# EUR-Lex - 52011PC0928 - EN

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# 52011PC0928

**Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on the European statistical programme 2013-2017 /* COM/2011/0928 final - 2011/0459 (COD) */**

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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.           CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

1.1.      Grounds
for and objectives of the proposal

The implementation
of EU policies requires comparable and reliable statistical information about
the economic, social and environmental situation in the EU and its components
at national and regional level. European statistics are also indispensable for
Europe to be understood by the general public and for citizens to take part in
the democratic process and debate about the present and future of the EU.

In recent years the European Statistical
System (ESS) has been faced with a number of challenges. Firstly, the need for
European statistics has been constantly increasing, and this trend is unlikely
to change in future. Secondly, the nature of statistics has changed —
evidence-based decision making requires statistics that meet quality criteria
linked to specific purposes they are serving, and there is a growing need for
complex multidimensional statistics supporting composite policy areas. Thirdly,
due to the appearance of new actors on the information market, including those
providing information in nearly real time, the priority for the ESS in the
future is quality and, in the case of short-term statistics, timeliness in
particular. Fourthly, budget constraints at both national and European level as
well as the need to further reduce the burden on enterprises and citizens make
the situation even more challenging. The Commission Communication to the
European Parliament and the Council on the production method of EU statistics:
a vision for the next decade[1]
and the ESS strategy for its implementation[2]
address all these challenges by aiming to reengineer the ways of working in the
ESS in order to make it more efficient and flexible. Implementation of the
Communication and the joint ESS strategy constitute the core of the European
statistical programme (ESP).

Against this background, the objective of
the proposal for the European Statistical Programme is to establish a
comprehensive programme providing an overall framework for the development,
production and dissemination of European statistics over the period from 2013
to 2017 while putting in place the new production method of European statistics
as described in the above Communication.

1.2.      General
context

The establishment of
a multiannual European statistical programme has its legal basis in Article
13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the
Council on European statistics[3]. Under the Regulation, the
European statistical programme must provide the framework for the development,
production and dissemination of European statistics, the main fields and the
objectives of the actions envisaged for a period not exceeding five years. It
is to lay down priorities concerning the needs for information for the purpose
of carrying out the activities of the European Union. Those needs are to be
weighed against the resources needed at EU and national level to provide the
required statistics and also against the response burden and the respondents’ associated
costs.

The objectives of the ESP will be spelled
out in detail in annual work programmes in accordance with Regulation 223/20093.
The programme will be the subject of an interim progress report and a final
evaluation report after the expiry of the programme period.

1.3.      Existing
provisions in the area of the proposal

The current
Community Statistical Programme, adopted by a European Parliament and Council
Decision and covering the period from 2008 to 2012[4], is the seventh of its kind.

1.4.      Consistency
with other policies of the Union

The main purpose of
European statistics is to underpin the development, monitoring and evaluation
of European policies with reliable, objective, comparable and coherent factual
information.

The current proposal is consistent with the
Union’s priorities as statistics developed, produced and disseminated under
this programme will contribute to the implementation of the EU’s priority
policies, such as the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive
growth[5]
and other policies addressed in the Commission’s strategic priorities for
2010-2014[6]
(i.e. strengthened and integrated economic governance, climate change, growth
and social cohesion, people’s Europe and globalisation).

2.           RESULTS OF CONSULTATIONS WITH THE
INTERESTED PARTIES AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

2.1.      Consultation
of interested parties

Consultation methods, main sectors
targeted and general profile of respondents

Prior to the
preparation of this proposal, the users of European statistics, i.e. the
Directorates-General of the Commission, the European Central Bank and the
European Statistical Advisory Committee[7],
were consulted during July 2010 on their needs for European statistics during
the period 2013-2017.

Member States, EFTA Countries and Candidate
Countries have been directly involved in the preparation of the proposal. The
consultation was carried out in the following way:

Firstly, the Directors’ Groups in different
statistical domains, representing producers of European statistics in different
areas of statistics, were consulted on their needs for the period 2013-2017 in
July 2010.

Secondly, the DGINS (Directors General of
the National Statistical Institutes)[8]
were consulted on priorities for the period 2013-2017 during their meeting on
29-30 September 2010.

Based on the outcome of ESS consultations
with stakeholders on their statistical needs for the period 2013-2017, the
first draft of the ESP 2013-2017 was prepared for internal and external
consultation. It was presented to the European Statistical System Committee
(ESSC) in May 2011. The European Statistical Advisory Committee (ESAC), the
Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payments Statistics (CMFB) and the Working Group ESS Programming and
Coordination were consulted in parallel.

Summary of responses and how they have
been taken into account

Summary of responses of users of
European statistics

A total of 14
Directorates-General of the Commission and the European Central Bank replied to
Eurostat’s request for information on their needs for European statistics for
2013-2017. Most of them listed detailed requirements for statistics needed to
back up European policies under their responsibility. Although all these
requirements are not mentioned explicitly in the proposal, they have been
carefully analysed by Eurostat and taken into account when drafting the
objectives of the programme.

Summary of responses of producers of
European statistics

In all, six
Directors’ Groups replied to Eurostat’s request for information on their needs
for 2013-2017 (Directors’ Group on Methodology, IT Directors’ Group, Directors
of Social Statistics, Directors’ meeting on regional, spatial, environment
statistics and accounts, Standing Committee for Agricultural Statistics, and
Business Statistics Directors’ Group). The Directors’ Groups emphasised the
need to balance the increasing need for new statistics with reduced available
resources. In this context, it was recommended to maximise the use of existing
data instead of launching new data collections; liaise with other data
providers in order to optimise the use of available information; reduce the
level of data required; improve efficiency in data collection by using modern
ICT technologies; analyse the consistency between different legal acts and
decouple statistical instruments and users by setting up single surveys for
different purposes. The need to strengthen the role of Eurostat as the
coordinator of the production of statistics was also mentioned. These and other
concrete comments have, to the extent possible, been taken into account when
drafting the objectives of the ESP.

At its meeting on 29-30 September 2010 the
DGINS endorsed the approach proposed for the ESP and the priority areas of the
ESP, stressing the need for a sufficiently flexible ESP allowing concrete
actions to be included in the annual programming cycle. Due to serious resource
constraints at both national and European level and the need to further reduce
the administrative burden, the DGINS stressed the importance of
priority-setting in the next multiannual programme based on a strategy-driven
approach.

Summary of main comments on the first
draft of the ESP 2013-2017

The ESSC meeting in
May 2011 expressed general support for the conceptual approach.

A number of delegations pointed to the
level of ambition of the ESP and expressed their concerns about the gap between
the resource constraints at national level and the number of new initiatives
mentioned in the ESP.

Although acknowledging the need for a
flexible programme, some delegations questioned the general nature and the lack
of detail of the ESP and stressed the need to link it with future Annual Work
Programmes.

Doubts were expressed by some delegations
as to whether financing new initiatives through efficiency gains in the new
production method of European statistics was realistic. Some delegates stressed
the need to contemplate other ways of achieving such gains (e.g. increased
priority-setting, improved efficiency, better use of administrative data,
increased use of technology and sharing of good practices).

The importance of emphasising more clearly
the need to reduce the response burden was underlined by some delegations and
one delegation suggested strengthening the part on priority-setting by stating
concrete actions.

The need for a cautious approach regarding
quality labelling was expressed by many delegations; thorough discussion was
called for.

Several delegations welcomed the
strengthening of partnership in the ESS and beyond and stressed the importance
of increased cooperation, both within the ESS and with the European System of
Central Banks and international organisations.

The above points were also the main outcome
of the consultation of the Working Group Programming
and Coordination.

General support for the ESP was expressed
by the majority of the NSIs, but reservations were voiced concerning the
formulation of objective on the new method of production of European statistics
and regarding the legislative policy.

Specific comments were made on particular
statistical areas or clarification was requested of certain parts of the ESP.

All comments received on the draft ESP were
carefully analysed by Eurostat and taken into account when preparing a revised
version of the ESP 2013-2017.

In order to serve as a general and flexible
planning instrument allowing new developments to be taken into account, the ESP
describes in general terms the strategic objectives to be achieved and outputs
to be produced for the next programming period.

The ESP reflects the commitment to the
strategy-driven priority-setting approach established by Eurostat. Following
this approach, the exercise on negative priorities forms an integral part of
the preparation of annual work programmes and will thus be carried out for the
period covered by the ESP. The ESP provides the general framework for the
development, production and dissemination of European statistics by
establishing the main fields and objectives of actions envisaged for the next
five years. These objectives will be spelled out and planned in more detail in
the Annual Work Programmes. In this way, a clear link is established between
the ESP and the Annual Work Programmes.

The ESP is fully in line with the joint ESS
strategy on the new production system already adopted by the ESSC; no new
elements have been introduced, and the ESP reflects the implementation of the
strategy.

2.2.      collection
and use of expertise

In the process of
preparation of the ESP, external experts have also been consulted. In
particular, the European Statistical Advisory Committee (ESAC) and the
Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payments Statistics (CMFB) were
asked to express their opinion on the draft programme.

In its opinion on the draft programme, the
European Statistical Advisory Committee addressed the issue of resource
constraints and the need to continue to work on priority-setting to identify
negative priorities. In this context ESAC highlighted the need to boost
efficiency through greater use of technology and exploitation of data collected
for other purposes while acknowledging that the different stages of maturity of
statistical systems in the Member States was problematic. ESAC also stressed
the importance of knowledge sharing, calling for this to include development activities
to reduce the cost of new research. Furthermore, ESAC highlighted the
importance of maximising data use and further integration and use of existing
data.

In its opinion on the draft programme, the
Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payments Statistics expressed
its general support for the ESP and the main priorities and objectives set for
the development and coordination of monetary, financial and balance of payments
statistics. The CMFB stressed the importance of integration across statistical
domains and across the ESS for producing multi-purpose statistics and also
highlighted the need to aim at developing statistical information on the
globalisation phenomenon and the importance of increased use of administrative
data and focusing more closely on the most expanding parts of the economy. In
addition, the CMFB welcomed wider use of statistical matching and data linking
techniques as well as standard IT tools. Finally, the CMFB stressed the
importance of strengthened cooperation with the ESCB, European and
international organisations through common projects and coordinated
developments.

All comments
received from external experts on the draft ESP were carefully analysed by
Eurostat and taken into account when preparing a revised version of the
programme.

2.3.      analysis
of effects and consequences

An ex-ante
evaluation has been prepared in accordance with the principle of sound
financial management, in order to focus the programme on the need for
effectiveness in achieving the objectives set and in order to incorporate
budgetary constraints from the design phase of the programme and onwards.

In the context of the ex-ante evaluation,
four options have been identified:

The first option considered for the ESP was
to propose for adoption another five-year programme, i.e. lasting from 2013 to
2017.

The current CSP 2008-2012 includes
a specific indication with regard to the duration of the next multiannual
programme, namely that the period to be covered should take into account the
term of office of the European Parliament. The current term of office of the
European Parliament is from July 2009 to June 2014; the next term will start in
July 2014 and finish in June 2019. As the current CSP 2008-2012 lasts until the
end of 2012, this would mean that there would be a need to prepare a new
intermediate ESP for a period of two years (for 2013-2014) or to extend the
current CSP 2008-2012 until 2014.

Other possible options that could be
envisaged are, thirdly, a ‘zero’ option, i.e. no ESP 2013-2017 would be
prepared and adopted, and, fourthly, that in general the information would be
supplied by other producers, i.e. not necessarily by the ESS.

