NoC277/54 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 26.10.92
ProposalforaCouncilDecisionontheFrameworkProgrammeforPriorityActionsintheFieldof
StatisticalInformation1993to1997
(92/C277/02)
COM(92J395final
(SubmittedbytheCommisionon21September1992)
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES ,—todisseminatestatisticalinformationtoEuropein
general,tobusinessesandtoallconcernedwith
economicandsocialmatters,toassistthemintheir
decisions;
—toseektoimprovethestatisticalsystemsintheMember
Statesandtosupportthedevelopmentofstatisticsin
thedevelopingcountriesandcountrieswhichare
changingovertomarketeconomies;
Whereasthesespecificprogrammeswillbeimplemented ,
wherepossible,ineachMemberStateundertheauthority
ofthebodiesandinstitutionsinchargeofcompilingofficial
statistics;
WhereastheCommunityiswillingtocooperateina
mutuallyadvantageous fashionwithnon-Community
countries,particularlythosewithwhichithasconcluded
frameworkagreements ;
WhereasthefollowingCommitteeshavebeenconsulted:
—theStatisticalProgrammeCommittee (SPC),
—theCommitteeonMonetary,FinancialandBalanceof
PaymentsStatistics(CSMF),
—theEuropeanAdvisoryCommitteeonStatistical
InformationintheEconomicandSocialSpheres
(CEIES),HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropean
EconomicCommunity,andinparticularArticle213
thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission ,
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEuropean
Parliament,
HavingregardtotheopinionoftheEconomicandSocial
Committee,
Whereas,inthecontextoftheimplementation and
operationoftheSingleMarket,theCommunityhastaken
decisionsinthefieldofeconomicandmonetaryunion,
economicandsocialcohesion,commonpoliciesandother
Communitypolicies;
WhereastheCommunityshouldbeabletobaseits
decisionsonstatisticalinformationwhichisup-to-date,
reliable,relevantandcomparablebetweentheMember
Statesforthedesign,implementation ,monitoringand
evaluationofitspolicies;
Whereas,inordertoensurethefeasibility,consistencyand
comparabilityofallthestatisticalinformationrequired,
thereisaneedtodrawupamedium-termstatistical
frameworkprogrammecomprisingspecificprogrammes
relatingtothedifferentCommunitypolicies;
WhereastheCommission ,initscommunication tothe
CouncilandtheEuropeanParliamentof21February
1992,madeacommitmenttopromotethedevelopmentof
aCommunityStatisticalSystemwiththefollowingtasks:
—toimplementasystemofstandards,methodsand
organizationalstructureswhichiscapableofproducing
comparable,reliableandrelevantstatisticsthroughout
theCommunity ,
—toprovidetheEuropeaninstitutionsandthe
Governments oftheMemberStateswiththe
informationtheyneedtoimplement,monitorand
evaluateCommunitypolicies,HASDECIDEDASFOLLOWS :
Article1
TheCommunitystatisticalframeworkprogrammeshall
relatetopriorityactionsinthefieldscoveredby
CommunitypoliciesasdefinedintheTreaties.The
programmeshallcovertheperiodfrom1993to1997.
Article2
Thestatisticalframeworkprogrammeshallmakeprovision
foractionsinthefollowingfields:

26.10.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC277/55
1.theoperationoftheSingleMarket;
2.socialpolicyandeconomicandsocialcohesion;
3.economicandmonetaryunion;
4.theCommunityandtherestoftheworld;
5.thedevelopmentofstatisticaltechnologiesandhuman
resources .—specifytheproceduresforitsimplementation ,itslength
andtheroleofthenationalstatisticalauthorities,
—definetheroleoftheStatisticalProgrammeCommittee
setupbytheCouncilon19June1989andofthe
CommitteeonMonetary,FinancialandBalanceof
PaymentsStatisticssetupon25February1991in
implementingandevaluatingtheprogramme,
—besubjecttoacost-effectiveness analysisandbe
implemented inaccordancewiththeprinciplesof
economy,
—takeaccountofinternational statistical
recommendations inthefieldscovered,
—bedesignedinsuchawayastolightentheburdenon
respondents inanswering thestatistical
questionnaires .Article3
Theobjectivesofthestatisticalframeworkprogrammeand
theCommunitystandardsandmethodsfortheactionsto
becarriedoutduringtheperiod1993to1997aresetoutin
theAnnex.
Article4
Intheimplementation oftheCommunitystatistical
programmetherequirements shouldbefilledineach
MemberStateincooperationwiththenationalstatistical
authoritiesresponsibleforthefieldscoveredbythepriority
actions.Article6
Duringthethirdyearofimplementation oftheCommunity
statisticalframeworkprogramme,theCommissionshall
examinetheprogressmadeinthisrespect.Itshall
particularlyassesswhethertheobjectives,theprioritiesand
theactionsplannedduringtheperiodhavebeenachieved,
andshallsubmitanyproposedamendments .Attheendof
theperiodcoveredbythestatisticalframework
programme,theCommissionshallpresentareportonits
implementation totheCouncilandtheEuropean
Parliament .ThisreportistobesenttotheCouncilandthe
EuropeanParliamentbytheendoftheyearfollowingthe
endofthestatisticalframeworkprogramme .Article5
Eachspecificactionshall:
—setpreciseobjectivesandquantitiesandmakeprovision
foranevaluationoftheresultsattained,
\

NoC277/56 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 26.10.92
ANNEX
OUTLINEPROGRAMME 1993to1997—MAJORACTIVITIES ENVISAGED FORCOMMUNITY
STATISTICS
GENERALOBJECTIVES
TheCommunitystatisticalsystemmustfulfilthefollowingtasks:
—developasetofstandards,methodsandorganizational structureswhichallowcomparable,reliableand
relevantstatisticstobeproducedthroughouttheCommunity,
—providetheEuropeaninstitutionsandthegovernmentsoftheMemberStateswiththeinformationneeded
toimplement,monitorandevaluateCommunitypolicies,
—disseminatethestatisticstotheEuropeanpublic,toenterprisesandtoalltheeconomicandsocialagents
involvedindecision-making ,
—endeavourtoimprovethestatisticalsystemsoftheMemberStatesandsupportthedevelopingcountriesas
wellasthecountriesmovingtowardsamarketeconomy.
Thesetasksimplythefollowingactivities:
(a)thedevelopmentofcommonclassifications ,methodsanddefinitionsthataredirectlyapplicableinallthe
MemberStatesandbackedbyCommuniylegislation;
(b)theconductofcommonstatisticalsurveysbasedonharmonizedmethods;
(c)preparation,analysisanddissemination ofCommunitystatistics,includingcomparisonsfrom
country-by-country andregion-by-region comparisons ;
(d)incorporationofCommunityknow-howintothestatisticalprogrammesoftheMemberStates;
(e)promotionofconvergenceinnationalstatisticalpracticesbymeansofcommontrainingactivities;
(f)supportforthedevelopmentofthestatisticalsystemsofbothCommunityandnon-Community countries
viastructuralactivitiesandexchangesoftechnologyandexperiencebetweentheMemberStatesandwith
thirdcountries.
LINKSWITHOTHERACTIVITIES CARRIEDOUTUNDERCOOPERATION ARRANGEMENTS
ApartfromthepartnershipwiththenationalstatisticalsystemsoftheMemberStates,cooperationwillalso
extendtothesystemsintheEuropeanFreeTradeAssociation (EFTA)countrieswhichformpartofthe
EuropeanEconomicArea(EEA),aswellastointernationalorganizationsactiveinthestatisticalfield,
particularlytheUnitedNationsanditsagenciesandtheOrganizationforEconomicCooperationand
Development (OECD).
SECTORALSTATISTICAL PROGRAMMES
I.SECTORALPROGRAMMES FORTHEFUNCTIONING OFTHESINGLEMARKET
A.Sectoralprogrammesforpolicyonindustry,transport,energy,R&Dandtourism
Purpose
TocontributetothepreparationofstatisticsnecessaryfortheproperfunctioningoftheEuropean
SingleMarketbyprovidingdecision-makers (government,businessesandsocialpartners)withthe
informationtheyrequiretopromotecompetitiveness oftheCommunityeconomyatinternational
level,atthesametimeimprovingmarkettransparency .
Statisticalobjectives
ToproposetotheMemberStatestheharmonizationofstandards,theexecutionofCommunity
statisticalsurveys,commonprocessingofexistingdata,andtheintroductionofcommonstatistical
infrastructuresutilizingexistingdatawherepossible,suchastheregistersinthefollowingfields.
1.Standards
AllthestatisticalprogrammeswillincorporatenewEuropeanclassificationswhichareharmonized
toahighdegreewithnationalclassifications,thusprovidingatruecommondataframeworkforall
thesectorsofactivityintheCommunity .

