(3)Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 58/97 of 20 December 1996 concerning structural business statistics 4 and Council Regulation (EC) No 1165/98 of 19 May 1998 concerning short-term statistics 5 established a common framework for the collection, compilation, transmission and evaluation of Community statistics on the structure, activity, competitiveness and performance of businesses in the Community. Business registers for statistical purposes represent a basic element of such a common framework, making it possible to organise and coordinate statistical surveys by providing a harmonised sampling frame.