EN Official Journal of the European Union L 76/6

COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2015/459

of 19 March 2015

specifying the technical characteristics of the 2016 ad hoc module on young people on the labour market provided for by Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98 of 9 March 1998 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey in the Community (1), and in particular Article 7a(5) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) In order to monitor progress towards the common objectives set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy and the related ‘Youth on the Move’ flagship initiative (2), it is necessary to have a comprehensive set of data on young people and their transition towards the labour market that allows comparisons to be made between Member States.

(2) In its Communication Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socioeconomic outcomes (3), the Commission encourages Member States to introduce reforms of their education systems, in order that young people are equipped with the right skills for employment.

(3) In its Resolution of 27 November 2009 on a renewed framework for European cooperation in the youth field (2010-18) (4), the Council underlines the need for better knowledge and understanding of the living conditions, values and attitudes of young women and men.

(4) In its Recommendation of 22 April 2013 on establishing a Youth Guarantee (5), the Council encourages Member States to implement Youth Guarantee schemes as soon as possible, preferably from the start of the 2014-20 multiannual financial framework. They are advised to make use of the EU's Common Strategic Framework Funds and the European Social Fund in particular for this purpose.

(5) In its Communication Working together for Europe's young people: A call to action on youth unemployment (6), the Commission encourages Member States to implement the Youth Guarantee and to invest in young people. It promotes online services that allow young people to search job opportunities advertised by employers from their own and other Member States, while also helping SMEs to recruit young people from across Europe.

(6) Commission Regulation (EU) No 318/2013 (7) establishes the 2016 ad hoc module on young people on the labour market.

(7) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1397/2014 (8) specifies and gives a description of the areas of specialised information (‘ad hoc sub-modules’) to be included in the 2016 ad hoc module on young people on the labour market.

(8) Regulation (EU) No 545/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council (9) provides that the technical characteristics, the filters, the codes and the deadline for the transmission of data under each ad hoc sub-module referred to in recital 7 should be specified by the Commission.

(9) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the European Statistical System Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The technical characteristics of the 2016 ad hoc module on young people on the labour market, the filters and codes to be used, and the deadline by which data shall be sent to the Commission are set out in the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of 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 Brussels, 19 March 2015. For the Commission The President Jean-Claude JUNCKER

(1) OJ L 77, 14.3.1998, p. 3.

(2) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Youth on the Move: An initiative to unleash the potential of young people to achieve smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the European Union, adopted on 15 September 2010, COM(2010) 477 final.

(3) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socioeconomic outcomes, adopted on 20 November 2012, COM(2012) 669 final.

(4) OJ C 311, 19.12.2009, p. 1.

(5) OJ C 120, 26.4.2013, p. 1.

(6) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — Working together for Europe's young people: A call to action on youth unemployment, adopted on 19 June 2013 — COM(2013) 447 final.

(7) Commission Regulation (EU) No 318/2013 of 8 April 2013 adopting the programme of ad hoc modules, covering the years 2016 to 2018, for the labour force sample survey provided for by Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98 (OJ L 99, 9.4.2013, p. 11).

(8) Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1397/2014 of 22 October 2014 amending Regulation (EU) No 318/2013 adopting the programme of ad hoc modules, covering the years 2016 to 2018, for the labour force sample survey provided for by Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98 (OJ L 370, 30.12.2014, p. 42).

(9) Regulation (EU) No 545/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey in the Community (OJ L 163, 29.5.2014, p. 10).