26.10.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC277/57
2.StatisticsoftradeingoodsbetweenMemberStates
ThisprojectisaimedatimplementingtheCouncildecisionsconcerningtheexchangeofgoods
betweenMemberStatesafter1992subsequenttoabolitionoftheinternalbordersofthe
Community .
TheComext-93distributeddatabase,containingtradeandtariffstatisticsfortheCommunityand
non-Community countries,willresultinnewmoredetailedandmoreup-to-datestatisticsthanks
tothedistributionofprocessingoperations.
ProvidingthesedetaileddatatotheInstitutionsandeconomicagentswillfacilitatedbythegeneral
useofnewinformaticsmedia,mainlyCD-ROM,byanoutputwhichismoresuitedtothemajor
sectorsofactivityandbymatchingthedisseminatedproducttothedeclaringsystems;thisinturn
willmakeforimprovedfeed-backandgreatermarkettransparency .
Thequalityofthestatisticsandtheirup-to-datecharacterdependdirectlyontheusefulness
businessesattachtothemandonthecost-benefitratioofthedeclaration;consequently ,inaddition
totheeffortstoreducethegeneralworkload,promotionandtrainingcampaignswillbesteppedup
toimprovetheresponserates.
Thecombinationoftradeandtariffdata,thegreatercoordinationbetweenproductionandtrade
statistics,theextensionofgeograpiccoveragetotheEFTAcountriesandcomparisonswiththird
countrydatawillbethemainthrustsoffuturedevelopment .
3.Statisticsonenterprises
(a)Industry
ThemainobjectiveofStatisticsonenterprisesistoprovidealltheinformationnecessaryfor
monitoringtheCommunityproductionsystemintheSingleMarketandformonitoringthe
Commission'ssectoralpolicy.TheoperationalconsequencesfortheStatisticalProgramme
1993to1997,astheyresultfromtheEECTreaty,asamendedbytheMaastrichtTreaty,
involvebothstandardization (adoptionofjointmethods,classifications andstandards),
infrastrucutreapsects(technicalandlegal)theextensionofCommunitysurveystocovernew
ground,andhumanandbudgetaryresources.
Themainobjectiveremainstheimprovementofthethreemainstaysofthesestatistics:annual
dataonstructureandactivity,sufficientlydetailedmonitoringofbusinesscyclesandsufficient
detailsformonitoringtheproductionofgoodsandservices.
Theintroductionofanannualsurveyonthestructureandactivityofenterpriseswillleadto
databrokendownbyactivitysectors,sizeclasses,MemberStatesortheirregions.
Thestatisticsontheproductionofgoodsandserviceswillfromthebasisofallworkon
monitoringandimprovingthetransparencyoftheinternalmarket(commercialpolicy,
competitiveness ).
Beyondthiscentralobjective,twomajorcategoriesofworkwillbecontinuedordeveloped.
First,allwaysandmeanswillbestudiedtoachieveimprovedindustrialstatisticswhichwill
lessentheloadontheenterprisessurveyedbutalsoimprovethepossibilitiesforthemtousethe
information (furtherstandardization work,coordinationofsurveyswiththeenterprises,
dialoguewiththemtoadapttheinformationtotheirneeds,etc.).
Second,specificdevelopmentsarecalledforbynewCommunitypolicies:
—developmentoftheinformationsystemforsmallandmedium-sizedenterprises (SMEs)
specificindicators,particularlyondemographyorcharacteristicswhichareuniquetothe
(SMEs),
—designandintroductionofdetailedindicatorsofthecompetitiveness ofEuropean
enterpriseswhichalsopermitcomparisonswiththeircompetitors (mostlyUSAand
Japan),
—developmentofR&Dstatisticstomeasurethisfactorofincreasedproductivityand
competitiveness .

NoC277/58 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 26.10.92
(b)Services
Servicesstatisticswillcontinuetobedevelopedbyanapproachwhichisbothglobaland
sectoral.
Consolidating themethodologyforthestatisticsofserviceenterprisesandinstitutionswillcall
forincreasedintegrationwiththeindustrialenterpriseandserviceenterprise(includingstatistics
analysisofthegrowthofancillaryenterpriseservices).Themethodological workwillhaveto
takeintoaccounttheexperiencegainedfrompilotsurveyswhichthemselveswillrequire
supportandcoordinationatCommunitylevel.
The'enterprise'approachmustbesupplemented bydevelopingthemethodologyforfunctional
statisticsofservices,particularlythestatisticsofproducts,functions,pricesandvolumes.
MeasuringtheimpactoftheSingleMarketonseveralimportantandsometimesfragilesectors
willrequirespecificsurveysinseveralpriorityfields.Forexample,financialservices,services
renderedtoenterprises,communications andtheaudiovisualsectorwillberegardedaspriority
atCommunitylevelandworkalreadycommencedwillbeintensifiedsothatinformation
systemscanbesetup.
Atthesametime,thenewperspectivesopenedupbytheTreatyonPoliticalUnion,and
particularlytheactivitiesunder'SocialEurope',pointtotheemergenceofnewservicesectors
forindividualsandlocalauthoritiessuchassocialsecurity,education,healthandwelfare
recreation,culturalandsportingactivities,etc.Thesemustbeanalysedunderthe'services
enterprises'approach,devotingparticularattentiontothetreatmentofnon-marketservicesand
tothecloselinksbetweenthesesectorsandthefunctionalanalysisofpublicexpenditure .
Thedevelopmentofstatisticsonserviceenterprisesmustalsbelinkedtoaninformationsystem
basedonsectoralregisterswhichcoverthesocialeconomyandthecraftindustry,andwith
implementation ofan'Actionprogrammeforthedevelopmentofasystemofstatisticsontrade
anddistribution'.
4.Transportstatistics
TheMaastrichtTreatyputstheaccentonmovingforwardinrespectoftransportbyamarket
liberalizationpolicy;inotherwords,asfarasstatisticsareconcerned,prioritymustbegivento
statisticswhichdonotyetexistatCommunitylevel,i.e.statisticsonairandseatransport.
However,apartfromthevariousmodesoftransport,statisticsareneededontheuseof
infrastructures andmeansoftransport.Ahighdegreeofprioritymustthereforebeaccordedto
passengertransport .
Theframeworkalreadylaiddownfortransportstatisticswill,ofcourse,continuetobedeveloped
throughtherevisionofdirectivesontransportbyroad,railandinlandwaterwayandthesewillbe
extendedtoairandseatransport.
Theinformationsystemmustbeconsolidatedbyamoreintermodalapproachwhichcanlink
sectoralmethodologies andsimplifysurveyorganization .
5.R&Dstatistics
ThecompetencyforresearchandtechnologicaldevelopmentvestedintheCommunitybyvirtueof
theSingleAct,strenghtenedbytheMaastrichtagreementsandCommunitypolicyonpromoting
innovation,callsforup-to-dateandprecisestatistics.PursuanttotheproposalforaCouncil
DecisiononR&Dandinnovationstatistics,theaimsofthe1993to1997programmewillbeto
consolidatethepresentsituationandtoextenddatacollectionactivities,i.e.newinformationon
R&Dworkers,measuringthetechnologicalpotentialoftheregionsandpilotsurveyson
innovation .CooperationwiththeOECDshouldbesteppedupsoastoobtaininformationon
R&Dfinancingandexpenditurewithinshorterdeadlines.
6.Energystatistics
Theoutlookforenergystatisticsdependsondevelopmentsintheeconomicsituationingeneraland
theenergymarketinparticular.Effortswillbedirectedatimprovingbalancesheets,asregards

