REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL,THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE on the implementation of Council Decision 1999/297/EC of 26 April 1999 establishing a Community statistical information infrastructure relating to the industry and markets of the audiovisual and related sectors

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

I. Introduction

II. Steps leading to the Council Decision

III. Implementation of the Council Decision

3.1. Development of the statistical information system on audiovisual and related sectors

3.2. Data collection and treatment

3.3. Dissemination of results

3.4. Methodological follow-up

IV. Progress by type of action planned by the Council Decision

V. Overall assessment

ANNEX

ANNEX 1. OVERVIEW ON MEASURES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL ACTIONS

ANNEX 1. ATTACHMENT 1 : Overview on new variables included in auvis questionnaire 2000 - 2001

ANNEX 1 - ATTACHMENT 2 (refers to measure B - 2) AUVIS QUESTIONNAIRE 2000 : COMPARISON WITH 1999 QUESTIONNAIRE

ANNEX 1 - ATTACHMENT 3 (refers to measure B - 2) SAMPLES OF THE AUVIS QUESTIONNAIRE 2000 ( in DE / EN / FR)

ANNEX 1 - ATTACHMENT 4 (refers to measures A - 1 / A - 2 / A - 4)

State of reporting as of September 2001 (AUVIS questionnaire, user needs study / inventory)

ANNEX 2 - AUDIOVISUAL STATISTICS PUBLICATIONS (refers to measure B - 6)

ANNEX 3 - PROPOSED SUBJECTS FOR PILOT SURVEYS AND METHODOLOGICAL STUDIES

ANNEX 4 - SOURCES AND REFERENCES

Foreword

1. This report refers to the implementation of Council Decision 1999/297/EC [1] establishing a Community statistical infrastructure relating to the industry and markets of the audiovisual and related sectors. It is an intermediate report, describing the work done in the first two and a half years of its five year term.

[1] OJ L 117, 5.5.1999, p. 39

2. Chapter II of the report gives the reasons for the Council Decision, the situation before it came into force, and the steps taken on the way to developing it.

3. An overview of the work done to implement the Council Decision during the period 1999-2001 is given in Chapter III. It summarises the actions undertaken in terms of development of an information system, data collection, and dissemination of results. The table in Annex 1 supplements the information about the measures undertaken for the implementation of individual statistical actions.

4. The progress by type of action planned by the Council Decision is described in detail in Chapter IV. In accordance with Art. 5 of the Council Decision, developments during the period up until Autumn 2001 are included. Annex 2 gives the publications produced during this period. Annex 3 presents the subjects suggested for pilot surveys and methodological studies during the life of the Council Decision after the user needs survey. Finally, Annex 4 gives the sources and references used in the preparation of this report.

5. Chapter V sums up the progress so far. Some difficulties are noted, but the overall assessment is positive. There has been significant progress in improving the availability of audiovisual statistics, and most Member States have made an active effort in this domain. The report recommends continuing the implementation of the Decision, the next phase focussing on pilot studies by Member States and new methodological studies to resolve particular issues.

I. Introduction

This study refers to the implementation of the Council Decision 1999/297/EC [2] establishing a statistical information infrastructure relating to the industry and markets of the audiovisual and related sectors. The Decision particularly underlined that a reliable information infrastructure was to be organised by means of individual statistical actions, and urged for the establishment of a new information system based on the "enterprise" approach and functional basis.

[2] OJ L 117, 05.05.1999, p 39-41

Chapter III of this study summarises the actions undertaken during the period 1999-2001 in terms of development of an information system, data collection and treatment, dissemination of results and methodological follow-up. In order for the Commission to be able to carry out these actions, the Commission Decision 1999/841/EC [3] adopted a first set of 14 measures for the implementation of individual statistical actions [4] in the period 1999-2001. The table in Annex 1 summarises the results of the 4 measures (A 1-4) which were to be undertaken by national authorities, and of the 10 measures (B 1-10) which were to be undertaken by Eurostat. The progress made by type of action is detailed in Chapter IV.

[3] OJ L 326, 18.12.1999, p 65-67

[4] OJ L 52, 22.02.1997, p. 1 (Council Regulation (EC) N° 322/97 of 17 February 1997 on individual statistical actions in Community Statistics)

An overall assessment of the implementation of the Council Decision is given in Chapter V. The global result is a positive assessment, with room for consolidation of the progress achieved, reduction of delays in data transmission from some Member States to Eurostat and possible improvement of quality and reliability of the output.

II. Steps leading to the Council Decision

On the EU-level, the first attempt by Eurostat to collect harmonised information for the whole audiovisual services sector was carried out by launching a pilot survey by the National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) in 1993 - 1994. Further variables were collected by Eurostat under the assistance of a network of NSI correspondents and published in a first "Audiovisual statistics Report 1995". Since then, the "AUVIS" [5] data collection system has been step by step extended and further developed in co-operation with 18 EU/EFTA Member States.

[5] "AUdioVisual and related sectors statistics Information System"

Council Decision 93/464/EEC of 22 July 1993 on a framework programme for priority actions in the field of statistical information 1993 to 1997 [6] specified that the audiovisual sector should be regarded as one of the priority service sectors at Community level and provided for the establishment of a new information system based on the "enterprise" approach and functional statistics. Annex I, Title III of the Community Statistical Programme 1998 to 2002 [7] refers to the carrying out of user requirement analyses, source assessment, data collection and testing of methods by pilot studies in the audiovisual sector.

[6] OJ L 219,28.08.1993, p. 1

[7] OJ L 42,16.02.1999, p. 12

At a national level, statistics on audiovisual services did not always have a very high priority at the political level. However, the audiovisual sector appeared to be of particular interest when audiovisual services were incorporated into the GATS basket (General Agreement on Trade in Services). This brought a need for an extension of the GATT database to services in general and to audiovisual services in particular. In more general terms a need for information about trade and investments issues in the audiovisual sector arose within the professionals and the policy-makers as well.

