' 24.10. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 293/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) -COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 3037/90 of 9 October 1990 ‘ on the statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establisﬁing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 100a thereof, Having regard to the proposal ftom_the Commission (1), In cooperation with the European Parliament (2), Having regard to the opinion of the Economlc and Socnal Committee (3), Whereas, in order to function, the internal market requires statistical  standards applicable to the collection, transmission and publication of national and Community statistics so that undertakings, financial institutions,. governments and all other operators in the single market can - be provided with reliable and comparable statistical data; Whereas such - information is necessary to enable undertakings to assess their competitiveness and useful to the Community 1nst1tut10ns in preventing distortions of competition; Whereas only if the Member States use classifications of activities linked to the Community classification will it be possible to provide integrated information with the reliability, speed, flexibility and degree of detail required for the management of the internal market; Whereas provision should be made for the Member States to be able, in order to meet national requirements, to retain or.to insert in their national classifications additional subdivisions based on the statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community; Whereas the international compatibility of economic . stétistics requires that the Member States and the (1) OJ No C 58, 8. 3. 1990, p. 25. (2) OJNoC175,16.7.1990, p. 84, and Decision of 12 September 1990 (not yet published in the Official Journal). (*) OJ No C 182, 23. 7. 1990, p. 1. Cammunity institutions use classifications of economic activities which are directly linked to the United Nations. International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC); Whereas use of the classification of economic activities in the Community requires that the Commission be assisted by the Statistical Programme Committee set up by Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom (*) on any issue relating to the _application of this Regulation, in particular as regards interpretation of that classification, minor amendments . thereto, the drafting and updating of explanatory notes and ‘the establishment of guidelines for the classification of statistical units in accordance with the said classification; Whereas it is vital that the contents of the various categories of the classification of activities in the European Community be interpreted uniformly in all the Member States; Whereas the introduction of a new classification requires a transitional period, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 | 1. The purpose of this Regulation is to establish a common statistical classification of economic activities within the European Community in order to' ensure comparability ~between national and Community classifications and hence national and Community statistics. 2.  This Regulation shall apply only to the use of classifications for statistical purposes. 3.  This Regulation does not per se oblige Member States to collect, publish or supply data and is not concerned with- obligations as regards the degree of detail and type of statistical- units to be used in statistical surveys and analyses. (*) OJ No L 181, 28. 6. 1989, p. 47.