26.10.92 NoC277/59 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
bothproductbreakdownsandaggregates .Thepriceandconsumptionsurveyswillneedtobe
expandedsoastoprovidebettercoverage.
Theactivitiesenvisagedwillimprove,andrendermorecomparable,statisticsonthetransparency
ofenergypricesandflows,securityofsupplywithtargetedmeasuresregardingtheextensionofthe
geographicaldistributionofresourced,thesubstitutionofenergyproducts,therationaluseof
energy,theexploitationofrenewableenergysources,theimpactontheenvironmentofemissions
resultingfromthetransformation ofenergyproducts(C02,S02etc.)andassessmentoftheir
economicsignificanceandonregionalenergyinvestment .
Astrategyofcarefuluseofnon-energyrawmaterialsisanimportantcounterparttothese
activities.Whenthenetworksareopenedup,statisticalmonitoringoftheirusemaybe
necessary .
7.Tourismstatistics
AsystemoftourismstatisticswillneedtobesetupinthecontextoftheEuropeanEconomicArea,
basedmainlyontouristsupplyanddemand.
B.Thesectoralprogrammesformanagementofthecommonagriculturalpolicy(CAP)andfisheries
statistics
Purpose
Tocontributetothestatisticalinformationnecessarytomanageandmonitorthearrangementsmade
undertheCAPandaspartoffisheriespolicy.
Statisticalobjectives
ToproposetotheMemberStatestheCommunitysurveystobecarriedout,thecomparableprocessing
ofnationalsurveys,theapplicationofharmonizedstandardsandtheintroductionofcommon
infrastructurestatisticsinthefollowingfields.
1.Agriculturalstatistics
Agriculturalstatisticswillundergoasignificantchangeinthecomingyearsasaresultofthereform
oftheCAPandtheimplementation oftheresultsofa'screening'operationcarriedoutunderthe
previousprogramme .Itseemsinevitablethatchangestotheinstrumentsforcollectinginformation
onproductionandforescastingproduction,prices,revenuesandagriculturalstructureswillbe
necessary.Thegoalistoattainbetterutilizationoftheresourcesdevotedtoagriculturalstatistics
whilelimitingasfaraspossiblethegrowingadministrativeburdenonfarmers.
(a)Agriculturalproduction
Cropproduction:theintroductionofstabilizersinvarioussectorsofcropproduction,aswell
ascertainlekelyelementsinCAPreform,haveemphasizedtheneedtoimprovethequality,
comparabilityandprovisiontimesofthesestatistics.ReformoftheCAPwillreinforcethe
directimpactofstatisticsonmarketmanagement .Itisthereforenecessarynotonlytocreatea
bindinglegalframeworkforcropstatistics,butalsotocontinuetoseekthemostappropriate
meansofguaranteeingtheirreliabilityandobjectivitywhilstcontainingfinancialand
manpowercostsasfaraspossible.Itiswiththisaiminmindthatresearchonsamplingand
forecastingtechniquesandremotesensingforagriculturalstatisticswillbecontinuedand,if
possible,intensified.
Animalproduction:Communitystatisticsandlegislationwillhavetoadapttochangesinthe
marketsandmarketmanagement ;theywillthereforeneedtobereviewedcarefullyatregular
intervalsinordertoensurethattheobjectivescanbeattainedatthelowestcost,takingaccount
inparticularofthedifferentlevelsofimportanceofproductioninthevariouscountries.Special
attentionwillhavetobepaidtoimprovingtheoverallinformationonslaughterings .
Supplybalances:thesebalancesprovideasynthesisofthestatisticsonthesupplyandusesof
thevariouscropandanimalproducts,andtheirmainfunctionistopermitmonitoringofthe
degreeofself-sufficiencyandofconsumption .Adaptationsmayberequiredasaconsequenseof

NoC277/60 26.10.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
thenewsystemofintra-Community tradeafter1992.Itisnecessarytoimprovetheirquality
andbetterdefinetheessentialinformationrequired,takingaccountofthefactthatthefigures
constitutereferencedataforinternationalagreements,inparticularforGATT.
Foddersupplybalances:statisticshavebeencompiledforthelast20yearsonthesupplyof
animalfeedingstuffs .Studieshavebeenundertakentodeterminethenutritionalneedsof
animalsinordertoassessthedemandforfeedingstuffswellbeforedataonsupplyareknown.
Effortshavebeenundertakenandwillcontinuetobeundertakentocomparethesupplyand
demandsidetoimproveknowledgeofthefeedingstuffsconsumedbyeachcategoryofanimals.
CAPreform,whichwillreinforcetheroleofthemarkets,willimplyaspecialefforttoobtain
informationonthelevelsofstocksofagriculturalproducts,privateandpublic,inviewoftheir
impactonthemarket.
(b)Agriculturalpricesandincomes
VerifyingandimprovingthesourcesandmethodsusedinthepreparationoftheEconomic
AccountsforAgricultureconstituteanimportanttaskwhichwillleadtogreaterharmonization
ofstatisticsbetweenMemberStatesandimprovedknowledgeofthedisparitiesinagricultural
incomethatstillexistintheCommunity .Thequalityandanalysisofagriculturalincome
forecastswillbefurtherimproved.
Thedevelopmentofanalysisoftotalincomeofagriculturalhouseholdswillleadtoagreater
understanding oftotalincomeinagriculture.
Forecastingandsimulationmodels(short-andmedium-term),basedonanintegrated
agriculturalsectordatabase,willbedevelopedand/ormaintained.Thesewillconstituteatool
forforecastsandsimulationoftheeffectsofalternativeagriculturalpolicies.Theuseofthese
modelswillallowpolicy-makerstosupporttheirproposals.MemberStateswillbemoreclosely
associatedwiththiswork.
(c)Agriculturalstructures
Duringtheyears1993to1997,theMemberStateswillcarryoutallthesurveysonthe
structureofagriculturalholdingsprovidedforinRegulation571/88.
Inordertofacilitateaccesstoandutilizationoftheresultsfromthesesurveys,itwillbe
necessarytocontinuedevelopmentofthenewdatabanksystem(Eurofarm).
Theuseofstatisticsfromadministrative sources(registers),especiallyforpermanentcrops,
shouldprovidetheCommissionwithanindispensablesetofdataontrendsintheagricultural
sectorsconcerned .
(d)Agri-foodindustry
Bringingtogetherdataontheindustrieslinkedtoagriculturewillcontinue.Usersneedswillbe
metbydrawinonexistingdataandtakingadvantageofimprovements beingprepared
particularlyinenterprisestatistics.
(e)Forestry
ImprovedinformationontheforestrysectorisneededinthelightoftherelevantCommunity
policy.Inthiscontextitisnecessarytoreinforcetheeffortstoimproveinformationonthe
structureofforestryunitsandtotrytoestablishaCommunityforestryinventory.
2.Fisheriesstatistics
Thecommonfisheriespolicycoversseveralareasofinterestthatrequiretheprovisionofstatistics:
marketmanagement,conservationoffishstocksandrestructuringofthefishingindustry.
TheRegulationsalreadyadoptedonlandingsoffisheryproductsandcatchesinthenorth-eastand
north-westAtlanticrequirethecompilationofthemostessentialstatistics.Intheyearstocome,the
qualityofthesedatawillhavetobeimprovedbyacontinuousexchangeofinformationonthe
methodsemployedbytheMemberStates.
Preliminaryworkhasalreadybeenundertakentoimproveexistingstatisticsonfishinginthe
Mediterranean ,aswellasonaquaculture .