European cultural policy was also of great interest, and in the "1st report on the consideration of cultural aspects in European community actions" the European Commission emphasised the cultural dimension of the film and TV programme industry, which went beyond its economic dimension. The strengthening of the European audiovisual industry was also meant to ensure a broad diversity representing the different languages and cultures of the Community.

The Commission (DG Education and Culture) stressed that statistical data on the audiovisual sector are required on a European level for market observation, for the identification of problems, for developing policies as a response to the problems identified and for monitoring the impact of policies. In particular, data continue to be needed in Trade Negotiations and for EU Accession Negotiations. The Commission also needs detailed information in the context of the "Television without frontiers" Directive and the MEDIA PLUS programme The convergence between the Information and Communication and the audiovisual industry, coupled with the emergence of new media and multimedia products, are new developments for which data are needed.

III. Implementation of the Council Decision

The Council Decision was thus the result of the requirements of the Commission and EU statistics users in order to easily follow the audiovisual market and the impact of policies.

To prepare the ground for the implementation of the different elements of the Council Decision, Eurostat started preparing an action programme with priorities. With the help of the Eurostat Working Group on audiovisual statistics, a Task Force with Member States was set up to guide the process.

3.1. Development of the statistical information system on audiovisual and related sectors

The approach was guided by three considerations: the needs of the users, the statistical nature of the audiovisual sector and its subsectors and by data availability. Particularly the confrontation of user requirements with the feasibility of data collection provided priorities. A guideline for this task was the avoidance of redundancy or of conflicting sources of information for similar economic variables

All the Member States already have structures for collecting data on certain branches of the audiovisual industry. In some cases these structures are well developed. However, in certain branches of the industry that are undergoing rapid change, the existing systems are patchy or inadequate. Moreover, the recent emergence of new broadcasting technologies and their consequences mean that new services and products need to be covered

During 1999 and 2000, Eurostat therefore focused on assembling and improving the contents of the database, and on establishing the foundations for the work to be carried out over the five year programme. The questionnaire sent to Member States in June 1999 was discussed at the following Working Group meeting and comments and suggestions from respondents were incorporated into the one for the next year. The data received were processed, and the results were made available in the New Cronos [8] database and in several publications, as explained hereafter (see 3.3).

[8] see footnote n° 19

Regarding the legal framework, the SPC (Statistical Programme Committee) approved a draft Commission Decision for a series of actions to be undertaken up until June 2001. [9] The actions to be undertaken between July 2001 and April 2004 were discussed at the Audiovisual Statistics Working Group meeting of autumn 2000. The SPC approved a new draft Commission Decision in March 2001.

[9] "The Council Decision and its consequences", 1999 - Working document, Eurostat

3.2. Data collection and treatment

Eurostat has developed a framework and methodological manual for data collection. A questionnaire was developed to collect data via Member States' NSIs, and the results stored in a database. Sections covering audiovisual services, cinema production, distribution and exhibition, video, sound recording, cable and satellite data were added to the dissemination database New Cronos in August 1999. The National Statistical Institutes have direct access to New Cronos and in the build-up phase the Member States were asked to evaluate the data.

In Summer 2000, DG Education and Culture provided Eurostat with a proposal for a list of data to be collected in 2000-2002 within the AUVIS framework. The possible approaches to collect the data needed depend on the availability of data from various existing sources. Data might for example be collectible from industry associations directly, or from Member States within the AUVIS questionnaire. The advice of Member States on the feasibility of collecting the new variables via the new AUVIS questionnaire was requested.

Some important questions of media policy do not have the same importance for the whole audiovisual service sector, but are only relevant to some audiovisual subsectors (for example the question of deregulation of television and its economic and cultural consequences). This means that there is a crucial need for an appropriate subdividing of the audiovisual service sector.

3.3. Dissemination of results

In 2000 three publications were produced: a comprehensive publication within the "detailed tables" series and two Statistics in Focus (on the cinema sector and on the video sector). In addition the New Cronos database was updated in August 2000 based on the results of the AUVIS 1999 survey. Eurostat's data collection included the EFTA countries (apart from Liechtenstein), and some non-European countries (USA, Canada, Japan and Australia).

For 2001 a comprehensive publication and three Statistics in Focus were planned based on the results of the AUVIS data collection 2000. The latest publication « Statistics on audiovisual services, 1980 - 2000 » is divided into 8 main parts, which cover the following aspects: audiovisual services and advertising, audiovisual production and distribution, cinema exhibition, video and DVD, television, cable and satellite, sound recordings and radio. It also includes general information on other domains (including basic indicators and information technologies). The publication covers 20 countries (i.e. 15 EU countries, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, United States and Japan).

3.4. Methodological follow-up

At the Task Force meeting of July 1999, it was agreed that, as regards data collection, one of the priority subjects should be the collection of structural business statistics for the domain, in accordance with the Council Regulation on Structural Business Statistics [10] and the sectoral chapter of the Global Framework. Several difficulties specific to audiovisual business statistics relating to national accounting practices (e.g. treatment of intangible investments etc.) were to be faced. Employment, exports and imports, concentration ratios, and a detailed breakdown of turnover were also considered as priority issues to study. It was stressed that at least as important as data collection was the methodological aspect, and issues such as the short-lived enterprises were particularly addressed in this respect.

[10] the general methodological framework of business statistics takes into account the Fourth Council Directive (No. 78/660 of 25 July 1978) and Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 of 25 June 1996 on the European system of national and regional accounts in the Community (ESA 1995) and, for the definitions of variables, Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 58/97 of 20 December 1996 concerning structural business statistics.

The Commission (DG X - now DG EAC) stressed the importance of the methodological work to be done having "user needs" clearly in mind. At EU level, methodological studies must be seen as tools for enhancing and further developing the conceptual framework already existing at European level (business statistics manual, overall AUVIS methodology) either by refining or extending existing concepts or by developing concepts and domains not covered, and for developing national methodological knowledge of existing statistics with the view to implement existing methodology in practical terms.

