REGULATION (EC) No 1006/2009 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
of 16 September 2009
amending Regulation (EC) No 808/2004 concerning Community statistics on the information society
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 285(1) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (1),
Whereas:
(1)
The annual provision of statistics on the information society as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 808/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) is restricted to up to five reference years after the date of entry into force of that Regulation and will end in 2009. However, there is a continuing need at Community level for the annual provision of coherent statistical information on the information society domain.
(2)
The European Council of March 2005 stressed the importance of building a fully inclusive information society, based on widespread use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in public services, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and households.
(3)
The European Council of March 2006 recognised the crucial importance of a more productive use of ICTs in businesses and administrative organisations and called on the Commission and the Member States to implement the i2010 strategy vigorously. This strategy promotes an open and competitive digital economy and highlights ICT as a driver of inclusion and quality of life. It is seen as a key factor in the renewed Lisbon partnership for growth and jobs.
(4)
In April 2006 the i2010 High Level Group set up by Commission Decision 2006/215/EC (3) endorsed the i2010 benchmarking framework, which sets out a list of key indicators to benchmark the development of the European information society as laid down in the i2010 strategy.
(5)
Decision No 1639/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 2006 establishing a Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007 to 2013) (4) helps to enhance competitiveness and innovation capacity in the Community, to promote the advancement of the knowledge society, and to foster sustainable development based on balanced economic growth. That Decision requires the Community to equip itself with a sound analytical basis to support policy making in a number of areas. The framework programme established by that Decision supports actions for policy analyses based on official statistics.
(6)
The Ministerial Declaration on e-Inclusion, which was adopted in Riga on 11 June 2006, calls for an inclusive information society. It sets the framework for a comprehensive policy on e-Inclusion, addressing issues in the fields of the ageing society, the geographical digital divide, accessibility, digital literacy and competences, cultural diversity and inclusive online public services. It invites the Commission to support evidence gathering and benchmarking within and outside the European Union.
(7)
The indicators for benchmarking the development of the information society as expressed in the political strategies of the Community, such as the i2010 benchmarking framework of the i2010 strategy and its further developments under the Lisbon strategy, should be based on coherent statistical information.
(8)
The amendment of Regulation (EC) No 808/2004 should take into account Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on European statistics (5).
(9)
This Regulation should not increase the burden on respondents and national statistical authorities, measured by the number of mandatory variables or interview duration, in respect of the collection and transmission of harmonised statistics as compared to the situation existing before the entry into force of this Regulation.
(10)
Regulation (EC) No 808/2004 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(11)
The Statistical Programme Committee established by Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom (6) has been consulted,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Regulation (EC) No 808/2004 is hereby amended as follows:
1.
Article 3(1) is replaced by the following:
‘1. The statistics to be compiled shall include information which is useful to the structural indicators and required to benchmark political strategies of the Community on the development of the European information space, business innovation and the European information society, such as the i2010 benchmarking framework and its developments under the Lisbon strategy, and other information necessary to provide a uniform basis on which to analyse the information society.’;
2.
Article 6 is replaced by the following:
‘Article 6
Treatment, transmission and dissemination of data
1. Member States shall transmit the data and the metadata required by this Regulation and its implementing measures to the Commission (Eurostat) in accordance with Article 21 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on European statistics (7) on the transmission of confidential data.
2. Member States shall transmit the data and metadata required by this Regulation in electronic form, in accordance with an interchange standard agreed between the Commission and the Member States.
3. Chapter V of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 shall apply to the treatment and dissemination of confidential data.
3.
Article 7 is replaced by the following:
‘Article 7
Statistical quality and reports
1. Member States shall ensure the quality of the data transmitted.
2. For the purpose of this Regulation, the quality criteria as laid down in Article 12(1) of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 shall apply.
3. Every year, Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with a report on the quality of the data transmitted as well as on any methodological changes that have been made. The report shall be provided one month after the transmission of the data.’;
4.
Annexes I and II are replaced by the text appearing in the Annex to this Regulation.
Article 2
This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Strasbourg, 16 September 2009.