22. 8. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 209/29 
Proposal for a Council Decision adopting a four-year programme 1990 to 1993 to develop 
regular official statistics of the environment 
COM(90) 319 final 
(Submitted by the Commission on 24 July 1990) 
(90/C 209/07) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Whereas such an adequate framework does not yet exist 
and must be built up; 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community and in particular Article 130s 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the opinion of the European 
Parliament, Whereas it is essential that developments in official envi­
ronment statistics are coordinated to meet essential inter­
national, Community and national needs at minimum 
public and private cost and that this can most 
conveniently be done within the established procedures 
of cooperation between Eurostat (the Statistical Office of 
the European Communities), the statistical services of 
international organizations and those of Member States; 
whereas it is therefore appropriate to adopt a four-year 
programme to ensure this coordinated development; 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas the EEC fourth environmental action 
programme (1987 to 1992) laid down by Council 
resolution of 19 October 1987 (') has established priority 
areas for Community environment policy and has 
stressed the importance of information; 
Whereas the need to assess issues and to devise, monitor 
and evaluate policies needs to be based on adequate 
factual information; 
Whereas such adequate factual information needs to 
include a framework of environmental data serving as 
acknowledged reference points for other environmental 
data; Whereas developing environment statistics forms part of 
the Statistical Programme of the European Communities 
1989 to 1992 laid down by Council resolution of 19 June 
1989 O; 
Whereas this four-year programme of environment stat­
istics is complementary to and builds on the 1985 to 
1988 Corine programme established by Council Decision 
85/338/EEC (J), as extended by Council Decision 
90/150/EEC (4) to cover the years 1989 and 1990; 
Whereas the European environment agency is required 
to cooperate with existing community structures 
including Eurostat and a clearly defined programme for 
developing official statistics of the environment will 
facilitate this cooperation; 
Whereas there is a clear need for quantitative infor­
mation on the relationship between environmental 
policies and issues and other policies and issues arising 
from the environmental objectives of the Single 
European Act and this can be ensured only by linking 
the framework of environmental data into the general 
structure of official statistics including appropriate adap­
tations to this structure; Whereas the timely delivery of suitable comparable data 
can only be guaranteed by appropriate legal provisions 
and these provisions have to be prepared together with 
the relevant Commission services; whereas the provisions 
can most efficiently be met by Commission measures 
prepared following consultation with Member States; 
O OJ No C 161, 28. 6. 1989, p. 1. 
C) OJ No L 176, 6. 7. 1985, p. 14. 
(4) OJ No L 81, 28. 3. 1990, p. 38. 
O OJ No C 328, 7. 12. 1987, p. 1. 
No C 209/30 Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 8. 90 
Whereas important work on the methodology and 
collection of environmental data is carried out by stat­
istical services of international organizations, in 
particular the United Nations' Statistical Office, the 
United Nations' Economic Commission for Europe and 
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Devel­
opment; whereas the present programme should take 
account of this work; 
Whereas it is urgent to provide data as soon as possible 
to meet the most urgent policy needs; 
Whereas it is necessary to keep the Council and the 
Parliament informed of progress on this programme to 
develop and consolidate official environment statistics; 
Whereas the details of data to be provided by the 
Member States to the Commission including appropriate 
definitions, methodology and manner of transmission 
need to be fixed by the Commission; 
Whereas consultation with Member States on the 
carrying out of this programme can be made through the 
Committee on the Statistical Programme of the 
European Communities set up by Council Decision 
89/382/EEC, Euratom ('), and whereas that Committee 
can also be called on to give its opinion on the 
Commission's specific proposals for collection and 
submission of statistical data by Member States; 
Whereas that Committee has been consulted on the 
general lines of this programme and has approved them; 
Whereas the creation of a structure of regular environ­
mental information integrated with the official statistical 
systems of Member States requires substantial theoretical 
and practical work and a Community financial contri­
bution to certain aspects of predominantly Community 
interest is appropriate; 
Whereas there is a need to gauge the amount of 
Community funds required to implement this 
programme; whereas this amount is in line with the 
financial perspective annexed to the Interinstitutional 
Agreement of 29 June 1988 (2) and the appropriations 
actually available will, in compliance with this 
agreement, be determined in accordance with budgetary 
procedure, 
0) OJ No L 181, 28. 6. 1989, p. 47. 
(2) OJ No L 185, 15. 7. 1988, p. 33. HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 
Article 1 
1. A programme to develop regular official statistics 
on the environment is hereby adopted for a four-year 
period starting on the date of the coming into force of 
this Decision. 
2. The object of the programme is to provide a set of 
regular key environmental information integrated with 
other statistics provided to the Commission by the 
official statistical services of Member States and available 
in all Member States by the end of 1995. It will be 
designed to meet the Community's needs in the area of 
environmental policy. It will take account of work on 
environment statistics carried out by other Community 
bodies and by international organizations. It will prepare 
appropriate Community legislation governing the 
furnishing of data by Member States. 
Article 2 
1. The programme will be executed by the Statistical 
Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) and the 
official statistical services of the Member States. It will 
include: 
(i) methodological/conceptual studies, 
(ii) practical studies, 
(iii) pilot surveys (by official statistical organizations in 
Member States or other appropriate bodies), 
(iv) concertation, 
(v) data collection, 
(vi) dissemination, 
(vii) concretization in Community legal instruments. 