Then in the framework of the impact
assessment, after thorough consideration and analysis of the different
scenarios, the number of options has been reduced to three, the effects and
consequences of which have been examined in detail. These three options and
their estimated impacts are the following:

Option 1:
"zero option" with no European Statistical Programme

Without a legal framework of the European
Statistical Programme, European Statistics will be collected and/or produced by
different Commission services in an independent way, with their own resources,
with the help of the ESS institutional providers and/or private providers.
Having no five-year statistical programme at European level would implicate the
lack of long‑term planning which is an inherent prerequisite of the
development, production and dissemination of statistical information. If no
European Statistical Programme exists, it is unlikely that the objectives
defined will be achieved. No legal framework for the production of European
statistics would then exist and no operational budget would be provided. The
users of statistics (Commission Directorates-General, the ECB, etc.) would have
to produce or look for statistics themselves, in an uncoordinated and
inefficient way, and there would not be a commonly agreed assurance of quality
of European statistics. Without a European Statistical Programme, there will be
no budget for and no overall planning of statistical production. This would
also contribute to an increase in the response burden of individuals,
households, enterprises and ESS institutional providers of statistics.

Option 2: ESP
2013-17 will be a repetition of the CSP 2008-2012

This option means no change in terms of
statistics covered in the current Community Statistical Programme. This could
be considered as the baseline scenario against which the other options can be
compared. The statistics provided would correspond to policy needs of the
period 2008-2012 and would not take into account new developments and needs for
priority policies of the European Union such as the Europe 2020 strategy for
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and other policies addressed in the
Commission's strategic priorities for 2010-2014. In addition, these statistics
would be produced according to the stovepipe model[9], i.e. without taking advantage
of new method of production of European statistics aiming at efficiency gains
and quality improvements.

Option 3: a
new five-year European Statistical Programme is established

A new European Statistical Programme would
be proposed for adoption covering a period of five years, i.e. lasting from
2013 to 2017. With this option European statistics will better correspond to
users' needs. There will be an agreed assurance of quality and the production
of statistics will be more cost-effective as a result of the new method of
production. The objectives defined for the ESP 2013-2017 will be in line with
the Commission's strategic priorities and will address the challenges that the
European Statistical System is faced with in the coming years.

2.3.4.   Summary of risks

The risks related to
Option 1 are high because in this case no legal framework for the production of
European statistics would exist, so that their quality and the efficiency of
statistical production would not be ensured. In these cases statistics would be
produced in an uncoordinated way by different producers.

The risks involved
in Option 2 are linked to the fact that statistics provided would correspond to
partially outdated policy priorities which are produced according to the
traditional method, i.e. without taking advantage of the new method of
production of European statistics aiming at efficiency gains and quality
improvements. The costs of inadequate statistics would be considerable.

Finally, the risks
linked to Option 3 are considered to be relatively low as in this case European
statistics would be produced under the established legal framework, i.e. the
quality of statistics and the efficiency of the production method would be
ensured as European statistics would be developed, collected and disseminated
in a coordinated way.

2.3.5.   The preferred option

Option 3 of a new
five-year ESP 2013-2017 seems to be the best option given the fact that this is
the only option that would ensure the achievement of all the objectives
defined, i.e. (i) providing quality statistics that correspond to users' needs
in term of coverage, timeliness, comparability and reliability; (ii) producing
statistical information in a cost-effective way; and (iii) reduction of the
response and administrative burden of respondents. Consequently, this is the
only out of the three options that is able to offer a satisfactory response to
all the challenges that the European Statistical System is facing.

According to this
scenario, the next ESP will start on 1 January 2013 and end on 31 December
2017.

3.           LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL

3.1.      Summary
of the proposed action

The proposal
establishes the European statistical programme for the period from 2013 to
2017. The programme provides the framework for the development, production and
dissemination of European statistics, the main fields and the objectives of the
actions envisaged for the programming period.

3.2       Legal
basis

Article 338 of the
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides the legal basis for
European statistics. Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative
procedure, the European Parliament and the Council adopt measures for the
production of statistics where necessary for the performance of the activities
of the Union. This Article sets out the requirements relating to the production
of European statistics, stating that they must conform to standards of
impartiality, reliability, objectivity, scientific independence,
cost-effectiveness and statistical confidentiality.

3.3       Subsidiarity
principle

The subsidiarity
principle applies insofar as the proposal does not fall within the exclusive
competence of the EU.

The objective of the proposed action,
namely the development, production and dissemination of European statistics
under the ESP 2013 to 2017, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member
States and is therefore better achieved at EU level on the basis of a European
Union legal act, because only the Commission can coordinate the necessary
harmonisation of statistical information at European level in all statistical
domains covered by this act, while the data collection itself can be carried
out by the Member States. Consequently, the European Union may adopt measures
in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the
Treaty.

3.4       Proportionality
principle

The proposal complies with the proportionality
principle for the following reason(s).

In line with the principle of
proportionality, this Regulation confines itself to the minimum required to
achieve its objective and does not go beyond what is necessary for this
purpose. The proposal sets objectives for the five-year period. These
objectives are spelled out and planned in more detail in the Commission’s
annual statistical work programmes, which are prepared in close cooperation
with the Member States and adopted taking into account the opinion of the ESS
Committee. Furthermore, new statistical requirements will be subject to
specific legislation prepared with early and direct involvement of the Member
States.

3.5       Choice
of instruments

Proposed instrument:
a Regulation.

Other means would not be appropriate for
the following reason(s).

Given the objectives and content of the
proposal a Regulation is the most appropriate instrument.

4.           BUDGETARY IMPLICATION

Total amount to be borne by the budget of
the EU is 299.4 million EUR (current prices) for the duration of the programme
from 2013 to 2017, of which 57.3 million EUR is covered by the programming
period 2007 to 2013 and 242.1 million EUR by the programming period 2014 to
2017.

5.           OPTIONAL ELEMENTS

Review/revision/sunset clause

The proposal includes a review and a sunset
clause.

European Economic Area

The proposed Regulation concerns an EEA
matter and should therefore extend to the European Economic Area.

2011/0459 (COD)

Proposal for a

REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
AND OF THE COUNCIL

on the European statistical programme
2013-2017

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE
COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the
Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 338.(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the
European Commission,

After transmission of the draft legislative
act to the national Parliaments,

Acting in accordance with the ordinary
legislative procedure,

Whereas:

(1)
Pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the
European Parliament and of the Council on European statistics[10], a multiannual European
statistical programme should be established, providing a framework for funding
EU actions.

(2)
In accordance with that Regulation, the European
statistical programme should provide the framework for the development,
production and dissemination of European statistics, the main fields and the
objectives of the actions envisaged for a period not exceeding five years. It
should lay down priorities concerning the needs for information for the purpose
of carrying out the activities of the European Union. Those needs should be
weighed against the resources needed at Union and national level to provide the
required statistics, and also against the response burden and the respondents’
associated costs.

(3)
The development, production and dissemination of
European statistics within the legislative framework of the multiannual
programme should be achieved through close and coordinated cooperation within
the European Statistical System between the European Union statistical
authority, which is the Commission (Eurostat), and the national statistical
institutes and other national authorities[11].

(4)
Statistics developed, produced and disseminated
under this programme should contribute to the implementation of the policies of
the European Union, as reflected in the Treaty on the Functioning of the
European Union, the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive
growth[12]
and other policies addressed in the Commission’s strategic priorities for
2010-2014 (i.e. strengthened and integrated economic governance, climate
change, reformed agricultural policy, growth and social cohesion, people’s
Europe and globalisation[13])
and should be fostered through actions financed under this programme where the
European Union can bring a clear added value.

(5)
In recent years the European Statistical System
has been faced with a number of challenges.

–
Firstly, the need for European statistics has
been constantly increasing, and this trend is unlikely to change in future.

–
Secondly, the nature of statistics has changed —
evidence-based decision making requires statistics that meet high quality
criteria linked to the specific purposes they are serving, and there is an
increasing need for complex multidimensional statistics supporting composite
policy areas.

–
Thirdly, due to the appearance of new actors on
the information market, including those providing information in nearly real
time, the priority for the ESS in future is high quality and, in the case of
short-term statistics, timeliness in particular.

–
Fourthly, budget constraints at both national
and European level as well as the need to further reduce the burden on
enterprises and citizens make the situation even more challenging.

The Commission Communication to the European
Parliament and the Council on the production method of EU statistics: a vision
for the next decade[14]
and the ESS strategy for its implementation[15]
address all these challenges by aiming to reengineer the ways of working in the
ESS in order to make it more efficient and flexible. The implementation of this
Communication constitutes the core of the European statistical programme.

(6)
With a view to better matching the limited
resources of national and European producers available for producing European
statistics with the increasing needs for statistics, the preparation of the
Commission’s annual statistical work programmes, which spell out in detail this
multiannual programme, should include a thorough review of statistical
priorities that will reduce less important requirements and simplify existing
processes, while at the same time maintaining the high quality standards of
official statistics. Account should also be taken of the burden on respondents,
be they businesses, central, regional or local government units, households or
individuals.

(7)
In this context, reasonable financial
burden-sharing between the budgets of the European Union and the Member States
should be achieved. In addition to the financial allocation set by this Regulation,
the National Statistical Institutes or other national authorities should
therefore receive at national level the appropriate funding for carrying out
the individual statistical actions decided for the implementation of this
programme.

(8)
In the development, production and dissemination
of European statistics under this Regulation, the national and European
statistical authorities should respect the principles set out in the European
Statistics Code of Practice, attached to the Recommendation of the Commission
of 25 May 2005 on the independence, integrity and accountability of the
national and Community statistical authorities, and the Commission
Communication to the European Parliament and the Council of 15 April 2011 on
robust quality management for European statistics[16].

(9)
Pursuant to Article 15 of Regulation (EC) No.
223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European statistics,
an adequate financial structure should be developed to support collaborative
networks.

(10)
Provision should be made to open the Programme
to participation of the countries of the European Free Trade Association
participating in the European Economic Area (hereinafter referred to as 'the
EFTA/EEA countries'). Provisions should also be made to open the Programme to
participation by other countries, in particular the neighbouring countries of
the European Union and countries which are applying for, are candidates for or
are acceding to, membership of the European Union.

(11)
In the context of the implementation of the
Programme, where appropriate, cooperation with third countries not
participating in the Programme should be encouraged, taking into account any
relevant agreements between those countries and the Union.

(12)
In order to be considered as financing decisions
according to Article [] of Regulation [...] on the financial rules applicable
to the general budget of the European Union [New financial Regulation], the
annual work programmes adopted by the Commission for implementation of the
Programme have to set out the objectives pursued, the expected results, the
method of implementation and their total amount. They should also contain a
description of the actions to be financed, an indication of the amount
allocated to each action and an indicative implementation timetable. They shall
include for grants the priorities, the essential evaluation criteria and the
maximum rate of co-financing.

(13)
Since the objective of this Regulation, namely
to establish the European Statistical Programme 2013 to 2017, cannot be
sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore be better achieved
at the level of the European Union, the European Union may adopt measures, in
accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the
Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that
Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to
achieve that objective.

(14)
An ex-ante evaluation has been performed in
accordance with the principle of sound financial management, in order to focus
the programme established by this Regulation on the need for effectiveness in
achieving the objectives and in order to incorporate budgetary constraints from
the design phase of the programme onwards. The value and impact of the measures
taken under the Programme should be regularly monitored and evaluated,
including by independent external evaluators. For the purpose of evaluating the
programme, measurable objectives have been formulated and indicators developed.

(15)
This Regulation lays down a financial allocation
for the entire duration of the programme which is to be the prime reference for
the budgetary authority, within the meaning of point 37 of the
Inter-institutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament,
the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial
management[17],
in the framework of the annual budgetary procedure.

(16)
The financial interests of the European Union
should be protected through proportionate measures throughout the expenditure
cycle, including the prevention, detection and investigation of irregularities,
the recovery of funds lost, wrongly paid or incorrectly used and, where
appropriate, penalties.