As a first step on this methodological front, the update and publication, via the web, of the AUVIS manuals, was thus given priority for the period under review, as explained hereafter (see section III, measure B 3).

IV. Progress by type of action planned by the Council Decision

As provided for under Art. 3, the implementation of the Decision, to which contracts [11] between Member States and the Commission provided a financial contribution, led to the organisation of individual statistical actions. In order for the Commission to be able to carry out these actions, it had to get agreement for them from the SPC and then obtain a Commission Decision to implement them. A first set of 14 actions was published in December 1999. This specified the work planned for 1999-2001. Most notably it allowed Community subsidies for the work done by Member States on user needs studies, the update of the inventory of sources, and workshops with data suppliers. It also asked Member States to fill in and return the annual AUVIS questionnaire, which in the year 2000 was sent out in August. These 14 actions included:

[11] no contract was signed with Belgium, Luxembourg and Austria.

4 measures to implement actions to be undertaken by national authorities:

Description of the measure // Date scheduled for completion

A 1 - Studies by each Member State of priorities concerning national user needs for statistics. (The domains to be studied were to be those in the Auvis classification plan) // June 2000

A 2 - Update of the existing inventory by each Member State of national statistics and sources // Dec. 2000

A 3 - Optionally, development of the network of contacts between the Member States and main data producers by means of workshops held in volunteer Member States // Sept. 2000

A 4 - Forwarding to Eurostat by each Member State during 2000 of a questionnaire on audiovisual statistics (firms, functions and products) already on hand or available from the competent national authorities. (The questionnaire, based on the Auvis classification plan, was to be sent to Member States in the second quarter of the year 2000) // Sept. 2000

10 measures to implement actions to be undertaken by Eurostat:

Description of the measure // Date scheduled for completion

B 1 - Updating of the chapter specific to audiovisual services in the Eurostat Manual of Business Statistics // Mar. 2000

B 2 - Updating and publication, via the web, of the general methodological manual on audiovisual statistics // Dec. 2000

B 3 - Methodological studies on specific topics selected from within the following broad areas:

--structural business statistics for enterprises of the audiovisual and related sectors;

--statistics on selected sub-sectors such as film production, TV and radio;

--selected topics such as international trade in services of the audiovisual and related sectors, international co-productions, new media // Sept. 2001

B 4 - Processing of the data received from the 1999 questionnaire to Member States, and making the results available in Eurostat's dissemination database, and via publications // Dec. 1999

B 5 - Participation in workshops held in volunteer Member States for the development of the network of contacts between the Member States and main data producers // Sept. 2000

B 6 - Processing the data received from the 2000 questionnaire to Member States, and making the results available in Eurostat's dissemination database, and via publications // Dec. 2000

B 7 - Adaptation of an existing Eurostat computerised system to receive, validate, transform and store statistics gathered from Member States and international organisations // June 2001

B 8 - Comparison of existing statistical systems in Member States with a view to improved harmonisation // June 2001

B 9 - Study of the priorities concerning needs for statistics by the Commission's services // Nov. 1999

B 10 - Study of the priorities concerning needs for statistics by international organisations working in the field // Mar. 2000

Measure A-1, in accordance with Article 2(1)(a) of the Council Decision, provides for "analysis and evaluation of the demand for statistics (firms, functions and products) on the audiovisual sector from users (Community institutions, government departments, national sectoral bodies, international organisations, economic operators) and the effect on businesses, especially SMEs, of the collection of statistics in the audiovisual sector".

Summary - Twelve Member States (all EU countries except B, L, A) carried out "user needs" studies in 2000 and submitted reports to Eurostat in period June 2000 - May 2001. A final report covering all "user needs" studies was produced in May 2001, with recommendations for further development of the AUVIS methodology and data collection.

As mentioned earlier, the Council Decision foresees four types of actions by Member States. The first are the "user needs" studies. These were carried out in the first half of 2000.

Twelve Member States (all EU countries except B, L, A) carried out "user needs" studies in 2000. The Commission provided grants of 25 000,- EUR to each of these countries to partially cover the costs of measures A-1, A-2 and A-3. The surveys identified the main users, both public and private sector and all sub-sectors of the audiovisual market. The users were invited to comment on the 1999 questionnaire, set priorities with justification, specify needs not included in the questionnaire, define national needs for supranational data, comment on existing data collection, methodology practices and dissemination needs. Member States submitted reports to Eurostat in the period June 2000 - May 2001.

The priority rankings of the users in the Member States were collected by the National Statistical Institutes (or relevant national organisations chosen by Member States) using mainly a questionnaire supplemented sometimes by phone contacts or interviews (except for France where the survey was done through interviews only) based on the national guidelines for reporting elaborated by Eurostat and describing the possible main users to be approached broken down according to 3 main categories:

a) Government: this category includes national administrations dealing specifically with audiovisual media and for culture policy (e.g. ministries of culture / media, ministries of communication, national film institutes/centre, national audiovisual bodies and authorities, broadcasting regulatory bodies, etc.). It included also other national administrations for whom audiovisual sectors are relevant (e.g. ministries of economy / trade and industries, etc.);

b) Industry organisations and other sectoral operators /associations: this category includes national industry organisations or associations representing market industry or operators as well as sectoral specific organisations (e.g. national association of cinema theatre owners / cable operators, phonographic industry national group / associations, video industry federations, advertising practitioners associations, anti-piracy organisations etc.). It includes also main/representative enterprises or operators in sectors where enterprises are large and not numerous (e.g. TV broadcasters, film distributors, large cinema theatres chains, etc.);

c) Research community, mass media, general public and other: this category includes academic sector of research community (universities or related bodies) and economic private research institutes with an audiovisual / mass media department. It includes also sectoral trade magazines and newspapers (journalists writing about audiovisual and other media). This category includes also consumer associations or consumer magazines (possible way to approach general public).