26.10.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC277/61
C.Sectoralprogrammesforenvironmentpolicy
Purpose
TodrawupasetofstatisticalindicatorsenablingCommunityprogrammesontheenvironmenttobe
prepared,implemented ,monitoredandassessed.
Statisticalobjectives
ToproposetotheMemberStatestheCommunitysurveystobecarriedout,thecomparableprocessing
tobedonefromexistingdata,theapplicationofstandardsandtheestablishmentofcommonstatistical
infrastructures inthefollowingfield:
Environment statistics
TheperiodcoveredbythenewprogrammecoincideswiththefifthCommunityactionprogrammeon
theenvironment ,entitled'Towardssustainability',whichisbasedontheprinciplesofsustainability
andsharedresponsibilityofallthevariousoperatorsandsectors.Theprogrammerecommends
movingfromastrategybasedonnormativelegislationtothedevelopmentofasetofeconomicand
socialinstrumentswhichwillenabletheaimofsustainabilitytobeintegratedintoallfieldsandbring
aboutachangeinthebehaviourofthevariousoperatorsandintroduceaconceptofenvironmental
liability.
TheideaofsustainabilitywillbetakenupatworldlevelbytheUnitedNationsConferenceon
EnvironmentandDevelopment (UNCED),whichwillmeetinBrazilinJune1992andhasanagenda
forthe21stcenturywhichincludesasectiononthedevelopmentofanappropriateinformation
policy.
Inthiscontext,theaimsoftheenvironmental statisticsprogrammefor1993to1997shouldbeto
continueandextendtheworkbegunin1989to1992andtoimplementtheresultsofstudieswhichare
currentlyunderway.
Priorityactionconcerns:
—theintroductionofasystemforcollectingstatisticsonwasteinconnectionwithCommunity
legislationonwastemanagement ,
—introductionofasystemforcollectingstatisticsinconnectionwithindustrialsurveysonthe
generationofemissionsandwastandthecostsincurredforpreventionandelimination;
identificationanddescriptionoftheeco-industries ,
—collaboration intheestablishmentofaregisterofemissionsandwastebyeconomicsectorin
cooperationwiththeEEA(Corinairproject),
—harmonization ofstatisticsonpublicspendingontheenvironmentandR&Deffortsinthis
field,
—producingindicatorsandanalysingstatisticsontransport,rawmaterialsandenergy,industry
agricultureandtourisminapplicationoftheenvironmental policyinthesesectors,
—involvement ininternationalworkonsatelliteaccountsoftheenvironment .
Inthenextfewyears,statisticsshouldprogressthankstotheintroductionofCommunitystandardson
environmentalplanning,accountingandauditingbyenterprisesandpublicadministrations ,increasing
informationforandtheresponsibilityofconsumersandindividuals,byresearchintowhyandhow
humanactivitiesaffecttheenvironment ,andbythedevelopmentofaneconomictheoryandempirical
methodsforputtingapriceondamagetotheenvironment ;thislatteraspectsisintendedtoshowthe
costofenvironmentaldeteriorationandthedepletionofnaturalresourcesasreflectedineconomic
accounts .
II.SECTORALPROGRAMMES FORSOCIALPOLICY,ECONOMICANDSOCIALCOHESIONAND
CONSUMER PROTECTION
Purpose
Tocontributetothepreparationofharmonizedstatisticalindicatorsonemployment,unemployment ,
populationmovements,standardofliving,health,socialprotection,education,vocationaltrainingand
regionaldisparities.
Statisticalobjectives
ToproposetotheMemberStatesthestatisticalsurveystobecarriedoutortheprocessingrequiredof
existingdata,inaccordancewithcommonarrangements ,inthefollowingfields.

NoC277/62 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 26.10.92
1.Employmentstatistics
Theeffortsmadetoimprovethereliabilityandcompletenessoftheresultsofthelabourforcesurveys
(LFS)findtheirfulljustificationhere.TheLFSwillretainitscentralroleinemploymentstatisticsand
willacquireadditionalimportancebyadevelopmentconsequentuponArticle123oftheMaastricht
TreatywhichaddstothemissionsoftheSocialFund,underObjectives3and4,'tofacilitatethe
adaptationofworkerstoindustrialchangesandtochangesinproductionsystems,inparticular
throughvocationaltrainingandretraining'.
ThisCommunitysurveywillbecome,toagreaterextentthaninthepast,thebasisandcommon
frameworkforestimateswhichcompleteothermoredetailedormorefrequentstatisticscompiledin
theMemberStates.Itwillthusbecomepossiblenotonlytoproducecomparablemonthly
unemployment ratesbutalsotoidentifymoreclearlytheproblemofworkvolumeineconomiesin
whichworkorganization isbecomingincreasinglyvariable(part-time,multipleemployment ,
alternationofworkandtraining,etc.).
Particularattentionwillbedevotedtothepossibilityofestablishingshort-termindicatorsof
employmentatsectorialevel.
2.Statisticsonlivingandworkingconditionsandsocialprotection
Priorityactionsinthisdomaincanbedividedintothreemajorareas:
(a)Population ,withthefollowingactivities :
—achievinganannualsetofconsistentandinternationally comparabledataonthe
demographicsituationandondemographictrends,
—continuingworkondemographicprojection,
—supplyinginformationonintra-Community mobility,givingprioritytotheaspectsofflow,
qualificationsandage,
—fulfillingtheneedforstatisticalinformationonextra-Community migrationbyaccordinga
specialplacetofamilycompositionaswellastothetrainingandqualificationofmigrant
population,
—creatinganEEC/EFTAinformationsystemonthestocksandflowsofmigrants.
(b)Workingconditions ,withthefollowingactivities :
—providingstatisticalinformationonworkingconditionsand,inparticular,withregardtothe
typeofcontract,ofthedistributionofworkingtime,inordertomonitorthedraftdirectives
dealingwiththesequestions,
—improvinginformationonwagesandlabourcosts,inparticularbymeansofstrucutureof
earningssurveys,providingdataonqualificationlevelsandonthedistributionofwagesbysize
ofenterprise,sectorofactivityandregion.Thisimprovedinformationwillalsomeetthe
requirementsarisingfromthe'Opiniononequitableremuneration'andfromthe'Third
programmeofequalopportunitiesformenandwomenapplyingtheprincipleforequalpayfor
equalwork',
—developingshort-termindicatorsoflabourcosts,
—settingupindicatorsofindustrialrelations(strikes,unionmembership,collectiveagreements,
etc.).
Generallyspeaking,theCommunity,havingsettheobjectiveofdevelopingequalopportunitiesfor
menandwomen,thedistinctionbysexmustbepresentinallstatisticswhich,bytheirnature,
permitofsuchadistinction .
(c)Livingconditionsandsocialprotection ,withthefollowingactivities
—theimprovementofcomparabilityandoffrequencyofdataontheconsumptionandliving
conditionsofhouseholds,
—thesettingupofadatabaseonthedistributionofincomes,withparticularattentiontothe
incomesofelderlypersonswithintheframeworkoftheEuropeanyearoftheelderly(1993),

26.10.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC277/63
—theestablishmentofaEuropeanpanelontheincomeandlivingconditionsofhouseholdsasa
follow-upinstrumentofthesocialimplicationsoftheSingleMarket,
—thecontinuationandimprovementoftheindicatorsonpovertyandinparticulartheintegration
ofistnonmonetarydimensions ,
—themonitoringofexpenditureandofincomeasregardssocialprotection(Esspros),notablyin
accordancewiththedraftrecommendation ontheconvergenceofobjectivesforsocialsecurity
andwiththatconcerningaminimumlevel,
—themonitoringofmicro-economic studiesontheratesofreplacementbyfunction,
—theregularupdatingofthe'DigestofStatisticsonSocialprotectioninEurope',
—thetwo-yearlyupdatingofstatisticsonthesocialconditionofhandicappedpersons,
—thedevelopmentofdataacquisitionconcerningthe'time-budgets'ofEuropeans,
—theprovisionofdataonthemeasuresandthebudgetsprovidedinfavourofsupportingservices
forfamilies.
3.Educationalandtrainingstatistics
Thedevelopmentofstatisticsoneducation,andparticularlyofvocationaltraining,willformoneof
themajornewandurgenttasksoftheCommunitystatisticalsystem.
Improvingthecomparabilityofstatisticsbyestablishingreallinksbetweennationaleducationaland
vocationaltrainingsystemsisanimportantthemewhichmustbedevelopedtobringoutthereal
situationintheMemberStates.Specialprocessingfromexistingdatatobefoundinadministrative
registerswillformthestartingpointforthisproject.
4.Healthandsafetystatistics
Theactivitiesplannedforthisfieldcoveranalysisofmortalityandmorbiditybycause.Systematic
collectionsofcomparabledatawillbepreparedandfurtherdevelopedincooperationwiththe
countriesandinternationalorganizationsconcerned,inparticulartheWorldHealthOrganization
(WHO).
Inaddition,theCouncilresolutionof21December1987andtheDirectiveof22June1989callforthe
harmonization ofstatisticsonaccidentsattheplaceofworkandonoccupationaldiseases.Workin
thisfieldwillbecontinued .
5.Regionalandlocalstatistics
Regionalstatisticswillbedevelopedonthefollowinglines:
—morecompleteapplicationandregionalcoverage,includingthenewGermanLander,ofthesystem
ofregionalaccountsforallMemberStates,
—improvedregionalrepresentativeness ofCommunitysurveysandgreaterpossibilitiesofanalysis,
—increasedcomparability andreliabilityoftheregionalindicatorsusedinimplementing the
Regulationsonstructuralfunds,
—regionaldataonthepublicsector,
—organizationofajointsystemofinfra-regionalinformationallowingfunctionalandgeographical
breakdownsoftheCommunityterritory(employmentzones,urban/ruralzones,etc.)and
arrangingdatacollectionandthedataprocessingbaseforthemappingofspacesandregions,
—developmentofindicatorsshowingthesignificantprospectsandcapacitiesofstrucutraladaptation
suchas:
—thelevelandqualificationofhumanresources,
—investment,
—infrastructure resources,
—innovativecapacity,
—entrepreneurial capacityasreflectedbythedevelopmentofanumberofnewbusinessesand
closures.