(17)
In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 223/2009
the draft European statistical programme has been submitted for prior
examination to the European Statistical System Committee, the European
Statistical Advisory Committee established by Decision No 234/2008/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council[18]
and the Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payment Statistics
established by Council Decision 2006/856/EC[19],

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Establishment
of the European statistical programme

The European statistical programme for the
period from 2013 to 2017 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the programme’) is hereby
established.

Article 2

Added
value

The programme represents the added value of
ensuring that European statistics are focused on the information needed to design,
implement, monitor and evaluate Union policies. In addition, it contributes to
the effective use of resources by fostering actions which provide an essential
contribution to the development, production and dissemination of harmonised,
comparable and reliable statistical information.

Article 3

Scope

1.
This Regulation provides the programming
framework for the development, production and dissemination of European
statistics, the main fields and the objectives of the actions envisaged during
2013 to 2017, in accordance with Articles 13 and 14 of Regulation (EC) No
223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European statistics.

2.
The programme does not cover measures provided
for by the Programme for the Modernisation of European Enterprise and Trade
Statistics[20]
(hereinafter referred to as ‘the MEETS Programme’) until the end of the MEETS
Programme on 31 December 2013 but includes objectives in the area of enterprise
and trade statistics planned to be implemented from 2014 to 2017.

Article 4

Objectives

1.
The general objective of the programme is for the
European Statistical System to be the leading provider of high-quality
statistics on Europe.

2.
The following specific objectives shall be
pursued in all statistical actions undertaken for the implementation of this
programme:

–
Objective 1: provide quality statistical
information to support the development, monitoring and evaluation of the
policies of the European Union properly reflecting priorities;

–
Objective 2: implement new methods of production
of European statistics aiming at efficiency gains and quality improvements;

–
Objective 3: strengthen the partnership within
the European Statistical System and beyond in order to further enhance its
productivity and its leading role in official statistics worldwide.

3.
The objectives referred to in this Article are
specified in the Annex together with the indicators used for monitoring the implementation
of the programme. In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 they shall be
subject to detailed annual planning that will include a priority-setting
mechanism as an integral part of the process. They shall be achieved through a
close and coordinated cooperation in the European Statistical System, which is
the partnership between the Union statistical authority and the national
statistical institutes and other national authorities.

Article 5

Statistical
governance and quality

The programme shall be implemented in accordance with the principles
of the European Statistics Code of Practice with a view to producing and
disseminating high‑quality, harmonised European statistics and ensuring
the proper functioning of the European Statistical System as a whole.
Appropriate measures shall be taken to ensure good coordination and effective
priority setting within the ESS in order to contribute to the reduction of
administrative burden on statistical respondents. National authorities and the
Union statistical authority shall ensure that European statistics comply with
the European quality standards and serve the needs of European Union
institutional users, governments, regional authorities, research institutions,
civil society organisations, enterprises and the public.

Article 6

Financing

1.
The financial envelope for the implementation of
this programme is hereby set at 299.4 million Euros, including 57.3 million
Euros covered by the programming period 2007 to 2013 and 242.1 million Euros covered
by the programming period 2014 to 2017.

2.
The Commission shall implement the Union
financial support in accordance with Regulation XX/2012 on the Financial
Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Union.

3.
In addition to the financial envelope set by
this Regulation, the individual statistical actions decided for the
implementation of this programme, in particular by means of agreement between
the National Statistical Institutes or other national authorities and the
Commission (Eurostat), shall receive appropriate funding at national level.

Article 7

Administrative
and technical assistance

The financial allocation for the Programme may also cover expenses
pertaining to preparatory, monitoring, control, audit and evaluation activities
which are required for the management of the programme and the achievement of
its objectives; in particular, studies, meetings of experts, expenses linked to
the reimbursement of statistical experts, information and communication
actions, expenses linked to IT networks focusing on information processing and
exchange, together with all other technical and administrative assistance
expenses incurred by the Commission for the management of the Programme.

Article 8

Annual
work programmes

In order to implement the programme the Commission shall adopt
annual work programmes which shall satisfy the requirements laid down in Article
17 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 and shall set out the objectives pursued and
the expected results.

Article 9

Types
of intervention

Financial contributions by the Union may take the form of either
grants or public procurements contracts or any other interventions needed for
the purposes of achieving the objectives referred to in Article 2.

Article 10

Eligible
actions

1.
Financial contribution by the Union shall
support actions for the development, production and dissemination of European
Statistics needed for the purposes of achieving objectives referred to in
Article 3. Priority will be given to actions with high added value for the
European Union in accordance with Article 2.

2.
Financial contribution to support collaborative
networks in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EC) N°223/2009 may take
the form of grants for action and may cover up to 95% of the eligible costs.

3.
When appropriate, operating grants may be
awarded for the functioning of organisations referred to in Article 11(3) not
exceeding 50% of the eligible costs.

4.
As a contribution to expenses incurred by the
Member States in carrying out actions based on surveys, a lump sum per set of
data, for which complete survey results are forwarded to the Commission, may be
paid up to a maximum threshold defined per survey. The amounts are defined by
the Commission taking due account of the complexity of the survey.

Article 11

Beneficiaries
eligible for grants

1.
In accordance with Article 5(3) of Regulation
(EC) N°223/2009, grants to beneficiaries identified therein may be awarded
without a call for proposals.

2.
Collaborative networks may involve beneficiaries
referred to in paragraph 1 and other bodies without call for proposals in
accordance with the Financial Regulation.

3.
Operating grants referred to in Article 10(3)
may be awarded to organisations which comply with all of the following
criteria:

(a)
They are non-profit-making, independent of industry,
commercial and business or other conflicting interests, and have as their
primary objectives and activities the promotion and support of the
implementation of the European statistics Code of Practice and the
implementation of new methods of production of European statistics aiming at
efficiency gains and quality improvements at European level.

(b)
They have provided the Commission with
satisfactory accounts of their membership, internal rules and sources of
funding.

Article 12

Protection
of the financial interests of the European Union

1.
The Commission shall take appropriate measures
ensuring that, when actions financed under this Regulation are implemented, the
financial interests of the European Union are protected by the application of
preventive measures against fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities,
by effective checks and, if irregularities are detected, by the recovery of the
amounts wrongly paid and, where appropriate, by effective, proportionate and
deterrent penalties.

2.
The Commission or its representatives and the
Court of Auditors shall have the power of audit, on the basis of documents and
on-the-spot checks, over all grant beneficiaries, contractors and
subcontractors who have received funding within the framework of this Regulation.

The European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) may carry
out on-the-spot check and inspections on economic operators concerned directly
or indirectly by such funding in accordance with the procedures laid down in
Regulation 2185/96 with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud,
corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of
the European Union in connection with a grant agreement or grant decision or
contract funded under this Regulation.

Without prejudice to the first and second
subparagraphs, cooperation agreements with third countries and international
organisations and grant agreements and grant decisions and contracts resulting
from the implementation of this Regulation shall expressly empower the
Commission, the Court of Auditors and OLAF to conduct such audits, on-the-spot
checks and inspections.

Article 13

Participation
of third countries in the Programme

Participation in the European Statistical
Programme shall be open to:

(a)
the EFTA/EEA countries, in accordance with the
conditions established in the EEA Agreement;

(b)
countries to which the European Neighbourhood
Policy applies, countries that are applying for, are candidates for, or are
acceding to, membership of the European Union, and the western Balkan countries
included in the stabilisation and association process, in accordance with the
conditions laid down in the respective bilateral or multilateral agreements
with those countries establishing the general principles for their
participation in European Union programmes.

Article 14

Reports

1.
The Commission shall, after consulting the
European Statistical System Committee, submit an intermediate progress report
to the European Parliament and the Council no later than June 2015.

2.
By the end of 2018, the Commission, after consulting
with the European Statistical System Committee, shall submit a final evaluation
report on the implementation of the programme to the European Parliament and
the Council.

Article 15

This Regulation shall enter into force on
the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Union.

Done at [...],

For the European Parliament                       For
the Council

The President                                                 The
President

ANNEX

Statistical infrastructure and objectives of the
European Statistical Programme 2013-2017

Introduction

The implementation
of EU policies requires comparable and reliable statistical information about
the economic, social and environmental situation in the EU and its components
at national and regional level. European statistics are also indispensable for
Europe to be understood by the general public and for citizens to take part in
the democratic process and debate about the present and future of the EU.

The European statistical programme provides
the legislative framework for the development, production and dissemination of
European statistics over the period 2013-2017.

European statistics are developed, produced
and disseminated under that legislative framework through close and coordinated
cooperation in the European Statistical System.

Statistics developed, produced and
disseminated under the programme contribute to the implementation of the EU’s
policies, as reflected in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and its
respectve Flagships and other policies addressed in the Commission’s strategic
priorities.

Given the fact that the ESP 2013-2017 is a
multiannual programme covering a period of five years and that the European
Statistical System aims at being and maintaining its role as a key player in
the statistical field, the ESP 2013-2017 is ambitious in terms of scope and
objectives, but the implementation of the Programme will follow a step-wise
approach.

Statistical infrastructure

The ESP will establish an infrastructure of statistical information.
This infrastructure has to be prepared for the wide and intensive use of
various applications.

Policy-making drives the decisions to produce European statistics,
but these statistics should also be available to other decision-makers,
researchers, businesses and European citizens in general as they are a public
good and are paid for by citizens and businesses, who should benefit equally
from the services provided. For the infrastructure to fulfil this role it has
to be designed according to a sound conceptual framework, which, on the one
hand, ensures fitness for a range of purposes and, on the other hand, allows
flexible adaptation to evolving users' needs in the years ahead.

The infrastructure of statistical information is presented below:

INFRASTRUCTURE OF STATISTICAL
INFORMATION

Legend

Data: information collected by statistical
authorities, via traditional statistical activities (sample surveys, censuses,
etc.)/data from other sources, re-used for statistical purposes. This
information is tailored to serve needs in specific policy areas, e.g. the
labour market, migration or agriculture.

The term also
includes data collected for administrative purposes but used by statistical
authorities for statistical purposes (usually referred to as data from
administrative sources).

Accounting
systems: coherent and integrated accounts, balance sheets and tables based on a
set of internationally agreed rules. An accounting framework ensures a high
profile of consistency and comparability; statistical data can be compiled and
presented in a format that is designed for the purposes of analysis and
policy-making.

Indicators: an
indicator is a summary measure related to a key issue or phenomenon and derived
from a series of observed facts. Indicators can be used to reveal relative
positions or show positive or negative change. Indicators are usually a direct
input into EU and global policies. In strategic policy fields they are
important for setting targets and monitoring their achievement.

Within this overarching scheme, the ESP
will further distinguish three groups of statistical information: Business;
People's Europe; and Geospatial, environmental, agricultural and other sectoral
statistics.

EU and relevant global policies are the instruments that specify the statistical requirements to
which the ESP will respond through the re-engineered structure and
corresponding production processes. Therefore, each individual EU and global
policy is reflected in the different components of the statistical infrastructure
and covered by specific activities in the ESP. New policies identified in the
years ahead will be covered by establishing new derivation paths of
indicators/accounts based on the statistical information produced within the
three pillars.

STATISTICAL
INFORMATION – STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS

Objectives

The general objective of the programme is
for the European Statistical System to be the leading provider of high-quality
statistics on Europe which will be achieved via the following specific objectives:

–
Objective 1: provide quality statistical
information to support the development, monitoring and evaluation of the
policies of the European Union properly reflecting priorities;

–
Objective 2: implement new methods of production
of European statistics aiming at efficiency gains and quality improvements;

–
Objective 3: strengthen the partnership within
the European Statistical System and beyond in order to further enhance its
productivity and its leading role in official statistics worldwide.