Three different investigations were conducted by Eurostat:

-the European Commission's services, particularly DG EAC, discussed their requirements in an Interservice Consultation procedure among several Commission services in 1999/2000 (DG Competition, DG EAC/unit Cl, DG EAC/unit C2, DG EAC /unit C3, DG. Trade, DG Information Society, DG Internal Market);

-a selected group of supra-national organisations, among which EAO [12], OECD [13], EBU [14], and IVF [15] were particularly interested, provided Eurostat with their specific needs and offered their input to the investigation being conducted;

[12] European Audiovisual Observatory

[13] Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

[14] European Broadcasting Union

[15] International Video Federation

-national users grouped in the above three main users categories participated in the year 2000 in a special survey, conducted by their statistical offices and based on Eurostat guidelines.

They indicated that some aspects such as enterprises, economic information, structural data, content production, content supply and related household equipment were regarded as equally important. However, employment in the audiovisual field emerged as somewhat more important than other aspects.

A final synthesis report covering all "user needs" studies was produced in May 2001 and envisaged the actual state of concordance between the data already collected (and framework) and the needs expressed by the various users categories. In a first part, priority rankings were analysed. The focus lied on ascertaining the highest and lowest priorities for different user types, AUVIS markets and - at Member State level - for different countries. In the second part, conclusions were drawn for the further development of AUVIS methodology and AUVIS data collection. The report also studied what kind of additional data were wanted and what kind of adjustments could be made to the actual collection framework and existing annual data collection to meet the needs for a comprehensive audiovisual statistical information.

Measure A-2, in accordance with Article 2(1)(b) of the Council Decision, provides for "analysis of existing statistics (firms, functions and products) and their sources".

Summary - Most of the Member States participating in the "user needs" study provided inventories in the period September 2000-March 2001 (two countries them later). A report on the inventories received was produced in March 2001 and updated in September 2001.

This second category of actions aims at analysing existing statistics and sources in each Member State. This is a deepening of the work that was carried out with Member States over the last few years.

The questionnaires previously sent collected most of the data known to Eurostat. However, there were some gaps, and as a preliminary step to obtaining the data, an inventory of the existing statistics and sources was made. Eurostat asked Member States to make such an inventory for their own countries during 2000, with the objective to provide a clear and comprehensive description of the availability of data. This analysis was used as a basis for the assessment of the actual data situation. The existing sources could be classified by three characteristics:

-whether they provided data regularly or only as a result of a special survey;

-whether they provided multi-country data (harmonised or not) or only national data;

-whether they were from official sources (NSIs, ministries, other governmental sectorial bodies and other public supranational bodies, etc.), or non-official sources (professional associations or bodies, market research institutes, etc.).

Each country received comprehensive documents listing sources and providing detailed information for each marked relevant variable in terms of availability, periodicity and dissemination. At the EEA Working Group of October 2000, a discussion addressed the definition of "public"/"official" and "primary"/"secondary" sources. The national statistical authorities are responsible for official statistics and theoretically assure a harmonised framework, but it was noted that these official sources did not necessarily cover all the requested statistics. It was suggested that additional information should be included.

The Member States participating in the "user needs" study provided inventories in the period September 2000 - March 2001 (two countries provided them later: Netherlands in May 2001, Ireland in August 2001). A report on the inventories received was produced in March 2001 and updated in September 2001.

Measure A-3, in accordance with Article 2(1)(d) of the Council Decision, provides for "voluntary participation in pilot studies to test working methods in practice and promote the creation of Community statistics (firms, functions and products)".

Summary - Workshops were held in Finland (June 2000), Portugal (October 2000), United Kingdom (November 2000) and Spain (December 2000).

The Council Decision was designed to encourage the necessary adjustments in the different Member States to ensure that optimum use is made of existing statistics channels at national level and that suitable information is obtained about the various audiovisual markets.

In order to optimise Member States' efforts and help speed up the necessary adjustments, Eurostat encouraged Member States to organise such workshops with main national data producers, with a view to:

-develop/enhance the existing information network at national level in order to get an adequate picture of existing data and sources and so to optimise Member States work;

-encourage the exchange of information concerning national practices and channels of data collection and dissemination. It is also a way to increase the national data producers awareness about Eurostat's activities and about the work undertaken with Member States within the Community Statistical framework;

-optimise national analysis and exchange of information concerning methodological issues (at national and Eurostat level).

The aim and coverage of the national workshops could thus differ between the Member States as long as it benefited to the development of networks. During the period under review, workshops were held in Finland (June 2000), Portugal (September 2000), United Kingdom (November 2000) and Spain (December 2000).

The Portuguese workshop (28-29 September 2000) discussed themes focussing on the audiovisual sector in the context of the Information Society and of the digital era. Two panels were organised:

-the "Audiovisual Demographics and Employment" panel focused on the increasing changes experienced in this area of activity, and in particular on some aspects relating to a degree of concentration of services and the emergence of new businesses exploring the segmentation of content in an attempt to specialise in niche markets. It also investigated the organisation of the labour factor (e.g. contract workers, temporary workers, etc.) and its evaluation, as well as the qualitative aspects of labour (e.g.: skills, qualifications and professional experience);

-the "Production, New Markets, New business" panel discussed strategies for diversification in the provision of services in this area of activity. It looked at aspects including how to evaluate and break down the production of audiovisual services (products and market segments). It also looked at business relations, and analysed the consequences of networking and mergers, subsidiaries, virtual businesses, etc. Competitiveness and company performance were also discussed.

The Lisbon seminar was attended by 80 persons. Main results could be found on the INE web site and the proceedings of the meeting were translated into English. Portugal stated that the meeting and the conclusions were very positive and that it should stimulate an efficient network.