2. The details of the programme including priorities 
and the way it is implemented shall be decided by the 
Commission following the procedure set out in Article 4. 
3. The structure of the programme and the priority 
work areas are set out in Annex 4. 
22. 8. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 209/31 
Article 3 
The Commission shall according to the procedures laid 
down in Article 4 take the necessary measures for fixing 
the details of data to be provided by Member States as 
soon as the statistical requirements and possibilities for 
Member States to provide data in a particular area have 
been examined. 
Article 4 
1. Where the procedure laid down in this Article is 
invoked, the matter shall be referred to the Committee 
on the Statistical Programmes of the European 
Communities (hereinafter referred to as 'the Committee') 
by its chairman, either on his own initiative or at the 
request of the representative of a Member State. 
2. The representative of the Commission shall submit 
to the Committee a draft of the measures to be taken. 
The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft 
within a time limit which the chairman may lay down 
according to the urgency of the matter. 
The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; in 
addition, each Member State shall have the right to ask 
that its position be recorded in the minutes. 3. The Commission shall take the utmost account of 
the opinion delivered by the Committee. It shall inform 
the Committee of the manner in which its opinion has 
been taken into account. 
Article 5 
The funds necessary for the implementation of the 
present decision are entered each year in the general 
budget of the European Communities. This includes 
contributions to costs of data collection in selected 
Member States including pilot and other surveys. 
Article 6 
The Commission shall make a progress report to the 
Council and the European Parliament not later than 
December 1992 and a further report on completion of 
the programme. The Committee will be consulted on 
these reports. 
Article 7 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
ANNEX 
Community programme to develop regular official statistics on the environment (1990 to 1993) 
A. Structure 
1. Physical data 
defining and preparing the collection and transmission of aggregable, comparable data available 
over time, 
studies on the availability and selection of relevant data at international, national, regional and 
local level, 
pilot projects for testing the method of collection and integration in general surveys, 
participation in the development of global accounting systems such as natural resource accounts 
and integration of the physical data collection in this framework, 
participation in the development and implementation of new technology (remote sensing), 
No C 209/32 Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 8. 90 
2. Economic data 
— defining and preparing the collection and transmission of aggregated comparable data available 
over time, 
— studies on the availability and selection of relevant data, 
— pilot projects for testing the method of collection and integration in general surveys, 
— defining an accounting concept for the presentation of economic data and their integration in 
global accounting systems such as satellite environment accounts and links to the system of 
national accounts (SNA) and to natural resource accounting. 
3. Legal framework 
Preparation of legal texts defining the content, definitions, classifications and methods of collection 
of physical and economic data. 
4. Support for Member States data collection work 
The Commission will look to the Member States' statistical services and specialized research 
institutes for contributions to special studies, testing and pilot projects. Financial support will be 
given to the extent resources permit and routine data collection is not involved. 
5. Data management and geographical information systems 
Eurostat will adapt its informatics infrastructure for the reception, pretreatment, processing and 
dissemination of the statistical data transmitted and especially its capabilities to handle space related 
environmental data. Links will be established with the statistical services of the Member States, the 
Commission's services and the European Environment Agency. 
6. International coordination 
The programme will be developed in the larger context of international environment statistics e.g. 
United Nations Statistical Office ECE/Conference of European Statisticians, World Bank, Organ­
ization for Economic Cooperation and Development, to avoid duplication and to ensure consistency. 
B. Working areas 
The working areas are determined by policy needs actually expressed in the fourth environmental action 
programme (1987 to 1992) and may be adapted in the light of policy changes. 
The programme on official environment statistics comprises the following topics: 
1. description of the changes in the quality of the environment i.e. soil, water, air and atmosphere: flora 
and fauna, human health, climate; 
2. description of human activities and their influence on the quality of the environment: 
— extraction and consumption of raw materials, 
— production and consumption of agricultural and industrial products, 
— energy production and consumption, 
— construction and settlement, 
11. 8. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 209/33 
— leisure and tourism, 
— transport, 
— population growth and social welfare, 
linked to 
— resources depletion (use of renewable and non renewable resources), 
— changes in land cover and land use, 
— pollution by emissions. 
3. Description of the response to the environmental damage and dangers, assessment of the costs and 
benefits and follow up of the Community's environmental policy, for example: 
— conservation and substitution of natural resources, 
— changes in production methods and consumption behaviour, 
— direct and indirect (clean technology) prevention and reduction of emissions and pollution, 
— conservation and protection of nature, soil, flora and fauna. 
Priority areas for 1990 to 1993 are: 
— economic statistics of current expenditure and investment for environmental protection, 
— data collection in collaboration with OECD and ECE/UNO, 
— statistics of the management of waste and dangerous products, 
— statistics of the quality and management of water, 
— linkage of transport statistics to environment statistics (including transport of dangerous goods and 
waste), 
— linkage of energy statistics to environment statistics, 
— integration of environmental statistics in industrial surveys (definition of environment industries), 
— integration of environmental statistics in agricultural and forestry surveys, 
— linkage of environment with other statistics through land information (collection of space related 
data).