These specific objectives are split into
different priority areas described below. Objective 1 is covered by ‘I.
Statistical outputs’, Objective 2 by ‘II. Production methods of EU statistics’
and Objective 3 by ‘III. Partnership’.

I.          STATISTICAL OUTPUTS

INDICATORS

1.1.      EUROPE 2020

Endorsement of
the Europe 2020 strategy for ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive’ growth by the
June 2010 European Council has shaped to a large extent the strategic agenda
for the European Union and national policies in the years ahead. This agenda
establishes a number of headline targets and flagship initiatives for which
statistical indicators have to be delivered by the ESS in a number of areas
(i.e. improving the conditions for innovation, research and development,
promoting employment, meeting EU climate change and energy objectives, resource
efficiency, improving education levels, including learning mobility, active and
healthy ageing, and promoting social inclusion through the reduction of
poverty).

Objective:

Provide quality
statistical information to monitor the implementation of Europe 2020 policy for
smart, sustainable, inclusive growth.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Updated headline target indicators for Europe
2020 (in the area of employment, research and development, innovation,
energy/climate change, education, environment, social protection and social
inclusion) available on the Eurostat website;

·
Statistics available to support the monitoring
of the implementation of Europe 2020 flagship initiatives;

·
Additional indicators available as an input for
the ex-ante and ex-post evaluation of the economic, social and environmental
policy of the European Union.

1.2.      ECONOMIC
GOVERNANCE

The crisis and the tensions in the
financial markets have highlighted the need to strengthen the economic
governance of the Union. Decisive steps in economic governance and coordination
have already been taken by the EU, some of which will have major statistical
implications in addition to ongoing statistical activities.

Objective:

Develop new and enhance existing statistical
information relevant for EU decision-makers and the public at large in relation
to the strengthened and integrated economic governance of the EU and the
surveillance cycle integrating the Stability and Growth Pact and the economic
policy.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Statistical input for the macroeconomic
imbalances scoreboard and the underlying analysis;

·
Statistical input for an enhanced Stability and
Growth Pact;

·
A set of indicators to measure competitiveness
developed and produced;

·
A robust quality management implemented in the
production chain, also covering upstream public finance data and the underlying
workflows in Member States.

Objective:

Provide European decision-makers with
reliable statistics and indicators for administrative and regulatory purposes
and for monitoring specific EU policy commitments.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
The scope of statistics for administrative and
regulatory purposes defined and agreed with users, including the monitoring of
statistics for GNI and VAT own resources, Structural Funds, and requirements
for the remuneration and pensions as well as biennial mission allowances
calculations under the EU Staff Regulations;

·
A robust quality management framework for these
indicators defined, implemented and explained.

1.3       ECONOMIC
GLOBALISATION

The effects of the financial crisis, the
increase in cross-border flows and the fragmentation of production processes
have highlighted the need for a more coherent framework and enhanced measurement
of globalised production.

Objective:

To enhance the
indicators and statistical information available on economic globalisation and
global value chains for EU decision-makers and the public at large.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Updated of existing and development of new
indicators on economic globalisation and global value chains, including flows
of and dependency on natural resources, available on Eurostat's web-site;

·
Analysis of the global value chains, possibly
through appropriate input/output tables, and foreign trade and business
statistics, including micro-data linking.

ACCOUNTING FRAMEWORKS

The Commission Communication on GDP and
beyond and the publication of the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Report have given new
impetus to the key challenge for the statistical system, namely how to achieve
better statistics on cross-cutting issues and more integrated statistics to
describe complex social, environmental and economic phenomena beyond the
traditional measures of economic output. The European System of Accounts (ESA)
offers an integrated and consistent framework for all economic statistics that
should be complemented by other indicators in order to provide more
comprehensive information for policy and decision making.

2.1       ECONOMIC AND
SOCIAL PERFORMANCE

The economic crisis has reinforced the need
to have a set of high-quality macroeconomic indicators to better understand and
analyse economic fluctuations and thereby facilitate the decision-making
process. Increasingly globalised production makes it necessary to develop a
consistent framework that facilitates the interpretation and integration of
statistics from different domains.

Objective:

Supplement
measurement of economic performance by different dimensions of globalisation,
the quality of life, environmental sustainability, health, well-being and
social cohesion. Develop a framework for the analysis of globalised production.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Indicators on income/consumption distribution
across households produced (by reconciling National Accounts (NA) aggregates
with household survey data);

·
Implementation and compilation of annual,
quarterly and regional National Accounts in accordance with ESA 1995/2010;

·
Compilation of timely and quality price
statistics, notably the harmonised indices of consumer prices;

·
Satellite accounts developed for at least two
new areas (e.g. research and development, health, social accounts);

·
A database for growth and productivity
measurement created;

·
A conceptual framework for the analysis of
globalised production developed.

Objective:

Provide key
macroeconomic and social indicators and PEEIs (Principal European Economic
Indicators) as a coherent set of indicators addressing the EU and global
statistical data requirements and adjust PEEIs to meet evolving users’ needs.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Coordinated development of the dashboards of key
macroeconomic, social and sustainable development indicators;

·
A harmonised methodology for key macroeconomic
and social indicators and PEEIs;

·
Enhanced international comparability of
indicators;

·
Improved tools to facilitate the interpretation
and communication of indicators;

·
Harmonised housing and related statistics
available for all Member States.

2.2       ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY

Protecting, preserving and improving the
environment for present and future generations, as well as combating the
effects of climate change, are very high on the European agenda and an
objective of the EU Treaties. Efficient policies in these domains require
statistical information across various areas.

Objective:

Provide
environmental accounts, and climate change-related statistics, taking into
account international developments in this area.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
A coherent system of environmental accounts
developed as ‘satellite accounts’ to the main National Accounts, providing
information on atmospheric emissions, energy consumption, flows and reserves of
material natural resources and water, trade in basic and in critical raw
materials, environmental taxation and spending on environmental protection,
possibly including green growth/procurement;

·
Indicators that show secondary pressures,
impacts of climate change, including on health, vulnerabilities and adaptation
progress, upgraded, developed, produced and disseminated.

DATA

3.1       BUSINESS

European enterprises are the focus of a
large number of EU policies. In addition, they are responsible for the
provision of basic data. Accordingly, business statistics in the broad sense
are in heavy demand to support the decision-making process but also to help
European citizens and businesses understand the impact of these policies
differentiating between large enterprises, Mid-Caps and SMEs for which there is
an increased need for detailed and harmonised statistics. There is simultaneously
a need to reduce the administrative and reporting burden.

Objective:

Increase the
efficiency and effectiveness of production processes. Provide quality
statistics on key areas where enterprises are the centre of interest, such as
business statistics, short-term indicators, their investment in human capital
and skills, international transactions, globalisation, single market
monitoring, R&D and innovation, and tourism. Special attention should be
paid to the availability of data in high value-added industrial or services
sectors.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Data available in the statistical system or in
society reused, and common infrastructure and tools produced;

·
Statistical information and indicators on
business on an annual and infra-annual basis provided;

·
Statistical information describing the place of
Europe in the world and the EU’s relationships with the rest of the world
provided;

·
Statistical information for the analysis of
global value chains provided and the Euro Group Register developed as a
backbone for collecting cross-domain information on globalisation;

·
Trade in goods and trade in services rebalanced
with improved availability of data on services and actions to rebalance
statistical information on services and products;

·
Single market monitoring tools developed, such
as the food price monitoring tool and related indicators;

·
Quality statistics on key areas of innovation
and R&D performance provided through extended use of patent registers and
extended research and statistical use of individual micro-data;

·
Quality statistics on tourism supply and demand
provided through optimised data collection and better integrated data from
tourism with other domains;

·
Streamlined data collection on Continuing
Vocational Training (CVT) in enterprises.

3.2       PEOPLE’S
EUROPE

European citizens are at the heart of a
large number of EU policies. Consequently, social statistics in the broad sense
are in heavy demand to support the decision-making process but also to help
European citizens assess the impact of these policies on their lives.

Objective:

Provide quality
statistics on key areas of social policy where the citizen is the centre of
interest, such as social cohesion, poverty, demographic challenges (elderly
people and migration in particular), the labour market, education and training,
including learning mobility of young people, culture, physical activity,
quality of life, safety, health, disability, consumption, free movement and the
single market, mobility of young people, technological innovation and new
lifestyle choices.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
A consolidated basic infrastructure for European
Social Statistics, including a range of survey and administrative-based data
collections in place;

·
Modernised surveys on the Labour Force (LFS) and
Income and Living Conditions (SILC) in the context of which the content, the
design and the data collection aspects (particularly the mode of data
collection) of all social surveys, especially of LFS and SILC, will be
reviewed;

·
Statistics provided on education and training,
including a rationalization and modernization of the Adult Education Survey
(AES) into regular modules corresponding to data needs on education and
training

·
Statistics provided on physical activity and
culture;

·
Statistics provided on safety[21], health[22] and disability;

·
Actions of the work programme on mainstreaming
of migration statistics implemented;

·
Quality of life indicators to measure progress
of societies provided.

3.3       GEOSPATIAL,
ENVIRONMENTAL, AGRICULTURAL AND OTHER SECTORAL STATISTICS

The combination of statistics with spatially
referenced data and geospatial analysis will offer new and far‑reaching
opportunities that the ESS will explore further. Specific issues, such as
confidentiality and statistical validity of small area estimations, will need
to be given particular attention.

Quality energy and transport statistics to
support the EU 2020 strategy and climate change policy will be of high
importance in the future.

The significance of the agriculture among
the European policies will remain during 2013-2017. The statistical work will
be strongly influenced by the outcome of the reflection on the Common
Agricultural Policy after 2013. Focus will be on environmental,
biodiversity/ecosystem-related, economic, human health and safety and social
dimensions.

Objective:

Support
evidence-based policy-making by a more flexible and increased use of spatial
information combined with social, economic and environmental statistical
information.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
The Infrastructure for Spatial Information in
the European Community (INSPIRE) and in particular by the EU geo-portal further
development, maintenance and operation;

·
A range of geographic information through
cooperation with EU programmes for land use surveys and remote sensing
available;

·
Integration of statistical data when relevant,
thus creating a multisource flexible infrastructure for the provision of
targeted spatio-temporal analysis.

Objective:

Provide quality
environmental statistics to support the policy-making process of the EU.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
A set of key environmental statistics on
resources, such as on waste and recycling, water, raw materials deposits, ecosystems
services and biodiversity at national and where possible regional level, and a
set of key climate change related statistics to support mitigation and
adaptation actions and policies at all relevant levels from local to EU level.

Objective:

Provide quality
energy and transport statistics to support the policies of the EU.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Statistics on renewable energy produced and
disseminated;

·
Statistics on energy savings/energy efficiency
produced and disseminated;

·
Statistics on transport safety, passenger
mobility, road traffic measurement and intermodal freight transport produced
and disseminated.

Objective:

Provide quality
agriculture, fisheries and forestry statistics for the development and
monitoring of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies reflecting key
European strategic objectives related to sustainability as well as rural
development by carrying out regular activities related to the development,
production and dissemination of statistics.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
The agricultural data collection reviewed and
simplified in line with the Common Agricultural Policy review post 2013;

·
Agricultural data collection processes
redesigned, in particular with the objective of improving quality and
timeliness of the data provided;

·
The land use/cover data management system
elaborated and implemented;

·
The data collection system for coherent
agri-environmental indicators implemented;

·
Appropriate breakdowns by region provided;

·
A set of key forestry data from Integrated
Environmental and Economic Accounting for Forestry (IEEAF), such as forest
area, volume and value of standing timber and economic accounts for forestry
and logging, implemented and disseminated.