In Spain, a workshop was held on 18th of December 2000. Respondents to the survey on users' needs were invited. Attendants came mainly from Government and sectoral specific associations. The meeting addressed INE / Eurostat co-operation in the audiovisual sector, structural surveys on audiovisual services (years 1992 and 1997), and preliminary results of the users' needs study.

The workshops in Finland and UK, which were attended by Eurostat, are commented under "Measure B - 5" hereafter.

Measure A-4, in accordance with Article 2(1)(c) of the Council Decision, provides for "annual forwarding to Eurostat of statistics (firms, functions and products) already on hand or available from the competent national authorities".

Summary - The AUVIS questionnaire used in previous years was redesigned in June/July 2000 to make it more user-friendly. It was sent out for data collection to Member States and to EFTA countries in the first half of August 2000 with a deadline of 15 October 2000 for sending back data. Most Member States sent back their data by the end of 2000. Final data were received in March 2001. No data were received from Austria (nor, with regards to the EFTA countries, from Switzerland).

The electronic AUVIS questionnaire used in previous years was redesigned (Excel format) by Eurostat in June/July 2000 to make it more user-friendly. While in the 1999 exercise there was an Excel file for each section of the questionnaire, in 2000 the different sections of the questionnaire were integrated into one single file and the format was changed from vertical to horizontal (landscape) layout. Audiovisual services were included; cinema and video statistics were revised; television, radio, cable and satellite operations were restructured.

The AUVIS questionnaire 2000 was sent out by e-mail in August 2000 (to EU Member States and EFTA countries) together with a list of definitions. German language versions were sent to Germany and Austria, French language versions to France, Belgium and Luxembourg, and English language versions to the other countries. Pre-filled questionnaires, with data collected the previous year, were produced on request for 10 of the countries and sent out early September 2000.

The questionnaire logically consisted of 12 main chapters, as listed in the overview hereafter (see Annex 1, attachment 1) and was composed of 93 main indicators. In 2000, a few questions were dropped (mainly on radio penetration - now a quasi obsolete subject - and a few on the TV sector) and the number of variables (rows) was reduced to 501 compared to 542 in the 1999 version, despite the introduction of 38 new variables (see overview in Annex 1, attachment 2). A sample of this questionnaire, in each of the three languages produced, is included with this report as Annex 1, attachment 3.

The reporting period was furthermore shortened to 3 years (1997-1999). A glossary list of definitions (Word file) linked to the questionnaire was sent in addition in English. Since October 2000 the glossary has also been made available in German and French.

The 15th of October 2000 was fixed as a first deadline for sending back the data. Most Member states sent back their data by the end of 2000, though some final data were received in March 2001. Countries were invited to report on difficulties encountered in filling in the questionnaire and on the date that they would be able to send their contributions in the future.

At the December 2000 Task Force meeting, DG EAC stressed the importance of getting data especially in the context of a new communication on cinema to be prepared for the next year. It was then decided that the revision of the questionnaire structure would be sent in March 2001 to the Member States for comments. An overview on the state of reporting, as of September 2001, is given in Annex 1, attachment 4.

In May 2001 the AUVIS questionnaire was again slightly updated (inclusion of video games and Internet-based services) and sent to Member States for completion by November 2001.

Measure B-1, in accordance with Article 2(2)(a) of the Council Decision, provides for updating of the chapter specific to audiovisual services in the Eurostat Manual of Business Statistics.

Summary - The audiovisual chapter was updated in December 2000 (FR version) and in January 2001 (EN version). It is a basic tool and a structural reference document for all who work with business statistics in the audiovisual sector.

This methodological manual of audiovisual business statistics is part of the Eurostat Manual of Business Statistics (EMBS), a concept which was designed as a framework for the production and dissemination of methodological texts concerning business statistics, within the European Statistical System (ESS). It incorporates previously published methodological manuals, and intends to fill in any gaps, increase coherency, and provide users with a more complete reference tool.

The EMBS is constantly evolving as methodologies are being developed, and can never, therefore, be regarded as complete. For this reason, and the fact that it would be very large in paper format, it was decided at the start that the EMBS would only be available electronically, using Internet technology.

The aim of the EMBS is to document statistical methodology within the ESS, particularly that concerning new or developing areas of business statistics. It is intended for specialists who already have some knowledge of official statistics. It contains information about business registers, statistical units and classification systems, and more specific types of information on certain areas of business statistics. It provides a uniform framework for collecting, compiling, transmitting and analysing business data, and it is a basic tool not only for statisticians, but for all who work with business statistics in the audiovisual domain. It may be a useful reference document for anyone wishing to analyse and interpret data on the sector. It certainly has an impact on audiovisual statistics outside the EEA - above all in Central and Eastern Europe and in OECD countries.

To further develop and revise the methodology specific for audiovisual services and related to business statistics in co-operation with the National Statistical Institutes, international organisations and other sectoral bodies, the methodology must obviously take into account developments of the Eurostat general framework for business statistics in parallel with developments in the audiovisual services markets as well as with the findings in the analysis of existing statistics and sources. The chapter specific to audiovisual statistics in the EMBS had therefore to be revised according to the Eurostat rules for documentation of methodologies.

Drawing on the conclusions of the Working Group on Audiovisual Services, the audiovisual chapter was thus updated in December 2000 (FR version) and translated into English in January 2001. The main topics dealt with in this manual are: statistical units and the appropriate classifications, aspects specific to the audiovisual sector (exhaustively describing the range of audiovisual activities and putting forward detailed classifications of the products generated by them and the various revenue streams) and the production account for audiovisual businesses and its links with national accounts.

Measure B-2, in accordance with Article 2(2)(a) of the Council Decision, provides for updating and publication, via the web, of the general methodological manual on audiovisual statistics.

Summary - The AUVIS manual was updated in February 2001 and made available on the CIRCA Internet site of Eurostat in March 2001. A substantial amount of changes were made in this new version compared to the previous one.