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6.Statisticsonconsumerprotection
TitleXIinthenewTreatyonEuropeanUnionintroducesachapteronconsumerprotectioninrespect
ofhealth,safety,economicinterestsandinformation .
Information isthereforeneededon:
—effectsonhealthandsecurityarisingfromtheuseofproductsorservices,includingaccidentsat
homeandduringleisureactivities,
—trendsinconsumerexpenditurebysectorandtypeofdistribution('fixedsales'asopposedtomail
ordersales).
Finally,statisticsofanewkindareneededtodeterminenotonlytheextenttowhichtheSingleMarket
createsnewmarkets(forexampleforfinancialinstitutions )intheCommunity,butalsotheconfidence
consumersshowinit(e.g.transactionsingoodsandservicesbeyonditsfrontiers).
III.SECTORALPROGRAMMES FORECONOMIC ANDMONETARY UNION(EMU)
Purpose
Tocontributetothedevelopmentofharmonizedstatisticalindicatorsformonitoringtheobjectivesof
economicandmonetaryunion.Thisinvolvesallthestatisticsnecessaryfortheinstitutionsandthe
MemberStatestomonitortheapplicationoftheprincipleslaiddowninArticle3a(TitleII)oftheTreaty
ontheconvergenceofeconomicpolicy.
Statisticalobjectives
ToproposetotheMemberStatesthestatisticalsurveystobecarriedoutorprocessingtobemadefrom
existingdata,followingcommonprocedures,inthefollowingfields.
1.Nationalaccounts(non-financialandfinancialaccounts)
Nationalaccountsdatawillcontinuetoprovideoneofthecornerstonesofmacro-economic
analysis.
Grossnationalproduct(GNP)hasbeenthebasisofoneoftheCommunity'sownresourcessince1988.
TheGNPDirectiveinstitutedaprocedureforverifyingandassessingcomparability and
representativeness oftheGNPfiguresfortheMemberStates.
Inordertoattaintheseobjectives,currentworkmustbesteppedupandgivenahighdegreeof
priority.
Thiswillinvolve:
1.achievingamorehomogenousrespectoftherulesoftheEuropeanSystemofIntegratedEconomic
Accounts(ESA);
2.improvingtheaccuracyofGNPassessments ;
3.ensuringthatnationalaccountsprovideamoreexhaustivereflectionofeconomicactivity.
Substantialimprovements inthequalityoftheunderlyingbasicnationalaccountsdataareexpectedin
thenearfuture,inparticularfromtheinventoryofsourcesandmethodscompiledtoverifythe
comparabilityofGNPinrespectofMemberStates'contributionstotheCommunitybudgetbasedon
GNP(thefourthresource).However,thisinformationmustgofurtherthanGNPaloneanditsmain
counterparts :thecomparabilityofmacro-economic estimatesinrespectofdistributionofincome,
savingsandfinancewillbeamajorrequirementinachievingeconomicandmonetaryunion.
TheUnionTreatyunderlinedtheimportanceofstatisticalindicatorsderivedfromtheESA.Inthe
Protocolontheexcessivedeficitprocedure,forexample,thetermsusedrelatingtogovernmentdeficit,
investmentanddebtareasdefinedintheESA.TherevisionoftheESAiscurrentlybeingundertaken,

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andtheimplementation oftherevisedversionwilltakeplaceduringtheperiodcoveredbythis
StatisticalProgramme .
Balancesheetsofwealth,i.e.theanalysisofstocksratherthanflows,havealreadybeentakenon
boardintherevisionoftheESA.Inthecaseoffinancialbalancesheets,theyformanintegralapproach
inthestudyofspecificmacro-economic indicators,forexample,monetaryaggregates,externaldebt
andgovernmentdebt.ItwillbenecessarytohavebelancesheetsofwealthofallMemberStates
availableforuseintheanalysisofthebehaviourofeconomicagents.
ThefutureEMUwillrequireasystemofintegratedeconomicaccountsfortheunionasawhole,in
orderthateconomicpolicycanbemonitored .Forexample,toestablishthepositionoftheCommunity
vis-a-vistherestoftheworld,consistentdataonforeignassetsandliabilitieswillbeneeded.
2.Statisticsofthepublicsector
Aworkprogrammelookscompletelydifferentdependingonwhetherstatisticsofpublicenterprisesor
publicadministrations areconcerned.Inthefirstcase,asub-setofenterprisestatisticsmustbecreated;
inthesecond,thequalityofexistingstatisticsmustbeimproved(moretimely,morecomparableand
moredetailed)toadaptthemtothespecificrequirementsofEMU.
(a)Statisticsofpublicenterprises
Inthefirstplace,theregistersofenterprisesusedforstatisticalpurposesmustcontaincriteria
definingtheamountofcontrolexercisedbypublicauthorities .
AsregardstheCommunitysurveysonindustrialenterprisesandservices,theCommission ,in
collaborationwiththeMemberStates,musttackletheworknecessarytoarriveatabreakdown
betweenprivateandpublicenterprises .Fromtheoutset,allthevariablescoveredbythesesurveys
shouldbemonitoredforpublicenterprisesandothervariablescouldalsobeincluded.
Whendrawingupaccountsshowingtheassetsofpubliccompanies (financialandnon-financial),
specialattentionshouldbepaidtostatisticsshowingthedebtburdenofpublicenterprises (and
quasi-corporate enterprises )whichareguaranteedbypublicauthorities .
(b)Thestatisticsofgeneralgovernment
Somehithertounder-usedelementsofnationalaccountswillacquirenewimportance;forexample,
asmonetarypolicyisunified,analysisoffiscalpolicywillrequiredataongovernmentrevenueand
expenditureandondeficitsandtheirfinancing.Moreover,onofthefourconvergencecriteria
identifiedintheUnionTreatydirectlyconcernsfiscalpolicy.InordertoimplementtheProtocolon
theexcessivedeficitprocedure,dataonboththegeneralbudgetarysituationandongeneralpublic
debtshouldbeharmonized ,collectedandupdatedinaccordancewithbothESAmethodologyand
thestipulationsoftheProtocol.
Article104coftheUnionTreatyreferstothefactthattherelationshipbetweenthelevelof
governmentinvestmentexpenditureandthelevelofthegovernmentdeficitisoneofthecriteriato
beincludedinthereportthattheCommissionmustproduceshouldaMemberStatenotfulfilthe
criteriarelatingtobudgetdeficits.Thismeansthatthedatarelatingtogovernmentinvestment
expendituremustbeharmonizedandcollectedonaregularbasis;thesedatawillbederivedfrom
nationalaccounts.
3.Statisticsofbalanceofpayments
A'sustainablebalanceofpayments'isaguidingprincipleforbothindividualMemberStatesandthe
Community (Article3a).Asaconsequence ,balanceofpaymentsstatisticsareofutmostimportance
formonitoringtheexternaleconomic,monetaryandfinancialsituationofindividualMemberStates
andoftheCommunityasawhole;theyareasourceofgenuineinformationoninternational
macro-economic flowssuchastradeingoodsandservices,factorincome,unrequiredtransfers,direct
investment,andothercapitalmandmonetaryflows.Anumberofpolicymeasures,relevantinthe
contextofeconomicandmonetaryintegration,drawheavilyoninformationfrombalanceofpayments
statistics.Amongotherthings,thisappliestomeasuresrelatingtocapitalmovementsandpayments