II.        PRODUCTION METHODS OF EU STATISTICS

The ESS is currently facing a number of
challenges: increasing demand for high-quality statistics, a growing need for
complex multidimensional statistics, the appearance of new actors on the
information market, constraints on resources, the need to further reduce the
statistical burden on respondents as well as the diversification of communication
tools. This implies adapting the production and dissemination methods of
European official statistics in a progressive way.

1.         ESS QUALITY MANAGEMENT

Objectives:

Implement a quality
management system in the ESS based on the revised European Statistics Code of
Practice, introducing new monitoring mechanisms to assess compliance with the
Code of Practice based on Commitments on confidence in statistics agreed with
the Member States.

Strengthen the sharing of good practices in
the implementation of the Code of Practice and ensure that quality reporting is
targeting different user needs.

The
objectives will be implemented by:

·
The Code of Practice fully implemented;

·
Commitments of confidence in statistics agreed
with Member States;

·
ESS and ESCB quality assurance frameworks
aligned;

·
Users’ needs for quality reporting met.

2.         PRIORITY SETTING AND SIMPLIFICATION

The European Statistical System is facing a
major challenge: how to provide high-quality European statistics to satisfy
increasing needs for statistics in a context of substantially reduced budgets
of Member States and zero-growth human resource policy at the Commission and in
Member States. Given these resource constraints at European and national level,
it is important to strengthen priority-setting and simplification measures,
which requires the commitment of all ESS partners. A priority-setting mechanism
has been introduced as an integrated part of the preparation of Annual Work
Programmes and will be implemented throughout the duration of the ESP 2013-2017.
This involves, among other things, an annual review of existing statistical
requirements replacing an administrative mechanism by a strategic approach
taking into account users’, producers’ and respondents’ interests.

Objective:

Implement
a priority-setting mechanism for the ESS in order to simplify reporting
requirements and increase the flexibility of the ESS to adjust to new needs for
statistics while taking into account the constraints of the producers and the
response burden.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Priorities defined and resources allocated
accordingly;

·
Priorities for the ESS defined as part of the
Annual Work Programme (AWP);

·
Results of user and producer consultations
reflected in the AWP;

·
Statistical areas to be simplified and data
collections to be reduced/discontinued communicated to users.

3.         MULTI-PURPOSE STATISTICS AND EFFICIENCY GAINS IN
PRODUCTION

Objectives:

Put in place
gradually an ESS business architecture allowing more integrated production of
EU statistics; harmonise and standardise statistical production methods and
metadata; enhance the horizontal (across statistical domains) and vertical
(across ESS partners) integration of statistical production processes in the
ESS in respect of the principle of subsidiarity; use and integrate multiple
data sources; produce multi-purpose statistics.

The
objectives will be implemented by:

·
Greater use of appropriate administrative data
in all statistical areas;

·
New data sources for European statistics
identified and used;

·
Increased involvement of European and national
statistical authorities in the design of administrative records;

·
Wider use of statistical matching and data
linking techniques for increasing the offer of EU statistics;

·
The European approach to statistics for quick policy
response used;

·
More integration of EU statistics production
processes through ESS coordinated actions;

·
Further harmonisation of statistical concepts
across statistical domains;

·
Development and implementation of flexible IT
reference infrastructure and technical standards for improving
interoperability, sharing of data and metadata, and common data modelling;

·
Standard IT tools used across statistical
business processes;

·
Increased use and availability of harmonised
methodologies (including mixed-mode approaches to data collection) and
harmonised metadata;

·
The role of statistical business registers
strengthened as the place where the statistical units for all business related
statistics is maintained and used as a source for national accounts sectors.

Objective:

Ensure the good
functioning and coherence of the ESS through effective collaboration and
communication.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Effective and efficient support for partnership
in the ESS;

·
Processes for burden and work sharing within the
ESS defined and implemented;

·
Collaborative networks further developed and
made operational.

4.         DISSEMINATION AND COMMUNICATION

Objectives:

Make the ESS the
first data source on EU statistics for all users and, in particular, for public
and private decision-makers, by providing a quality statistical information
service based on the principles of free access to European statistics.

Intensifying and
extending the dialogue between users and producers of statistics to meet user
needs for quality statistiscs. An early involvement of users in new
developments is key improve effectiveness and efficiency of the ESS.

Extend and rationalise the range of
dissemination products to meet the needs of users using new technologies.

Set up a cost-efficient and integrated
secure infrastructure within the ESS for access to official statistics
confidential data for scientific purposes.

Start producing public use files.

The
objectives will be implemented by:

·
The ESS recognised as the first reference point
for users of European statistics;

·
An integrated secure infrastructure in place for
access to EU micro-data;

·
A system put in place to address users’ requests
for immediate access and advice in interpretation of statistical information;

·
Dissemination products adjusted to the users’
needs using new technologies;

·
An increased number of statistical outputs on
cross-cutting issues;

·
Increased use of new communication and
dissemination technologies (e.g. SDMX-based);

·
An increased offer of micro-data sets for
statistical research purposes.

5.         TRAINING, INNOVATION AND RESEARCH

Objectives:

Satisfy
learning and development needs in the ESS based on a combination of training
courses and learning and development opportunities.

Improve the
collaboration between ESS members for the transfer of knowledge and sharing and
implementation of best practices and common innovative approaches in
statistical production.

Organise the
activities, participation and contribution of the research communities in the
improvement of the statistical production chains and of the quality of official
statistical information.

The
objectives will be implemented by:

·
Postgraduate degree (e.g. Master in Official
Statistics) developed;

·
Training programmes offered addressing user
needs;

·
Results of research projects applied in
statistical production and dissemination;

·
The ESS recognised as a reference point for the
statistical research communities;

·
Extensive involvement of the research
communities in research activities in official statistics;

·
Adequate instruments in place for the exchange
of practices and implementation of common solutions in the ESS.

III.       PARTNERSHIP

PARTNERSHIP WITHIN THE ESS AND BEYOND

Objective:

Implement the
enhanced ESS governance framework.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Implementation of the revised Statistical law,
Decision on the role of Eurostat;

·
Framework regulations covering entire
statistical areas adopted.

Objective:

Enhance
the coordinating role of Eurostat as the European Union’s Statistical Office.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
Eurostat associated with all Commission
initiatives with regard to statistical aspects at an early stage;

·
Regular stakeholder dialogues at top management
level organised.

Objective:

Strengthen the
cooperation with the European System of Central Banks and the European and
international organisations involved in the production of data for statistical
or administrative purposes through common projects and coordinated
developments. Ensure consistency between European and international standards.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
A common quality framework for the ESS and the
ESCB implemented;

·
Eurostat increasingly involved in international
advisory groups;

·
New ways of cooperation defined and implemented;

·
The new SNA[23]/ESA[24], SEEA[25]/EEEA[26] and Balance of Payments
manuals implemented.

Objective:

Promote and
implement statistical advisory and statistical assistance activities in
countries outside the EU in line with the priorities of the foreign policy of
the EU with particular emphasis on enlargement and the European Neighbourhood
Policy.

The
objective will be implemented by:

·
ESS leadership exercised in the international
arena;

·
Quality data for EU foreign policy purposes
delivered;

·
Support to Commission services for the
implementation of development and international cooperation policies, in their
relations with international organisations and in matters of common statistical
interest with non-European regions or countries;

·
Relevant statistical data to support the
enlargement process and negotiations disseminated;

·
Requests for derogations from new Member States
leading to unavailability of data minimised;

·
Agreements/Memoranda of Understanding signed
with countries outside the EU;

·
Technical cooperation programmes designed and
implemented;

·
Technical assistance focused on data
harmonisation and delivery.

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT
FOR PROPOSALS

1.           FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

1.1.    Title of the proposal/initiative

1.2.    Policy
area(s) concerned in the ABM/ABB structure

1.3.    Nature
of the proposal/initiative

1.4.    Objective(s)

1.5.    Grounds
for the proposal/initiative

1.6.    Duration
and financial impact

1.7.    Management
method(s) envisaged

2.           MANAGEMENT MEASURES

2.1.    Monitoring
and reporting rules

2.2.    Management
and control system

2.3.    Measures
to prevent fraud and irregularities

3.           ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE
PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

3.1.    Heading(s)
of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s) affected

3.2.    Estimated
impact on expenditure

3.2.1. Summary of
estimated impact on expenditure

3.2.2. Estimated impact
on operational appropriations

3.2.3. Estimated impact
on appropriations of an administrative nature

3.2.4. Compatibility
with the current multiannual financial framework

3.2.5. Third-party
participation in financing

3.3.    Estimated impact on revenue

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR PROPOSALS

1.
FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE
1.1.
Title of the proposal/initiative

Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation on the
European statistical programme 2013-2017

1.2.
Policy area(s) concerned in the ABM/ABB
structure[27]

Statistics (3403 — Production of statistical information, 3480 —
Administrative support for Eurostat, 3481 — Policy strategy and coordination
for Eurostat)

1.3.
Nature of the proposal/initiative

þ The
proposal/initiative relates to a new action

 ̈ The
proposal/initiative relates to a new action following a pilot
project/preparatory action[28]

 ̈ The proposal/initiative relates to the extension of
an existing action

 ̈ The
proposal/initiative relates to an action redirected towards a new action

1.4.
Objectives
1.4.1.
The Commission’s multiannual strategic
objective(s) targeted by the proposal/initiative

The proposal is consistent with the European Union’s priorities as
statistics developed, produced and disseminated under this programme will
contribute to the implementation of the policies of the European Union, such as
the Europe 2020 strategy for ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ and
other policies addressed in the Commission’s strategic priorities for 2010-2014
(i.e. strengthened and integrated economic governance, climate change, growth
and social cohesion, a people’s Europe and globalisation).

1.4.2.
Specific objective(s) and ABM/ABB activity(ies)
concerned

Specific objective No 1: Provide quality
statistical information to support the development, monitoring and evaluation
of the policies of the European Union

ABM/ABB activity(ies) concerned

3403 — Production of statistical information

Specific objective No 2: Implement the
new method of production of European statistics

ABM/ABB activity(ies) concerned

3403 — Production of statistical information, 3480 — Administrative
support for Eurostat, 3481 — Policy strategy and coordination for Eurostat

Specific objective No 3: Strengthen the
partnership within the ESS and beyond

3481 — Policy strategy and coordination for Eurostat

More detailed objectives will be provided in the Commission’s annual
statistical work programmes.

1.4.3.
Expected result(s) and impact

Specify the effects
which the proposal/initiative should have on the beneficiaries/groups targeted.

Effects on the European Parliament and the Council: positive as the ESP is in line with the Treaties, the financial
perspectives and the European Union’s political priorities; the needs for
statistical information to back the policies of the EU are reflected in the
ESP; the ESP includes a mechanism for improved priority-setting and reduction
of the response burden on enterprises and citizens. Member States are involved
in the preparation of the ESP. The subsidiarity principle will be respected
when implementing the ESP.

Effects on the College of Commissioners and Commission services: positive as the ESP is in line with the Treaties, the financial
perspectives; the needs for statistical information to back the policies of the
EU are reflected in the ESP, and a robust quality management system will be
implemented as part of the ESP. The ESP will be subject to effective evaluation
and an ABB-compliant framework for distribution of resources.

Effects on National Statistical Institutes (including DGINS, ESS Committee, Partnership Group, Directors’ Groups) and other
national producers: positive as the ESP includes a mechanism for improved
priority-setting and reduction of the response burden on enterprises and
citizens. It reflects the joint ESS strategy on the implementation of the
Communication. Member States are involved in the preparation of the ESP. The
subsidiary principle will be respected when implementing the ESP.

Effects on the ESAC, the European Central Bank, the Committee on
Monetary, Financial and Balance of payments statistics (CMFB) and other
non-institutional users: positive as the needs for
statistical information to back the policies of the EU are reflected in the
ESP, the users will be ensured that statistics will be ‘fit for purpose’ (on
time and according to their policy needs and requirements).