During the past few years, Eurostat has indeed been pursuing the development of two manuals, with two distinct - though interconnected - approaches:

-the structural approach is governing the Eurostat Manual of Business Statistics (EMBS), in which the specific audiovisual chapter is being kept updated as per the above measure B-1;

-the functional approach is governing the so-called "AUVIS Manual", designed for assisting users in all methodological aspects of their database management and collection procedures. The AUVIS manual, subject of the specific measure under review here, is a practical tool accompanying the AUVIS questionnaire and its regular updates.

The development of this manual has to be seen within the context of further enhancing and maintaining the existing database on audiovisual services created by Eurostat as an overall information system, which is structured by NACE [16] Rev.1-classes and includes official statistics on services, in line with the annual data collection routine supported by the AUVIS questionnaire, and along with data drawn from other Eurostat projects related to services, non-official data on services collected by Eurostat in co-operation with other services of the Commission and other relevant sectoral international bodies or professional organisations at European level (e.g. EAO, EBU, Media Salles [17], etc.).

[16] General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities in the European Communities (Nomenclature générale des Activités économiques dans les Communautés Européennes)

[17] funded by the EU-MEDIA programme

The manual was updated in February 2001 and made available on the CIRCA [18] site of Eurostat in March 2001. The work performed builds on the existing versions and consists of further analysis and evaluation of the methodologies used in Member States compared to the existing Eurostat methodology especially concerning products and functions, and follow up of the proposal for a revision of the CPA [19] concerning audiovisual services.

[18] Communication and Information Resource Centre Administrator (former DSIS-IRC), Eurostat

[19] Statistical Classification of Products by Activity in the European Economic Community

A substantial amount of changes were made in this new version compared to the previous one. The first set of revisions took into account changes in terminology, changes in coding and names of variables (based on recent developments of the AUVIS database classification plans), adaptations to the current version of proposal for CPA and changes according to the current version of the general framework for audiovisual business statistics. The second set of changes addressed technical progress and development of the audiovisual sector and especially the emergence of multimedia and new media products. The third set of changes was based on specific requirements of the Commission. Finally the structure of annexes was substantially improved.

Some audiovisual policy questions are similar to those in other service sectors. Therefore it seemed appropriate to define some classes of statistical variables, taking into account this kind of intersectoral policy aspects. A general consensus has emerged among the EU statistical services that in the future, the AUVIS manual will take into account any further developments concerning data collection and the next versions will certainly have recourse to an even more extensive Internet dissemination.

Measure B-3, in accordance with Article 2(2)(a) of the Council Decision, provides for methodological studies on specific topics.

Summary - A Task Force on audiovisual statistics met in December 2000 to examine a list of possible projects for pilot data collection and methodological studies. A Commission Decision is in preparation as a basis for pilot studies with Member States. A call for tender was launched in May 2001 for 6 lots of methodological studies in the audiovisual sector.

The discussion on pilot studies started in the July 1999 Task Force meeting and was continued in the Autumn 1999 Working Group meeting. A proposal for a first set of studies was put forward to the SPC in March 2000. A first group of countries (FIN, F, IRL, NL, and UK) were willing to consider the subject. The main topics suggested were issues connected to the treating of short-lived enterprises, SBS, employment, foreign trade, new media and the field of content. It was suggested that the studies should meet at least one of the following criteria:

-the methodological study should result in a useful inventory of available statistics and the sources and methods used at national level for a representative group of EU countries, for a particular market area or topic of audiovisual statistics;

-the methodological study should propose further descriptions or definitions of information to be collected, and how it might be collected especially for areas where there are gaps in information at EU level or national level. The advantage with methodological studies is that there is no need for a large number of countries to participate. It is sufficient if two or three countries with different situations study a specific methodological issue;

-the methodological study should give proposals on how existing statistics can be compared at EU level in view of further harmonisation, if possible at the collection level. The objectives of the considered methodological studies are indeed to improve statistical knowledge of data availability and quality at Community level, enhance and further develop the overall AUVIS methodology and business statistics sectoral methodology, and test working methods in practice and therefore to develop the work on harmonised European standards and comparable concepts for data collection.

At the December 2000 Task Force on audiovisual statistics, the following topic list of methodological studies was put forward for consideration by the Working Group:

1. Balance of payments statistics - international trade concerning the audiovisual field.

2. Employment in the audiovisual field.

3. Business statistics - sectoral methodological issues on enterprises statistics.

4. Feature film production and investments in film production.

5. TV production and investments in film production.

6. Audiovisual distribution of feature films (cinema / video) by origin.

7. Television - measurement of broadcasters / TV channels.

8. Television - Programme output volume statistics.

9. Television - Audience statistics.

10. Radio-and-TV signal transmission- statistics on investments in transmission facilities.

11. Sound recordings - production and publishing statistics.

12. Video games- production and trade statistics.

13. Multimedia and New media (webcasting).

However, since an update of the chapter specific to audiovisual services in the Eurostat Manual of Business Statistics (see above measure B-1) was needed before pilot studies concerning registers and structural business statistics for the audiovisual sector could be carried out, the priority for the period under review was given, in terms of methodological works, to the update and publication, via the web, of the Auvis manuals.

A call for tender was launched in May 2001 for 6 lots of methodological studies in the audiovisual sector. The Commission Decision under preparation by Eurostat services provides for such pilot studies. Member States were invited at the beginning of August 2001 to report until 5 September 2001 on the areas on which they would like to carry out these studies. A list of possible topics is included within this report as Annex 3.

Measure B-4, in accordance with Article 2(2)(b) of the Council Decision, provides for "creation of a database for statistics forwarded in accordance with paragraph 1(c) and data gathered from international organisations".

Summary - The data collection for the 1999 questionnaire terminated in March 2000. Data were processed in May 2000 and loaded into the Eurostat New Cronos database in July 2000. A Metadata base was created to link footnotes and sources with data tables. Analysis-oriented and comprehensive detailed tables publications were issued.