NoC277/66 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 26.10.92
(Article109c)andtotheconductofforeignexchangeoperations .Inaddition,itseemstobequite
likelythattheforthcominginternationaltradeagreements (UruguayRound)willincludeinternational
tradeinservices,forwhichthebalanceofpaymentsstatisticsconstituteoneofthemainsourcesof
information .Detailed,reliableandtimelybalanceorpaymentsstatisticsarethereforehighly
desirable.
Atpresent,thebalanceofpaymentsstatisticsofMemberStatesdifferindetail,qualityandtimeliness.
Furthermore ,confidentiality considerations existinginsomeMemberStatespreventthepassageof
datatotheCommunity .AtCommunitylevel,thisresultsinalackofcomparableinformationbasedon
commondefinitionsacrosstheMemberStates;consequently ,theaggregateddatafornationalflows
areoflimitedquality.Inaddition,nationalflowsarenotnormallybrokendownintointra-and
extra-Community flows.Theinformationcurrentlyavailable,inparticularatCommunitylevel,is
clearlyinsufficienttomeetthefuturerequirementsforEMU.
Increasedeffortsareneededinordertoobtaintherequired,substantialimprovements .The
forthcomingmanualoftheInternationalMonetaryFundwillhavetobeconvertedintoCommunity
standardssuchthatitsapplicationinallMemberStateswillnotgiverisetostatisticalasymmetries .By
thesametoken,thedatacollectionsystemthroughouttheCommunityhastobereviewedand
harmonized .Theachievementofthesetasksshouldbecompletedbeforethecommencement ofthe
thirdstage.Asaconsequence ,fullusemustbemadeoftheperiodcoveredbythisStatistical
Programme .TheEuropeanMonetaryInstitute(EMI)willcooperateduringthissecondphasewhere
necessarytopromotesustainedprogresstowardstheobjectivessetoutabove.
4.Pricestatistics
DataonpriceindiceshavetwoimportantapplicationstoEMU.First,theTreatystatesthatthe
primaryobjectiveoftheEuropeanSystemofCentralBanks(ESCB)shouldbetomaintainprice
stability.Secondly,oneofthecriteriawhichwillbeusedtodeterminewhichMemberStatesare
consideredtohaveeconomieswhichhavealreadyreachedasufficientlevelofconvergencetojointthe
monetaryunionisthereductionofinflationdifferentials ,asmeasuredbyconsumerpriceindices,
betweencountriestoanacceptablelevel.
AlthoughtheCommissioncollectsanddisseminatesdataonnationalinflationtrendsviaconsumer
priceindicessuppliedbyMemberStatesonamonthlybasis,thesenationalindicesarenotfully
harmonized .Giventheimportanceofhavingcomparabledataoninflationrates,actioninthe
immediatefuturemustbegearedtowardsconstructingaharmonizedconsumerpriceindexforeach
MemberState.
5.Monetarypolicycoordinationindicators
Inordertoimprovetheunderstandingofnationalfinancialsystems,workwillcontinueonaniventory
ofsourcesandmethodsofbankingstatistics.Thisinventoryisintendedtofacilitatetheidentification
ofindividualfinancialinstruments,whichformthe'buildingblocks'ofexistingmonetaryaggregates,
andwhicharecomparableacrossMemberStatessincetheyhavesimilareconomicfeatures.Thiswill
thenenabletheCommitteeofGovernors,andlatertheEMI,tousethesebuildingblockstoconstruct
andempiricallytestvariousdefinitionsofmoneystock,whichcouldbeusedintheprocessof
strengtheningthecoordinationofmonetarypoliciesintheCommunity .
Onthebasisoftheresultsoftheinventory,areascouldbeidentifiedifnecessaryinwhichgreater
harmonization ofcollectionandtheprocessingofbankingstatisticsispossible.Upto1993,the
implementation ofproposalsforharmonization willtakeplaceinaccordancewiththearrangementsin
effectinthefirstphaseofEMU.On1January1994,theseprocedureswillbeadaptedtoconformto
theguidelinesforthesecondphase.
TocontributetotheCouncilmultilateralmonitoringexercise,datawillberequiredonavarietyof
monetarypolicyindicators.Interestrateswillbeoneoftheseaswellasoneoftheconvergencecriteria
laiddownintheTreaty.Comparableinformationontheseindicatorswillbenecessary.
6.Ecustatistics
DuringtheperioduptotheendofthefirststageofEMU,ecustatisticswillcontinuetobecollected
andpublishedonaregularbasis.

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Duringthesecondphase,collectionanddissemination ofecustatisticswillbecontinuedand
developed,particularlytoenabletheEMItooverseethedevelopmentofthecurrencyandfacilitateits
useinaccordancewithArticles2and4oftheProtocolofEMIstatutes,andtoenabletheCommission
tofulfilitsobligations .
7.Externaltradestatistics
Systematicaction(EEC)willhavetobetakenin1993tocompletetheharmonization or
standardization ofexternaltradestatistics,thebasisforwhichwaslaidbyCouncilRegulation(EEC)
No1736/75.Theentryintoforceon1January1993oftheupdatedversionofthisRegulationwill
providetheCommunityandtheMemberStateswiththeopportunitytoconfirmbymeansofnew
implementingprovisions (particularlyonvalue,confidentiality criteriaandspecificmovementsof
goods)theindependenceandspecificnatureofCommunitystatistics.
Thischangeoffocusappearstobetheonlywayofimprovingtheinternalcomparabilityoftheresults
suppliedtoEurostatbythenationalstatisticalinstitutes.
Thisimprovementwillgohand-in-handwithbetterexternalcomparability ,themainobjectiveofthe
nexttenyears,tobeachievedinteraliabytheapproximation ofmethodscurrentlybeingundertaken
withEFTAandlikelytotakeplacewiththecountriesmakingthetransitiontoamarketeconomy,and
throughcurrent(USA/Canada)andfuture(GATT)'reconciliation'exercisesontradebetweenthe
Communityandthirdcountries.However,theobjectivecanonlybeachievedifeachnational
statisticalinstituteagreestoreformthoseaspectsofitssystemwhichsetitapartinpracticefromthe
majorityoftheotherinstitutes.
Withthisreinforcedconsensus,Eurostatandthenationalstatisticalinstituteswillbeabletoactin
concertatinternationalleveltopreparetheconventionsthatwillleadtoworldwidecompatibilityof
externaltradestatisticsmuchmoresurelythancorrections,adjustmentsandestimatesundertaken
subsequentlyonresultsproducedbydifferentmethods.
Asregardsinternationaltradeinservices,itwouldappearrealistictolimitinitiallytheextensionof
informationtoadjustmentsinthecontentofstatisticsontradeingoods.Thiswillincreasetheoverall
precisionoftheexternaltradedatarequiredforbalance-of-payments statistics(e.g.value,natureof
thetransaction ,transportcosts,insurancecosts,contractwork,etc.).
Thecurrentworkonadaptingthestatisticalpartofthecombinednomenclaturetotechnological
progressinexternaltradeandtherequirementsofotherCommunityandinternationalclassifications
mustobviouslybecontinued.TheinstitutionalmanagementbodyconcernedistheCommitteeonthe
CombinedTariffandStatisticalNomenclature .
Theanalysesoftheconvergencemeasuresofeuropeaneconomiesrequirereliableandcomparable
data.Thequalityofthedatawillbeimprovedthroughspecificactivitiesaimedatgeneralizing,onthe
basisofstudiescarriedoutintheMemberStates,theapplicationofaminimumCommunitylistof
checksandvalidations,retroactivecorrectionsandrectificationofanomaliesanddiscrepantdata
detectedbythestatisticalanalysisprogrammesdevelopedforthispurpose.
Theinformationbasethusprovidedwillbeutilizedbyproducingderiveddata,bysupplyingmore
refinedseriesandbyextendingworkonseasonaladjustmentprocedures,thecalculationandanalysis
ofexternaltradeindices,andappropriatestatisticalestimatesandanalyses.
IV.THESECTORALPROGRAMMES FORTHECOMMUNITY ANDTHERESTOFTHEWORLD
Purpose
Theseprogrammeshaveadoubleobjective.First,toseethatthestatisticalstandardsandmethods
developedandimplementedwithintheCommunityareappliedinternationally inordertoincrease
comparabilityanddataqualitywhichisindispensablefortheuser.Second,theCommunitymustfulfila
coordinatingandassistancerole,inparticularinrespectofthecountriesofeasternEuropeandthe
developingcountries,sothatmodernstatisticalsystemsareproducedwhichrespectthesameprinciplesas
inwesternEurope.