Effects on Eurostat: positive as the ESP
reflects the Communication on the production method of EU statistics; a robust
quality management system will be implemented as part of the ESP; the ESP will
provide a stable framework for coherent, structured annual programming and
allocation of resources as well as a clear view of the direction of Eurostat’s
development; the ESP will be subject to effective evaluation.

1.4.4.
Indicators of results and impact

Specify the
indicators for monitoring implementation of the proposal/initiative.

For all objectives listed in the ESP 2013-2017, the main actions and
indicators are listed. The objectives of the ESP 2013-2017 are subject to more
detailed planning in the Annual Work Programmes and results will be monitored
throughout the programming period.

The general objective linked to the pursuit of being the leading
provider of high-quality statistics on Europe will be monitored by means of:

- The Eurostat User Satisfaction Survey, and in particular the
percentage of users rating the overall quality of European statistics as
"very good" or "good".

1.5.
Grounds for the proposal/initiative
1.5.1.
Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long
term

The establishment of a multiannual European statistical programme
stems from Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European
Parliament and of the Council on European statistics3, which
stipulates that the European statistical programme must provide the framework
for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics, the
main fields and the objectives of the actions envisaged for a period not
exceeding five years. It must lay down priorities concerning the needs for
information for the purpose of carrying out the activities of the European
Union. The target beneficiaries of the proposal are the users and producers of
European statistics, i.e. the European Parliament and the Council, the
Commission Directorates-General, the European Central Bank, the National
Statistical Institutes and other national producers of European statistics, the
ESAC, the Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of payments statistics
(CMFB) and other non-institutional users, and, of course, the general public at
large.

1.5.2.
Added value of EU involvement

Political decision-makers and actors in the market constantly need
statistics in order to make their decisions and monitor and evaluate their
implementation. Statistics provide an essential infrastructure for democracies
and modern economies to function soundly and efficiently. The European Union
needs a high-quality statistical information service in order to fulfil its
mission. European statistics must be reliable, timely and independent of political
influence and provided in a convenient form for users. Furthermore, their
preparation should not impose an excessive burden on data providers and their
collection must be undertaken in accordance with the principles of subsidiarity
and proportionality.

Together with the national statistical authorities and other
national authorities responsible in each Member State for the development,
production and dissemination of European statistics, Eurostat has created a
partnership collectively called the ESS. This partnership also includes the EEA
countries. Member States collect data and compile statistics for national and
EU purposes.

The ESS functions as a network in which Eurostat’s role is to lead
the way in the harmonisation of statistics in close cooperation with the
national statistical authorities. ESS work concentrates mainly on EU policy
areas — and, with the extension of EU policies, harmonisation has been extended
to nearly all statistical fields.

The ESS facilitates the sharing of knowledge and ‘best practices’
across Member States and the development of new technologies, common tools and
collaborative networks with a view to taking advantage of possible synergies
and avoiding duplication of effort, thus paving the way for a modern production
system equipped to meet future challenges.

Efforts to harmonise, streamline and regulate can best be initiated
at the European Union level, where such projects can be carried out with
optimal efficiency.

1.5.3.
Lessons learned from similar experiences in the
past

A major constraint that we are facing with the current Community
Statistical Programme 2008-20124 is that the structure is fixed for
a period of five years and the objectives are described in detail. Since the current
programme was adopted, a number of important developments have taken place. The
basic legal framework for the production of European statistics has changed.
The Communication on the production method of EU statistics has been adopted,
followed by a joint ESS strategy; the Lisbon Treaty has come into force; a new
European Commission has taken office (as of January 2010 until December 2014);
several new political initiatives (such as Europe 20205) have been
launched and the ESS governance structure has been reinforced. None of these
developments are reflected in the current programme; parts of it have become
outdated and there is a gap between planned and actual activities. This
diminishes the relevance of the reporting on the implementation of the
programme as many relevant activities are not reflected in the programme while
we have to report on some activities that are mentioned in it but are no longer
carried out.

With regard to the process of preparing the European statistical
programme, the Partnership Group[29]
Task Force 3 proposed the multiannual programming cycle for 2013-2017. It was
suggested that the role of the ESS partners (ESS Committee, DGINS, Directors
Groups and ESAC) be strengthened in the programme preparation process.

It should also be mentioned that the Commission’s report to the EP
and the Council on the ex-post evaluation of the CSP 2003-2007[30] included recommendations with
regard to future multiannual programmes, namely:

Improve the link between the CSP and annual work programmes. The CSP is designed to be a framework programme formulating a
strategic vision for five years and ensuring, together with the annual work
programmes, the CSP’s flexibility and relevance over the entire period. In
using the CSP as a reference, the annual work programmes should make explicit
mention of and be based on the respective CSP.

Improve the monitoring of the CSP implementation. Overall monitoring of the CSP should be implemented by defining a
key set of indicators that provide sufficient information on the achievement of
operational and strategic objectives over the programme period.

The Commission’s report to the EP and the Council on the mid-term
evaluation of the CSP 2008-2012 highlighted the following points to be taken
into account in the future:

- Definition of new needs for statistical information. A more
integrated approach using multiple and combined data sources together with
harmonisation of methodology, concepts and definitions is required.

- Strengthened partnership in the ESS. Establishment of more
and different integration cooperation models with the Member States was
emphasised.

- Reflection on conceptual approach to reprioritisation of
activities and availability of resources for implementing the CSP in order
to reduce response burden and producers costs was considered necessary.

It is worth mentioning that the current CSP 2008-2012 was one of the
subjects of the Eurostat Internal Audit Capacity’s audit report on the
evaluation function[31],
which noted the absence of an ex-ante evaluation for the current programme and
recommended that such an evaluation should be carried out for future programmes
in accordance with the Financial Regulation[32] (Article 27) and its
Implementing Rules[33]
(Article 21).

To avoid the limitations of a too detailed programme in order to be
able to adapt to new or changing political priorities and developments, the ESP
2013-2017 is designed as a general planning instrument describing in a general
way the objectives and actions to be undertaken, thus providing the overall
framework for the preparation of annual statistical work programmes with
detailed objectives and actions.

Developments in the ESS as well as the implementation of the
Communication on the production method of EU statistics require a particular
focus of the European statistical programme 2013-2017 on meeting future
challenges and balancing demands and resources. A strong ESS partnership is
crucial and more extensive consultation of stakeholders has therefore been integrated
in the roadmap for the preparation of this programme.

Drawing on past experience, mechanisms are put in place to ensure
consistency in planning and reporting processes by better linking the
programme’s objectives with annual work programmes and improving the monitoring
and evaluation of programme implementation.

The recommendations of the mid-term evaluation of the CSP 2008-20125
have been taken into account when drafting the objectives and indicators of the
ESP 2013-2017. In particular, with regard to reprioritisation of statistical
requirements aiming at the reduction of response burden and producers costs,
the implementation of the priority setting mechanism, presented to the ESS
Committee on 18 November 2010[34],
has been foreseen.

Finally, the ex-ante evaluation was prepared
in accordance with the Financial Regulation[35]
(Article 27) and its Implementing Rules[36]
(Article 21).

1.5.4.
Coherence and possible synergy with other
relevant instruments

Along with the current CSP 2008-2012, another multiannual programme,
namely the Programme for the Modernisation of European Enterprise and Trade
Statistics (MEETS), is being implemented from 2009 to 2013. In order to improve
the efficiency of the management of the programmes, Eurostat decided to have
one multiannual programme in future instead of two. This means that the
objectives in the area of enterprise and trade statistics beyond 2013 and
actions related to the modernisation of social statistics are part of the ESP
2013-2017.

In addition, Eurostat has a coordinating role in the area of
production of European statistics in line with Commission Decision 97/281/EC of
21 April 1997. Commission Directorates-General and other services involve
Eurostat at an early stage in the development of their programmes related to statistics.

1.6.
Duration and financial impact

þ Proposal/initiative
of limited duration

–
þ Proposal/initiative
in effect from [01/01] 2013 to [31/12] 2017

–
þ Financial impact
from 2013 to 2017 for commitment appropriations and from 2013 to 2021 for
payment appropriations.

 ̈ Proposal/initiative of unlimited
duration

–
Implementation with a start-up period from YYYY
to YYYY,

–
followed by full-scale operation.

1.7.
Management mode(s) envisaged[37]

þ Centralised direct management by the Commission

 ̈ Centralised indirect management with the delegation of implementation tasks to:

–
 ̈  executive agencies

–
 ̈  bodies set up by the Communities[38]

–
 ̈  national public-sector bodies/bodies with public-service mission

–
 ̈  persons entrusted with the implementation of specific actions
pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on European Union and identified in the
relevant basic act within the meaning of Article 49 of the Financial Regulation

 ̈ Shared management with the Member States

 ̈ Decentralised management with third countries

þ Joint management with international organisations, in particular with the OECD, the United
Nations and the World Bank.

If more than one
management mode is indicated, please provide details in the ‘Comments’ section.

Comments

Based on
the experience gained with the Community Statistical Programme 2008-2012, limited
use of Joint Management with International Organisations will be considered,
when appropriate, to support the achievement of the objectives of the European
Statistical Programme 2013-2017.

2.
MANAGEMENT MEASURES
2.1.
Monitoring and reporting rules

Specify frequency
and conditions.

The ex-ante evaluation of the ESP 2013-2017 was carried out on the
basis of the provisions of the Financial Regulations for expenditure programmes
between October 2010 and April 2011 by the Strategic Planning unit of Eurostat
with the help of the Financial and Legal Affairs units. It was consulted with
the internal Eurostat Task Force for the preparation of the ESP 2013-2017
composed of representatives at Head of Unit level from all the Directorates of Eurostat
and then approved at the Eurostat Directors’ meeting on 12 April 2011.

The key findings of the ex-ante evaluation were incorporated into
the Explanatory Memorandum and the Legislative Financial Statement. Lessons
learnt from past experience that were taken into account when establishing the
ESP are presented in the Legislative Financial Statement, Part 1.5.3 ‘Lessons
learned from similar experiences in the past’. The objectives of the ESP are
presented in the proposal itself. The results of the evaluation of stakeholder
consultations, alternative delivery mechanisms, cost-effectiveness and risk
analysis are presented in the Explanatory Memorandum, Part 2 Results of
consultations with the interested parties and impact assessments.

Article 2 of the proposal stipulates that the ESP will be subject to
annual planning through the Commission’s annual statistical work programmes in
line with Regulation (EC) No 223/2009. These programmes and their corresponding
financing will be the subject of Commission Decisions detailing the outputs and
results (objectives and indicators) to be achieved during the reference period.
The monitoring will be ensured through regular reports on the consumption of
resources and on progress made in the achievement of objectives.

With regard to reporting it is foreseen that, in line with the
Regulation on European statistics, an interim progress report will be prepared
and, after the ESS Committee has been consulted, submitted to the European
Parliament and the Council no later than June 2015.

At the end of the period covered by the programme, the ESP will be
subject to an ex-post evaluation. The ESS Committee will be consulted on the
evaluation report, which will be submitted to the European Parliament and the
Council by the end of 2018.

2.2.
Management and control system
2.2.1.
Risk(s) identified

The management mode of the proposed programme is central direct
management by the Commission and to a limited extent joint management with
International Organisations. From a financial point of view the programme will
be implemented by awarding contracts, in particular to firms specialised in
statistics or informatics services, and by grants financing mainly to National
Statistical authorities. Regulation (EC) No. 223/2009 on European Statistics
allows for direct awards of grants to those authorities.

The main risks identified for the implementation of the programme
fall mainly in the management of grant procedures. As it appears from
the experience in the implementation of the Community Statistical Programme
2008-2012, some beneficiaries experienced consistent difficulties to submit the
required documentation to determine the eligibility of costs incurred.