Although the 1999 questionnaire had been prepared before the Council Decision was agreed and passed, a section covering audiovisual services, cinema production, distribution and exhibition, video, sound recording, cable and satellite data had been added, as early as August 1999, to the dissemination database New Cronos [20]. The National Statistical Institutes have direct access to New Cronos and in the build-up phase the Member States were asked to evaluate the data.

[20] New Cronos contains information on structural business statistics including SMEs, short-term statistics, European production and market statistics, communication and information statistics and tourism. More than 160 million items are available in this macroeconomic and social database. Further information on the content of New Cronos or the composition of the multidimensional tables may be found in the classification plans, which are available in three languages (EN, FR, DE) and may be obtained on request from Eurostat Data Shops

This dissemination database was gradually extended and revised according to the results of the 1999 data collection. The data were captured, validated, and most of the technical problems taken up with countries were solved. On the other hand, a metadata base was created to link footnotes and sources with data tables, gathering and updating all notes and comments from previous works and publications.

In terms of non-electronic publications, two "Statistics in Focus" (8 pages) ("Cinema statistics" and "Audiovisual Services" (Video cassettes, DVD) were drafted in the last quarter of 2000 and published in January 2001. "Statistics in Focus" are published regularly by Eurostat and provide up-to-date summaries of the main results of statistical surveys, studies and analyses. They provide harmonised, reliable and comparable data on each Member State, clear and concise comments and analysis, charts or maps easy to understand, and - of course - the latest available data.

Another substantial accomplishment during the period under review was the production by Eurostat of a comprehensive (220+ pages) detailed tables publication, "Statistics on audiovisual services" (with time series 1980-1998). It was drafted in the second half of 2000 and published in March 2001. This publication is distinguished by the long time series it contains and by the very detailed notes describing the nature of the data. Largely based on the 1999 AUVIS questionnaire, it was divided into 9 parts, covering audiovisual production and distribution, cinema exhibition, video, television, cable and satellite, sound recordings, radio, Audiovisual Services (business statistics). It also included general information on other domains (such as basic indicators and information technologies). The new publication covered 22 countries (i.e. 15 EU countries, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and 4 non-European countries - United States, Japan, Canada and Australia). It provides a statistical overview on the audiovisual sector based on the statistical work carried out at Eurostat in co-operation with 15 EU and 3 EFTA countries, the European Audiovisual Observatory and other sectoral organisations.

Measure B-5, in accordance with Article 2(2)(b) of the Council Decision, provides for participation of Eurostat in workshops held in volunteer Member States.

Summary- Eurostat participated in the workshops held in Finland (June 2000) and in the United Kingdom (November 2000).

During the Helsinki workshop, national sources met and were interested to get information about Eurostat and its activities in the audiovisual field. In Finland, most of the data collected are based on economic operators agreements and interests. TV and radio audience and programmes data are collected by a commercial company based on an agreement with public and private broadcasters contributing to the collection systems. Despite methodological developments and electronic dissemination, harmonisation of data collection is difficult and Eurostat efforts towards improved harmonisation are appreciated. Concerning cinema statistics, collection and dissemination of data are somewhat more open, but difficulties arise from the fact that information systems are based on the good will of the commercial actors and that the collection system is primarily derived from market needs which can be different from supranational or European policy ones.

In the UK, a workshop was held on 3 November 2000 and attended by key individuals, including representatives from the DCMS (the UK government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport). The current use and supply of audiovisual statistics in the UK were discussed, needs debated and initial results from the returned questionnaires presented. It appeared to the group that although the variables proposed by Eurostat were indisputably useful, they would not be sufficient to map the current state and performance of UK audiovisual industries and markets. There were gaps in the variables proposed which needed to be identified to assist the UK's measurement of domains whose economic and social significance is increasingly acknowledged by government.

In both workshops it was concluded that substantial benefits could be expected from the statistical information infrastructure being co-ordinated by Eurostat.

Measure B-6, in accordance with Article 2(2)(b) of the Council Decision, provides for processing and dissemination of the results of the AUVIS 2000 questionnaire.

Summary -The data collection for the 2000 questionnaire was closed in March 2001. Data were processed in May 2001 and loaded into the Eurostat New Cronos database in July 2001. The "Statistics on audiovisual services" publication now contains long time series (1980-1999), and special attention was paid to the improvement of methodological notes describing the nature of the data.

As explained before (see above measure A-4), the AUVIS questionnaire was re-designed and updated in 2001. A series of new questions were added. Therefore, the New Cronos database was re-structured in order for the dissemination process to be able to take these changes into consideration. The time gap between data collection and injection into the database was substantially shortened. The Eurostat dissemination programme could then produce the following publications:

-one "Statistics in Focus" ("Sound recordings market") (8 pages) was drafted in summer 2001 and was published in September 2001; two others ("Cinema Statistics" and "TV Statistics") were planned for the second part of 2001. They offer analysis-oriented rapid reviews on selected features and aspects of the audiovisual markets.

-as in the previous year, a comprehensive detailed tables publication, "Statistics on audiovisual services 1980-1999", was drafted in summer 2001 and was published in October 2001. Taking into account the development of the methodological framework and the improvements of data collection coverage and reporting, this new edition presents 127 tables and 64 graphs showing data relating to the last two decades: from 1980 to 1999 and, in some cases, even the year 2000.

The main source of data is the New Cronos database, but many national institutes and other professional bodies contributed, and a special effort was made to fill in data gaps by using other sources. Although Eurostat gave priority to national official sources (mainly National Statistical Institutes and ministries or governmental bodies), the publication was produced in close co-operation with many other public and private entities. [21]

[21] The organisations and sources that provided or published information on various topics are: the OECD, Unesco, the European Audiovisual Observatory, Media Salles, the European Broadcasting Union, the International Video Federation, Screen Digest, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the Motion Picture Association of America, the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, McCann Erickson, Dentsu Inc., International Recording Media Association, Adams Media Research, Nielsen Media Research, Video Software Dealers Association, International Trade Administration of US, Inside Cable & Telecom, Japanese Regional Broadcasting Division at the Ministry, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, SES/ ASTRA, Economist Intelligence Unit, Trade Administration of the U. S. Department of Commerce, and the McGraw-Hill Companies, Ind, and International Telecommunication Union and the following Internet based services: moviemarshal. com, movieboxoffice. about. com and NUA (www.nua.ie)

All the markets investigated by the 2000 questionnaire were covered in this publication, and the following aspects were presented: enterprise-related economic data, structural information on markets, international trade, supply side data, prices, demand structure, technical infrastructure and basic information from other domains.

