persons concerned by the survey; Whereas, in order to assess the situation of Community agriculture and monitor trends in agricultural structures, it (‘)Oj N0C179 8.7.1987, p. 3 and OJ No C 4, 8. 1. 1988, e O_I No C 305, 16. 11. 1987, p. 147. holdings between 1988 and 1997 is necessary to carry out at regular intervals statistical surveys in agricultural holdings which have a certain agri- cultural area utilized for farming or if they produce a certain proportion for sale or whose production exceeds certain physical thresholds ; Whereas, in view of the variety of statistical services in the Member States, the efficiency of sample survey methods and the necessity to obtain reliable information at reas- onable cost, Member States should be allowed to decide whether the surveys they carry out are of a full or sample type, on condition that the results of the random sample surveys are reliable at the various levels of aggregation required ; Whereas it is nonetheless necessary to carry out, at least every ten years, a census (full survey) of all the agricultural holdings in order to update the basic registers of holdings and the other information required for the stratification of sample surveys ; Whereas, when the procedures to be employed for the Community census in 1989/90 are determined, account must be taken as far as possible of the recommendation of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) regarding a world census of agriculture to be conducted sometime around 1990 ; Whereas for the requirements of agricultural policy it is necessary to provide the statistical offices of the Member States and the Commission with a new system of analy- sing the data and disseminating the results of the surveys which is more flexible and rapid than the previous one, while alleviating the workload of the Member States ; Whereas the introduction of adequate procedures enabling the Commission and the Member States to make the best use of the statistics prepared from the data collected in surveys of the structures of agricultural holdings should be facilitated ; Whereas individual data are subject to statistical confiden- tiality ;