2.2.2.
Control method(s) envisaged

The main elements of the internal control system are: Ex-ante
verification of each financial transaction's operational and financial
aspects (legality, regularity and sound financial management) according to
Article 47 (3) of the Implementing Rules of the Financial Regulation. Ex-ante
controls cover the whole expenditure life cycle, from planning and programming
to commitments and payments. To this end, for each financial transaction
controls following specific checklists have to be used by each actor in the
financial circuits.

Not only financial circuits, but also appropriate supervision,
financial and performance based reporting, audit and evaluation contribute to
implementation of the programme's budget in accordance with the principles of
sound financial management and for ensuring that the requirements of legality
and regularity are complied with. Complementarily will be ensured between the
aforementioned sources of assurance, to avoid duplication of effort and allow
for cost-efficiency of controls

Against the background of the comprehensive and compulsory controls
applied to each financial transaction that will be authorised under the
programme, the following additional control actions will be applied to the
management of grant procedures. In addition to ex-ante controls described above
and based on an annual risk analysis, reinforced ex-ante and
ex-post verification will be performed. Reinforced ex-ante verifications
will be carried out on a sample basis based, i.e. in-depth controls of
additional supporting documentation before final payments for co-financed grant
actions. Furthermore, and based on experience gained since 2005, ex-post
controls will be carried out in order to check that operations financed by
the budget are correctly implemented and in particular that the criteria set
out for the ex-ante verification are complied with. A specific emphasis will be
put to reducing administrative complexity and therefore
the likelihood of errors linked to the management of grants. This will be
achieved in particular by focusing on bigger projects (and limitation of small
grants), requirements of specific audit certificates, and last but not least by
the introduction of alternative options to payments based on actual costs, i.e.
grants based on flat rates and scales of unit costs.

Costs and benefits of controls: The programme control strategy is deemed to limit the risk of
non-compliance to under 2 %, which is in line with the assessment carried out
under the Annual Activity Report 2010. Given that the internal control
objective for the new programme is not to exceed an average residual error rate
of 2% for the whole programming period from 2013-2017, the internal control
system as well as its costs is deemed adequate to achieve this objective. DG
ESTAT considers that the costs of additional reinforced ex-ante and ex-post
controls referred to above remain at around 1% of the programme budget, about
the same ratio as in the previous programme. In terms of nature and intensity
of controls, 100 % of financial transactions (and thus 100% of the budget) will
be subject to obligatory ex-ante controls in accordance with the Financial
Regulation. As outlined above, controls based on in-depth analysis of
underlying documentation will be undertaken following an annual risk analysis.
They may cover 4-6 % of the budget.

2.3.
Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities

Specify existing or
envisaged prevention and protection measures.

In addition to the application of all regulatory control mechanisms,
an anti fraud strategy in line with the Commission's new antifraud strategy
(CAFS) adopted on 24 June 2011 will be devised on order to ensure inter alia
that internal anti-fraud related controls are fully aligned with the CAFS and
that the fraud management risk approach is geared to identify fraud risk areas
and adequate responses. Where necessary, networking groups and adequate IT
tools dedicated to analysing fraud cases related to the European Statistical
Programme will be set up.

Eurostat has defined a control strategy 2013-2017 accompanying the
implementation of the ESP. Reducing complexity, applying cost-effective
monitoring procedures as well as conducting risk based ex-ante and ex-post
controls will aim to reduce the likelihood and contribute to the prevention of
fraud. Specific awareness raising measures and relevant training with regard to
fraud prevention are part of the control strategy.

3.
ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE
3.1.
Heading(s) of the multiannual financial
framework and expenditure budget line(s) affected

–
Existing expenditure budget lines

In order of
multiannual financial framework headings and budget lines.

Heading of multiannual financial framework || Budget line || Type of expenditure || Contribution

Number [Description ........................................] || DA/NDA ([39]) || from EFTA[40] countries || from candidate countries[41] || from third countries || within the meaning of Article 18(1)(aa) of the Financial Regulation

|| || DA/DNA || YES/NO || YES/NO || YES/NO || YES/NO

–
New budget lines requested

In order of multiannual financial framework
headings and budget lines.

Heading of multiannual financial framework || Budget line || Type of expenditure || Contribution

Number [Heading ............................................] || Diff./non-diff. || from EFTA countries || from candidate countries || from third countries || within the meaning of Article 18(1)(aa) of the Financial Regulation

1A || 29.0205 European statistical programme 2013-2017 || Diff || YES/NO || YES/NO || YES/NO || YES/NO

1A || 29.010405 Statistical information policy — Expenditure on administrative management || Non-diff || YES/NO || YES/NO || YES/NO || YES/NO

3.2.
Estimated impact on expenditure
3.2.1.
Summary of estimated impact on expenditure

EUR million (to 3 decimal places). All figures in
current prices.

Heading of multiannual financial framework: || Number || HEADING 1A — Competitiveness for growth and employment (2013) HEADING 1 – Smart and Inclusive Growth (as of 2014)

DG: ESTAT || || || Year 2013[42] || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 and later || || TOTAL

Ÿ Operational appropriations || || || || || || || ||

29.0205 || Commitments || (1) || 53.800 || 54.876 || 55.974 || 57.115 || 58.235 || || || 280.000

Payments || (2) || 5.380 || 24.856 || 39.879 || 51.439 || 56.239 || 102.207 || || 280.000

Appropriations of an administrative nature financed  from the envelope of specific programmes[43] || || || || || || || ||

29.010405 || || (3) || 3.500 || 3.841 || 3.919 || 3.998 || 4.076 || || || 19.334

TOTAL appropriations for DG ESTAT || Commitments || =1+1a +3 || 57.300 || 58.717 || 59.893 || 61.113 || 62.311 || || || 299.334

Payments || =2+2a +3 || 8.880 || 28.697 || 43.798 || 55.437 || 60.315 || 102.207 || || 299.334

Ÿ TOTAL operational appropriations || Commitments || (4) || 53.800 || 54.876 || 55.974 || 57.115 || 58.235 || || || 280.000

Payments || (5) || 5.380 || 24.856 || 39.879 || 51.439 || 56.239 || 102.207 || || 280.000

Ÿ TOTAL appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope of specific programmes || (6) || 3.500 || 3.841 || 3.919 || 3.998 || 4.076 || || || 19.334

TOTAL appropriations under HEADING 1a of the multiannual financial framework || Commitments || =4+ 6 || 57.300 || 58.717 || 59.893 || 61.113 || 62.311 || || || 299.334

Payments || =5+ 6 || 8.880 || 28.697 || 43.798 || 55.437 || 60.315 || 102.207 || || 299.334

Heading of multiannual financial framework: || 5 || ‘Administrative expenditure’

EUR million (to 3 decimal places). All figures in
current prices.

|| || || Year 2013 || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 and later || TOTAL

DG: ESTAT ||

Ÿ Human resources || 91.306 || 91.306 || 91.306 || 91.306 || 91.306 || || 456.530

Ÿ Other administrative expenditure || 4.038 || 4.118 || 4.201 || 4.285 || 4.371 || || 21.013

TOTAL DG ESTAT || Appropriations || 95.344 || 95.424 || 95.507 || 95.591 || 95.677 || || 477.543

TOTAL appropriations under HEADING 5 of the multiannual financial framework || (Total commitments = Total payments) || 95.344 || 95.424 || 95.507 || 95.591 || 95.677 || || 477.543

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

|| || || Year 2013 || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 and later || TOTAL

TOTAL appropriations under HEADINGS 1 to 5 of the multiannual financial framework || Commitments || 152.644 || 154.141 || 155.400 || 156.704 || 157.988 || || 776.877

Payments || 104.224 || 124.121 || 139.305 || 151.305 || 155.992 || 102.207 || 776.877

Heading of multiannual financial framework: || Number || HEADING 1A - Competitiveness for growth and employment (2013) HEADING 1 – Smart and Inclusive Growth (as of 2014)

DG: ESTAT || || || Year 2013[44] || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 and later || || TOTAL

Ÿ Operational appropriations || || || || || || || ||

29.0205 || Commitments || (1) || 53.800 || 54.876 || 55.974 || 57.115 || 58.235 || || || 280.000

Payments || (2) || 5.380 || 24.856 || 39.879 || 51.439 || 56.239 || 102.207 || || 280.000

Appropriations of an administrative nature financed  from the envelop of specific programs[45] || || || || || || || ||

29.010405 || || (3) || 3.500 || 3.841 || 3.919 || 3.998 || 4.076 || || || 19.334

TOTAL appropriations for DG ESTAT || Commitments || =1+1a +3 || 57.300 || 58.717 || 59.893 || 61.113 || 62.311 || || || 299.334

Payments || =2+2a +3 || 8.880 || 28.697 || 43.798 || 55.437 || 60.315 || 102.207 || || 299.334

Ÿ TOTAL operational appropriations || Commitments || (4) || 53.800 || 54.876 || 55.974 || 57.115 || 58.235 || || || 280.000

Payments || (5) || 5.380 || 24.856 || 39.879 || 51.439 || 56.239 || 102.207 || || 280.000

Ÿ TOTAL appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelop of specific programs || (6) || 3.500 || 3.841 || 3.919 || 3.998 || 4.076 || || || 19.334

TOTAL appropriations under HEADING 1a of the multiannual financial framework || Commitments || =4+ 6 || 57.300 || 58.717 || 59.893 || 61.113 || 62.311 || || || 299.334

Payments || =5+ 6 || 8.880 || 28.697 || 43.798 || 55.437 || 60.315 || 102.207 || || 299.334

If more than
one heading is affected by the proposal / initiative:

Ÿ TOTAL operational appropriations || Commitments || (4) || || || || || || || ||

Payments || (5) || || || || || || || ||

Ÿ TOTAL appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelop of specific programs || (6) || || || || || || || ||

TOTAL appropriations under HEADINGS 1 to 4 of the multiannual financial framework (Reference amount) || Commitments || =4+ 6 || || || || || || || ||

Payments || =5+ 6 || || || || || || || ||

Heading of multiannual financial framework: || 5 || " Administrative expenditure "

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

|| || || Year 2013 || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 and later || TOTAL

DG: ESTAT ||

Ÿ Human resources || 91.306 || 91.306 || 91.306 || 91.306 || 91.306 || || 456.530

Ÿ Other administrative expenditure || 4.038 || 4.118 || 4.201 || 4.285 || 4.371 || || 21.013

TOTAL DG ESTAT || Appropriations || 95.344 || 95.424 || 95.507 || 95.591 || 95.677 || || 477.543

TOTAL appropriations under HEADING 5 of the multiannual financial framework || (Total commitments = Total payments) || 95.344 || 95.424 || 95.507 || 95.591 || 95.677 || || 477.543

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

|| || || Year 2013 || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 and later || TOTAL

TOTAL appropriations under HEADINGS 1 to 5 of the multiannual financial framework || Commitments || 152.644 || 154.141 || 155.400 || 156.704 || 157.988 || || 776.877

Payments || 104.224 || 124.121 || 139.305 || 151.028 || 155.992 || 102.207 || 776.877

3.2.2.
Estimated impact on operational appropriations

–
 ̈  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of operational
appropriations

–
þ  The proposal/initiative requires the use of operational
appropriations, as explained below:

Commitment appropriations in EUR million (to 3 decimal
places)

|| Year 2013 || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || TOTAL ||

OUTPUTS ||

Indicate objectives and outputs || Type of output[46] || Average cost of the output || Number of outputs || Cost || Number of outputs || Cost || Number of outputs || Cost || Number of outputs || Cost || Number of outputs || Cost || Total number of outputs || Total cost ||

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE No 1[47] Provide quality statistical information to support the development, monitoring and evaluation of the policies of the European Union ||

