17.11.2003 Official Journal of the European Union L 298/29 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1982/2003 of 21 October 2003 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1177/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning Community statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC) as regards the sampling and tracing rules (Text with EEA relevance) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, (3)  The measures provided for in this Regulation are in Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu- nity, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1177/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 June 2003 on Community statistics on income and living conditions (EU- SILC) (), and in particular Article 15(2)(d) thereof, Whereas: (1) Regulation (EC) No 1177/2003 established a common framework for the systematic production of Community statistics on income and living conditions, encompassing comparable and timely cross-sectional and longitudinal data on income and on the level and composition of poverty and social exclusion at national and European Union levels. (2)  Pursuant to Article 15(2)(d) of Regulation (EC) No 1177/ 2003, implementing measures are necessary to harmo- nise methods and definitions concerning the sampling aspects and tracing rules. accordance with the opinion of the Statistical Programme Committee, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 The rules and guidelines governing sampling and tracing and the definitions to be applied to Community statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC) shall be as laid down in the Annex. Article 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th 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 Brussels, 20 October 2003. () OJ L 165, 3.7.2003, p. 1. For the Commission Pedro SOLBES MIRA Member of the Commission