NoC277/68 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 26.10.92
Statisticalobjectives
ToproposetotheMemberStatesthatCommunitystatisticalactionbecoordinatedwithinternational
organisationsandthatcooperationandtechnicalassistanceactivitiesbeimplementedforthecountries
movingtoamarketeconomyandthedevelopingcountries.
1.StatisticsandtheEuropeanEconomicArea
InArticle76,theTreatyontheEuropeanEconomicArea(EEA)mentionstheneedtodevelopa
systemofcomparableandharmonizedstatisticsthroughoutthemembercountriesoftheEEA.This
provisionisreflectedintheimplementation ofajointEC-EFTAstatisticalprogrammecomprisingall
theachievementsandprojectsoftheCommunitystatisticalprogrammewhicharerelevantforthe
implementation oftheTreaty.Asregardsconcertationchannelsandoverandabovetheprovisionsof
theEEATreaty,EurostatintendstoestablishcloselinksbetweenthesestatisticalsystemsoftheEFTA
countriesandalltheCommunityprogrammesinordertopromotethedevelopmentofacoherent
Europeanstatisticalareabasedoncommonprinciples,standardsandmethodologies .
2.Developmentofstatisticalsystemsinthecountriesmovingtowardsamarketeconomy
Transitiontomarketeconomiesnecessitatesacompleteredirectionofthestatisticalsystems.
Byfarthelargestpartofthestatisticalcooperationwillbetechnical,andwillaimatmakingavailable
themethodologies andpracticesusedinthedevelopedmarketeconomies,andinparticularinusein
theEuropeanCommunity .Thetrainingmayinvolveconferencesandseminarsforlargegroupsorbe
associatedwiththeimplementation ofaprojectinaparticulardomain(onthejobtraining).
TheCommissionlooksaftertheorganisationoftraininginthebroadersense(fromformaltrainingto
technicalassistance)andthecoordinationofactionsfromalldonorcountriesandinternational
institutions .
Cooperationisorganizedintheframeofaplurannualprogramme,splitintostatisticaldomainswhere
projectsandsingleactionsarelistedbypriority.Formaltrainingisorganizedinseminarsand
workshopsoronabilateralbasisbetweenEurostat/MemberStatesandonecentraloreastern
EuropeanCountry(CEEC),oronamultilateralbasis(e.g.specialtrainingofEuropeanstatisticians
(TES)programme,seeparagraph8(b)).TechnicalassistanceisorgnaizedbilaterallybetweenEurostat
oroneMemberStateandoneCEEC.
Coordination byEurostatofcooperationprojectsofG24countriesandinternationalinstitutions
ensuresthatscarceresources(creditsandexpertise)areusedefficiently.
3.Developmentofstatisticalsystemsinthedevelopingcountries
Duringtheperiod1993to1997itisproposedthatEurostat'scooperationactivitywillfocusuponthe
followingpriorities:
—trainingofstatisticians :educationisabasicactivitywhichallowsdevelopingcountriestolaythe
foundationsforsoundinstitutinaldevelopmentinstatistics.Inthisareatwotypesofactionshould
beimplemented :
—financialsupportofprofessionaltrainingschoolsinFrench,EnglishandPortuguesespeaking
countriesinAfrica.Similaractivityisforeseeninotherregions(LatinAmerica,Asiaetc.)in
ordertoreplytopossiblerequestsfromcountriesintheseregions.CoordinationwiththeCESD
network(Paris,Lisbon,MadridandLuxembourg),aswellaswiththeMunichCentre,will
remainapriorityinordertoensurethebestpossibleresourcesofcooperation,
—supportofactivitiesdesignedtoleadtothecontinualimprovementofhumanresources,i.e.short
coursesandseminarsonappropriatesubjects,
—foreigntradestatistics:Eurostat'ssupporttoforeigntradestatisticswillcontinuetobe
concentratedonthefinalizationandsubsequentinstallationoftheEurotracesystem.French,
English,PortugueseandSpanishversionsofthisprogrammewillbeproducedinordertogive
supporttodevelopingcountriesinallregionsonthissubject,
—thestatisticalinformationneededtotakeintoaccountthesocialaspectsofdevelopmentconstitutes
anotherareaforfuturecooperation .Thiswillbeundertakenparticularlyinthecontextof
structuraladjustmentsupport,nowincludedasoneoftheprioritiesoftheLomeIV
Convention ,

26.10.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC277/69
—informationsystemsforfoodsecurity:theaimistosupportthecreationofinformationsystems
capableofcontributingtothedesignandmanagementoffoodandruraldevelopmentpolicies.
ThiswillincludeparticipationintheprogrammingandfulfilmentoftheDiaperIIprojectinCILSS
countriesfinancedbytheEuropeanDevelopmentFund(EDF)andbilateralprogrammesof
MemberStates.
ThisprogrammewillbesetwithinanoverallstrategynowbeingdevelopedbyEurostatindialogue
withtheMemberStates,takingintoaccounttheprogrammesofotheragenciessuchastheWorldBank
andtheUNEconomicCommission forAfrica.
4.Cooperationwithothernon-Membercountries
Theyears1993to1997willbedevotedtoachievingtheobjectiveslaidsownintheagreementwiththe
UnitedStatesOfficeofManagementandBudgetandtheCanadianStatisticsOffice;thisrepresentsthe
follow-uptotheTransatlanticDeclarationsignedinautumn1990bytheCommunity,theUSAand
Canada.Thejointeffortwillbetodevelopclassifications ,standardsandmethods,tocoordinate
technicalassistanceforthecountriesmovingtoamarketeconomy,andarrangestatisticaltrainingas
wellasdissemination ofinformation .
5.Coordinationwithinternationalorganizations
Coordinationwiththestatisticaldepartmentsofinternationalorganiszations willcontinuetobea
centralaspectofCommissionpolicyinthefuture.Atworldlevel,theCommissionwillfurtherassert
itspresenceinalltheUnitedNationscooperationmachinery .Thecurrentrevisionofthismachinery
shouldpermittheUnitedNationsStatisticalCommissiontoestablishbetterconditionsforcooperation
in1993andgiveabetterdefinitionoftheCommission'sroleinitscoordinationbodiessuchasthe
StatisticalCommission'sworkingpartyoncoordinationorthestatisticalsubcommitteeoncooperation
betweeninternationalorganizations .
Asregardsspecificfields,theCommissionwillbeinvolvedinalltheinter-secretariat workingpartiesas
representative oftheEuropeanCommunity .Theseincludetheworkingpartiesonnationalaccounts,
servicesstatistics,environmentstatistics,businessregisters,etc.
InthecontextofEuropeortheidustrializedcountriesingeneral,theCommissionintendstostepupits
cooperationwiththeOECDandtheUnitedNationsEconomicCommissionforEurope(ECE)in
Geneva.Theinter-secretariat groupsetupinSeptember1991willpermitcooperationbetweenthe
threeinstitutionsinordertoimprovethedevelopmentofstatisticalstandardsandmethodsaswellas
thedatacollectionsystemofthenationaloffices.
V.DEVELOPMENT OFSTATISTICAL TECHNOLOGIES ANDHUMANRESOURCES
Purpose
Overandabovetheproduction,analysisanddisseminationofstatistics,theCommunitysystemwill,inthe
nextfewyears,befacedwiththeneedtobringaboutaconvergenceofnationalstatisticalpractices
towardsanintegratedsystem,allaspectsofwhichdrawonthemostup-to-datetechnologies .Thiswill
involveactionintwodirections:first,developingtechniquesforthecollection,processing,exchangeand
dissemination ofthedataderivedfromthemostadvancedresearchintocommunications technologyand
second,tooptimizetheuseofinfrastructures andmethodologies developedwithintheCommunitysystem
onthepartofthenationalstatisticalsystems;thiswillthushelptocreateatrueEuropeansetof
statistics.
Statisticalobjectives
ToproposetotheMemberStatesthejointdevelopmentofmoderntechnologiestoyieldthemostreliable
andup-to-datestatisticsandestablishapermanenttrainingprogramme .

