Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2212 of 3 September 2024 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards statistics on nutrients

Member States shall provide data on the domain of statistics on nutrients referred to in Article 5(1), point (d) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 in the form of aggregated data sets. Member States shall transmit the aggregated data sets to the Commission (Eurostat) at national level.

1 The data contents of the data sets are specified in: (a) Annex I for topic (i) Nutrients in fertilisers for agriculture for the detailed topics: (i) Inorganic fertilisers for agriculture; (ii) Organic fertilisers for agriculture; (b) Annex II for topic (ii) Nutrient balances for the detailed topics; (i) Crop and forage nutrient contents coefficients; (ii) Crop residue volumes and nutrient content coefficients; (iii) Biological nitrogen fixation coefficients; (iv) Atmospheric nitrogen deposition coefficients; (v) Seed nutrient content coefficients; (vi) Livestock nutrient excretion coefficients; (vii) Livestock manure withdrawal volumes and nutrient content coefficients;

2 For each data set, section I specifies: (a) a description of the data contents; (b) the variables to be provided; (c) the deadlines for transmission of the data to the Commission (Eurostat); (d) the reference periods; (e) the measurement units;

3 For each data set, section II specifies: (a) a description of the measurement units; (b) technical requirements related to the variables.

1 The gross nutrient – nitrogen and phosphorous – balance shall be the difference between the nutrient inputs to, and outputs from, agricultural soil. The inputs shall be mainly the nutrients in fertilisers used and in the production of manure from livestock, but also those from the introduction of seeds and – for nitrogen – the processes of biological fixation and atmospheric deposition. The outputs shall mostly be the nutrients in crops and forage harvested or grazed, but also in the manure withdrawals and removal of crop residues not returned to the soil.

2 The net nitrogen balance shall be defined as the gross nutrient balance for nitrogen from which the nitrogen emissions from the soil and manure management are deducted.

3 The Commission (Eurostat) shall annually calculate these nutrient balances, based on (a) data sets provided as described in Annex I and Annex II; (b) data on animal production statistics as described in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2745 of 8 December 2023 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards animal production statistics ; (c) data on crop production statistics as described in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/1538 of 25 July 2023 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards crop production statistics ; (d) data on emissions as reported under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention) and the National Emission Reduction Commitments Directive , as well as under the EU Governance Regulation and under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Member States shall provide data sets referred to in Annex II for the first time by 30 November 2029 for the reference years 2026, 2027 and 2028, and every 5 years thereafter, by the deadlines indicated in each data set.

1 When collection of data for the data sets is carried out based on statistical samples, Member States shall ensure that the weighted results are representative of the statistical population. Where sources other than statistical surveys are used, the quality of the statistics must be ensured in such a way that they are representative of the scope that they describe and meet the quality criteria laid down in Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 .

2 Member States shall ensure that the coefficients used are established by scientific methods to adequately describe the nutrient input or output of each variable as set out in Annex I and II.

3 Common methodological specifications for the compilation of the statistics are set out in Annex III with regard to the data sets in Annexes I to II.

For the purposes of this Regulation, the descriptions of terms as set out in Annex IV shall apply.

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It shall apply from 1 January 2026.