- Output || Statistical projects || 0.315 || 90 || 24.210 || 85 || 24.694 || 67 || 21.270 || 62 || 21.704 || 58 || 22.129 || 362 || 114.007

|| Sub-total for specific objective No 1 || 90 || 24.210 || 85 || 24.694 || 67 || 21.270 || 62 || 21.704 || 58 || 22.129 || 362 || 114.007

|| SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE No 2 Implement the new method of production of European statistics ||

- Output || Statistical projects || 0.322 || 90 || 24.210 || 84 || 24.694 || 100 || 31.906 || 94 || 32.555 || 87 || 33.194 || 455 || 146.559

|| Sub-total for specific objective No 2 || 90 || 24.210 || 84 || 24.694 || 100 || 31.906 || 94 || 32.555 || 87 || 33.194 || 455 || 146.559

|| SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE No 3 Strengthen the partnership within the ESS and beyond ||

- Output || Statistical projects || 0.308 || 20 || 5.380 || 19 || 5.488 || 9 || 2.798 || 8 || 2.856 || 7 || 2.912 || 63 || 19.434

|| Sub-total for specific objective No 3 || 20 || 5.380 || 19 || 5.488 || 9 || 2.798 || 8 || 2.856 || 7 || 2.912 || 63 || 19.434

|| TOTAL COST || 200 || 53.800 || 188 || 54.876 || 176 || 55.974 || 164 || 57.115 || 152 || 58.235 || 880 || 280.000

3.2.3.
Estimated impact on appropriations of an
administrative nature
3.2.3.1.
Summary

–
 ̈  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of administrative
appropriations

–
þ  The proposal/initiative requires the use of administrative
appropriations, as explained below:

EUR million (to 3
decimal places)

|| Year 2013 || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Year 2018 and later || TOTAL

HEADING 5 of the multiannual financial framework || || || || || || ||

Human resources || 91.306 || 91.306 || 91.306 || 91.306 || 91.306 || || 456.530

Other administrative expenditure || 4.038 || 4.118 || 4.201 || 4.285 || 4.371 || || 21.013

Subtotal HEADING 5 of the multiannual financial framework || 95.344 || 95.424 || 95.507 || 95.591 || 95.677 || || 477.543

Outside HEADING 5[48] of the multiannual financial framework || || || || || || ||

Human resources || 2.752 || 2.752 || 2.752 || 2.752 || 2.752 || || 13.760

Other expenditure of an administrative nature (IT; meetings; studies; missions; subscriptions) || 0.748 || 1.089 || 1.167 || 1.246 || 1.324 || || 5.574

Subtotal outside HEADING 5 of the multiannual financial framework || 3.500 || 3.841 || 3.919 || 3.998 || 4.076 || || 19.334

TOTAL || 98.844 || 99.265 || 99.426 || 99.589 || 99.753 || || 496.877

3.2.3.2.
 Estimated requirements of human resources

–
 ̈  The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human
resources

–
r The proposal/initiative requires the use of human resources, as
explained below:

Estimate to be expressed in full time
equivalent units

|| Year 2013 || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017

Ÿ Establishment plan posts (officials and temporary agents)

29 01 01 01 (Headquarters and Commission’s Representation Offices) || 655 || 655 || 655 || 655 || 655

XX 01 01 02 (Delegations) || - || - || - || - || -

XX 01 05 01 (Indirect research) || - || - || - || - || -

10 01 05 01 (Direct research) || - || - || - || - || -

Ÿ External personnel (in Full Time Equivalent unit: FTE)

29 01 02 01 (CA, INT, SNE from the ‘global envelope’) || 118 || 118 || 118 || 118 || 118

XX 01 02 02 (CA, INT, JED, LA and SNE in the delegations) || - || - || - || - || -

XX 01 04 yy || - at Headquarters || || || || ||

- in delegations || || || || ||

XX 01 05 02 (CA, INT, SNE — Indirect research) || || || || ||

10 01 05 02 (CA, INT, SNE — Direct research) || || || || ||

Other budget lines (29 01 04 01) || 43 || 43 || 43 || 43 || 43

TOTAL || 816 || 816 || 816 || 816 || 816

29 is the
policy area or budget title concerned.

The human resources required
will be met by staff from the DG who are already assigned to management of the action
and/or have been redeployed within the DG, together if necessary with any
additional allocation which may be granted to the managing DG under the annual
allocation procedure and in the light of budgetary constraints.

Description of tasks to be carried out:

Officials and temporary agents || The tasks to be performed concern mainly methodological work on the one hand and on the other hand the collection, validation, processing and dissemination of the statistical information related to the domains set out in the annexes to the proposed Regulation. They also refer to Eurostat’s two horizontal ABB activities (‘Administrative support for Eurostat’ and ‘Policy strategy and coordination of Eurostat’) ||

External personnel || Support the officials and temporary agents in performing the above-mentioned tasks ||

3.2.4.
Compatibility with the current multiannual
financial framework

–
þ  Proposal/initiative is compatible with the current multiannual
financial framework for appropriations related to year 2013, and is compatible
with the multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020 for appropriations
related to years 2014 to 2017.

–
 ̈  Proposal/initiative will entail reprogramming of the relevant
heading in the multiannual financial framework.

An amount of €53.8 million for 2013 is
foreseen in the current multiannual financial frame for Community statistics.
Implementation of the programme in 2013 is compatible with this amount.

–
 ̈  Proposal/initiative requires application of the flexibility
instrument or revision of the multiannual financial framework[49].

Explain what is required, specifying the
headings and budget lines concerned and the corresponding amounts.

3.2.5.
Third-party contributions

–
 ̈  The proposal/initiative does not provide for co-financing by third
parties

–
þ  The proposal/initiative provides for the co-financing estimated
below:

Appropriations in EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

|| Year 2013 || Year 2014 || Year 2015 || Year 2016 || Year 2017 || Total

Contribution of Switzerland || 4.755 || 4.851 || 4.948 || 5.047 || 5.147 || 24.748

TOTAL appropriations co-financed || 4.755 || 4.851 || 4.948 || 5.047 || 5.147 || 24.748

3.3.
Estimated impact on revenue

–
þ  Proposal/initiative has no financial impact on revenue.

–
 ̈  Proposal/initiative has the following financial impact:

(a)
 ̈       on own resources

 ̈         on miscellaneous revenue

EUR million (to 3 decimal places)

Budget revenue line: || Appropriations available for the ongoing budget exercise || Impact of the proposal/initiative[50]

Year N || Year N+1 || Year N+2 || Year N+3 || ... insert as many columns as necessary in order to reflect the duration of the impact (see point 1.6)

Article ............. || || || || || || || ||

For miscellaneous
assigned revenue, specify the budget expenditure line(s) affected.

Specify the method for
calculating the impact on revenue.

[1]               COM(2009) 404 final, 10.8.2009.

[2]               Presented at the ESS Committee meeting on 20.5.2010,
doc. No 2010/05/6/EN.

[3]               OJ L 87, 31.3.2009, p. 164.

[4]               Decision No 1578/2007/EC, OJ L 344, 28.12.2007,
p. 15.

[5]               COM(2010) 2020 final.

[6]               http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/president/pdf/press_20090903_en.pdf, 3.9.2009.

[7]               Established by Decision No 234/2008/EC of the
European Parliament and of the Council.

[8]               The DGINS Conference is held once a year with the aim
of discussing topics related to the statistical programme and methods and
processes for the production of European statistics. It is hosted each year by
a different Member State and the Director-General of the host country chairs
the conference.

[9]               In the stovepipe model, statistics are traditionally
produced in numerous parallel processes, country by country (in some cases even
region by region) and domain per domain. In such a model every single product
stovepipe corresponds to a specific domain of statistics together with the corresponding
production system. For each domain, the whole production process from survey
design over data collection and processing to dissemination takes place
independently of other domains, and each domain has its own data suppliers and
user groups. The stovepipe model is also reflected in the way statistical
domains are regulated at the European level.

[10]             OJ L 87, 31.3.2009, p. 164.

[11]             Without prejudice to Article 5 of the Protocol on the
Statute of the European System of Central Banks and the European Central Bank.

[12]             COM(2010) 2020 final.

[13]             http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/president/pdf/press_20090903_en.pdf, 3.9.2009.

[14]             COM(2009) 404 final, 10.8.2009.

[15]             Presented at the ESS Committee meeting on 20.5.2010,
doc. No 2010/05/6/EN.

[16]             COM(2011) 211 final.

[17]             Reference to the legal basis will be updated once the
new Agreement with the EP is adopted.

[18]             OJ L 73, 15.3.2008, p. 13.

[19]             OJ L 332, 30.11.2006, p. 21.

[20]             OJ L 340, 19.12.2008, p. 76.

[21]             In this context, Eurostat should use results of EU
funded projects such as, for example, the Joint
Action on Monitoring Injuries in Europe (JAMIE) and the Injury Database
(IDB).

[22]             As agreed under the framework Regulation
(EC) No 1338/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16
December 2008 on Community statistics on public health and health safety at
work (Health status and health determinants, Health care, Causes of death,
Accidents at work, Occupational diseases).

[23]             System of National Accounts (United Nations).

[24]             European System of Accounts.

[25]             System of Environmental and Economic Accounts (United
Nations); adoption foreseen for 2012

[26]             European Environmental Economic Accounts

[27]             ABM: Activity-Based Management — ABB: Activity-Based
Budgeting.

[28]             As referred to in Article 49(6)(a) or (b) of the
Financial Regulation.

[29]             The Partnership Group is a group of Directors General
of the National Statistical Institutes of the ESS whose mission is to further
the development of the ESS through, mainly, facilitating the work of the ESS
Committee.

[30]             COM(2009) 1 final.

[31]             Internal Audit Capacity’s Audit Report
ESTAT-2009-ESTAT-002, 19.2.2010.

[32]             Consolidated version of Council Regulation No 1605/2002
of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of
the European Communities.

[33]             Consolidated version of Commission Regulation No
2342/2002 of 23 December 2002 laying down detailed rules for the implementation
of Council Regulation No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to
the general budget of the European Communities.

[34]             Presented at the ESS Committee meeting on 18 November
2010 (Doc. No 2010/07/08b).

[35]             Consolidated version of Council Regulation No 1605/2002
of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of
the European Communities.

[36]             Consolidated version of Commission Regulation No
2342/2002 of 23 December 2002 laying down detailed rules for the implementation
of Council Regulation No 1605/2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to
the general budget of the European Communities.

[37]             Details of management modes and references to the
Financial Regulation may be found on the BudgWeb site: http://www.cc.cec/budg/man/budgmanag/budgmanag_en.html.

[38]             As referred to in Article 185 of the Financial
Regulation.

[39]             DA= Differentiated appropriations / DNA=
Non-Differentiated Appropriations.

[40]             EFTA: European Free Trade Association.

[41]             Candidate countries and, where applicable, potential
candidate countries from the Western Balkans.

[42]             Year N is the year in which implementation of the
proposal/initiative starts.

[43]             Technical and/or administrative assistance and
expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions
(former ‘BA’ lines), indirect research, direct research.

[44]             Year N is the year in which implementation of the
proposal/initiative starts.

[45]             Technical and/or administrative assistance and
expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions
(former "BA" lines), indirect research, direct research.

[46]             Outputs are products and services to be supplied (e.g.
number of student exchanges financed, number of km of roads built).

[47]             As described in Section 1.4.2. ‘Specific objective(s) ...’.

[48]             Technical and/or administrative assistance and
expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions
(former ‘BA’ lines), indirect research, direct research.

[49]             See points 19 and 24 of the Interinstitutional
Agreement.

[50]             As regards traditional own resources (customs duties,
sugar levies), the amounts indicated must be net amounts, i.e. gross amounts
after deduction of 25 % for collection costs.