NoC277/70 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 26.10.92
1.Statisticaldisseminationandinformatics
Untiltheendofthisdecadeandbeyond,theefficiencyoftheEuropeanstatisticalsystemwilldepend
primarilyonwell-designedinformationsystemsandaneffectivecomputerizedset-up.
Initially,quality,reliability,relevanceandavailabilityofstatisticalinformationwillcontinuetobe
importantfactors.However,atalaterstagetheemphasiswillincreasinglyshifttothespeedwith
whichinformationcanbemadeavailableandthecapacityforanalysingthisinformation .Thus,the
traditionalemphasisondataprocessingsystemswillshifttothecapacitiesfortelecommunication of
largevolumesofinformationstoredindistributedbases,andtheinterconnection ofthestatistical
applicationsoftheMemberStatesandtheCommission ,thatistosaytothesettingupofveritable
decentralizedEuropeaninformationsystems.
TherearetwoareasinwhichtheMemberStateswillbeinvolved.
(a)Thedistributedstatisticalinformationservices(DSIS)project
TheDSISprojectwillinvolvedevelopingarangeofstatisticalservicesforthecollection,processing
anddisseminationofstatisticalinformationfortheEuropeanStatisticalSystem.
ThecomponentsofcooperationbetweentheMemberStatesare:
—thetakingintoaccountofnationalinformationsystemsandtheresultsofstatistical
standardization ,
—anelectronicdatainterchange (EDI)standardization componentwhichwillinvolve
developmentinseveralareas:genericmessagesforstatisticaldatatransmission ,statistical
messagecomponentsforprimarydatacollection,useofstatisticalstandards(classifications )in
EDImessagesingeneral,softwaretobackuptheEdifactstandardsandtheirinterfaceswith
applications,
—technicalinfrastructure :powerfulandmulti-mediacentresforcollection(Stadiumproject)must
beestablishedwithdifferentpartnerstoensurethattheflowofinformationbetweentheir
systemsbecomesthemostautomaticpossible,
—newapplicationsmustbesetupinordertoprofitassoonaspossiblefromthetechnological
benefitsoftheseprojects.Inthisframework,thepilotapplication,themosturgent,will
concernintra-Community trade.Themigrationofexistingapplicationshastobestudied.
(b)Creationofadissemination networkfortheCommunity'sstatisticalsystem
Communitystatisticsmustbemadeavailabletotheend-useratthenearestestablishment ,i.e.the
oneheusuallyconsults,andwithanynecessaryinstructionsinhisownlanguage.Ithastherefore
beenagreedtosetupanetworkforthedisseminationofCommunitystatisticslinkingEurostatand
thestatisticaldepartmentsoftheMemberStates.
Thiswillcallforconsiderableworkinthefollowingareas:
—circulationofinformationonthestatisticsavailable:architectureandcontentofnationaland
Communityinformationsystems,
—trainingthemembersofthenetworkincontactwithusers,
—drawingupdisseminationpoliciesandtakingaccountofallthepracticalimplications (tariffs,
accesstoand/orroutingofinformation,user-friendliness ,etc.).
2.Statisticaltraining
TheCommissionwillcontinueinthenextfewyearswiththetrainingofEuropeanstatisticians (TES)
programme,whichstrengthensandsupplementstheactivitiesofthenationalstatisticalsystemsinthe
areaofspecializationandcontinuingtraining.
ThedevelopmentofanefficientEuropeanstatisticalsystemalsodependsonvocationaltrainingfor
Europeanstatisticanswhichisable,ontheonehand,tocompareandenhancenationalexperienceand
consolidatethecommonlanguagesand,ontheother,todisseminatethemostup-to-datetechnologies
fordataCollection,processingandanalysis.Thistrainingshouldpromoteeffectivesynergybetwen
officialstatistics,theuniversitiesandprivate-sector statistics.
ThebasicprincipleoftheTESprogrammeisthatboththeteachingstaffandtheparticipantsshouldbe
ofavarietyofnationalitiesinordertofostertheexchangeofinformationandexperienceoncommon
questions.

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3.Statisticalresearch
(a)Development ofstatisticalexpertsystems(Doses)programme
Statisticsthemselvesalsoconstitutearesearchfield.Themodernization ofthenationaland
CommunitystatisticalmachineryisachievedbymeansofR&Dwork.Theperiod1993to1997
willbethetimetomakeuseoftheresultsoftheDosesprogramme,tocontinuetheworkby
steppingupeffortsinthemostpromisingareasandtoincreasetheareacoveredbyresearch
activitiesbyincludingasmanynewtechniquesandtechnologiesaspossibleforstatisticalpurposes.
Somethoughtwillalsoneedtobegiventothequestionofasuitableinstitutionalframeworkfor
promoting,coordinatingandextendingnationalinitiatives.
(b)Transferoftechnologybetweenstatisticalsystems
Withregardtoinformationtechnology,progressmadeintheestablishment ofnormsand
standardsofsoftwarepackagesissuchthatitisnowpossibletoenvisageamuchcloser
technologicalcooperationbetweendifferentnationalandEuropeanstatisticalsystems.The
Commissionwilldevelopduringthecurrentprogrammeatechnologicalcooperationpolicybased
ontheprincipleofsubcontracting intheinterestsofthewholestatisticalcommunity.Basedon
commonlydefinedcharge-outrates,oneorseveralstatisticalsystem.Pilotprojectswillbestarted
upinthisarearegardingtheBlaisesystem(developedbytheNetherlands),andFrench
nomenclaturehost.OhtermoduleswillcertainlyappearintheframeworkoftheIntrastat/Comedi
projectandinotherdomains.
(c)Thegeographical dimension
TraditionallytheCommission'sdatahavebeenprimarilyatMemberStatelevelwith,forsome
datasets,abreakdownbybroadstandardregions(theNUTS-nomenclature ofteritorialstatistical
units).
Variousnewpoliciesrequireagreaterandmorevariedregionalbreakdownoftheirinformation
support.Moredatawithadetailedlocationidentifierisbecomingavailable.Newtechnology
(geographicalinformationsystems)nowgivesthetooltostore,manipulateandpresentthis
data.
ThenewpolicyelementscoverstatisticalworkinvariouspartsoftheCommission .Somemain
examplesarethereformandincreasedsizeoftheCommunity'sstructuralfundslinkedtotheidea
of'regionalcohesion',environmental issues,thereformofthecommonagriculturalpolicyandthe
linkedpreoccupationwiththefutureoftheruralworld,theoperationalneedsofthelargesingle
marketanditsextension,theEuropeaneconomicarea.
Forproblemdefinition,forpolicyformation,monitoringandevaluationaswellasformarket
operatorsinformationisneededonavarietyofnewareagroupings,somephysical(e.g.hydraulic
basins),someeconomic(e.g.traveltoworkareas),sometrans-frontier .
TheCommissionhasstartedtoinvestinageographicalinformationsystem(acquisitionof
specialisedhardware,softwareandstaffskills,buildingupsetsofbasicgeographicalinformation
(mappingdata)andensuringlinkstogeoreferencedstatistics).Thisactivitywillbedevelopedand
extendedtoprovidetootherCommissionDirectorates-General certaincentralservices(analogous
tothoseprovidedforstatistics)andtocollaborationwithMemberStates'statisticalservicesand
mappingagencies.Agreedpoliciesoncopyrightandpricingwillbesought.Ofparicular
importanceinthisdevelopmentwillbetheabilityofnationalstatisticalservicestoadddetailed
locationparameterstotheirdata.Inaddition,theCommissionwillencourageconsiderationofthe
roleofremotesensingintheofficialstatisticssystemasapotentiallyimportantsourceof
georeferencedata,thoughitsproperplaceisnotyetclear.