References of the above database and publications, indicating where they can be obtained, are included with this report as Annex 2.

Measure B-7, in accordance with Article 2(2)(b) of the Council Decision, provides for adaptation of existing Eurostat computerised systems.

Summary - In June/July 2000, Eurostat redesigned the electronic AUVIS questionnaire (Excel format) in order to make it more user friendly (integration of separate Excel files into one file). In May 2001 the AUVIS questionnaire was slightly updated and made available on the CIRCA Internet site.

The system will facilitate Eurostat keeping an updated database on used terms and methods and will provide users with a facility for easy access to information on terms and methods for reference.

Specific actions were targeted at adapting technical solutions following Eurostat standards and guidelines, including routines for keeping the documentation database updated and regularly tested. A documentary information system including a database on terms and methods as well as the necessary documentation of the system and test results was updated.

The updated AUVIS questionnaire was then made available on the CIRCA Internet site, which is far from being a simple dissemination tool. Initially developed in 1996 in Eurostat only, the key concept behind it is Interest Groups, i.e. a shared library for a group of people that need to collaborate in working parties, project groups, and so on. In order to share resources effectively, the system offers features such as information pages, libraries (for archiving, viewing, downloading and disseminating documents) as well as news groups providing a forum for direct discussion. A search engine makes it possible to locate information effortlessly. 20.000 registered users in more than 20 of the Commission's DGs and Services plus around 30 Commission services and agencies working in some 200 interest groups are actively using CIRCA. 80% of users, however, come from outside the Commission. This tool handles documents in any ISO language and is of high value in such a heterogeneous and fast moving business as the audiovisual sector.

Measure B-8, in accordance with Article 2(2)(c) of the Council Decision, provides for "comparison of existing statistical systems in Member States and some non-Member States, especially the pre-accession States".

Summary - A report, including an inventory, was produced in February 2001. The inventory is currently being updated and extended in order to cover candidate countries.

The comparison of existing statistical systems is a rolling review process with a view to improved harmonisation. Differences in definitions and scope of data have been especially documented in the audiovisual publications produced during the first period of implementation of the Decision. Information collected for the users needs study and for the inventory of national sources provided a substantial amount of information on existing statistical systems in the Member States. A report produced in February 2001 is presently being updated and extended in order to cover candidate countries. An interim report on the update of the inventory has been produced in August 2001.

Regarding statistical data collection, however, harmonisation must be a coherent application of the spirit of subsidiarity which avoids the need for painstaking harmonisation efforts except where there are pressing requirements in the general interest. In terms of EU statistics, the pressure is therefore less for the Member States to harmonise the input than for Eurostat to harmonise the output.

The continuous improvements in the AUVIS questionnaire and in the accompanying glossary are progressively leading to improved harmonisation of data production. In addition, Eurostat is also currently preparing household surveys on the use of ICT in households including various types of TV equipment - this leading to harmonised data on TV penetration.

On a broader front, Eurostat is also working on an update of the NACE classification, which will also have a positive impact on the availability and comparability of structural business statistics on the audiovisual sector. There will be a major revision of NACE and CPA in 2007 (work on this will be completed in 2005). The development of a classification system is a long process and the final result is largely the result of a compromise between the needs and requests of the various partners and users. Once the official classification systems have been adopted they are fixed for their period of operation (approximately 20 years); this restriction enables time series comparisons to be made and registers to be drawn up with reference to stable classification systems, etc. This stability constraint is strong as, once it has been adopted (i.e. fixed), a classification system begins to become obsolete. The constraint of having classification systems which do not vary in the face of changes in the real world is something which can be overcome with survey classification systems. This is done by having a breakdown which is more detailed than the official one but still linked to it. Moreover, a classification system cannot be completely multi-purpose; headings at the two-digit or three-digit level do not permit all types of analysis.

These constraints, added to the development of distributed computing, have necessitated more emphasis on the ability to describe the location and characteristics of the physical storage of data of all kinds, and to the utilisation of techniques for self describing systems - since ultimately all information in the computer is 'data' of some kind. When computing power enabled large statistical processes such as those in national Statistics Institutes to be automated, it was realised that metadata could be used for computer 'understanding' as well as human understanding.

The construction of statistical systems that facilitate the collection, processing and dissemination of statistical information thus tends to improving generation and use of metadata. In this context, a first Eurostat workshop on statistical metadata was held in Luxembourg in February 2000 and a second in May 2001. They discussed how Eurostat should act as a focal point for the maintenance and further development of an inventory of metadata tools to cope with the need for greater harmonisation of metadata content requirements between international statistical agencies. The CIRCA Interest Group on Statistical Metadata will be developed into a resource network on metadata, a particularly relevant harmonisation tool in the complex audiovisual scene.

Measure B-9, in accordance with Article 2(2)(d) of the Council Decision, provides for "assessment of the relevance of, and future needs for, statistics in the audiovisual sector, especially in terms of data needed for the development and follow-up of employment, training and equal opportunities policy".

Summary - The "user needs" study on the level of Commission Services was started in December 1999. A first report on the results was produced in July 2000. A final report covering all "user needs" studies was produced in May 2001. 92% of the variables collected now match the Commission Services requirements.

Summary results of the survey of "user needs" for audiovisual statistics at Commission level were presented at the EEA Working Group meeting of October 2000. They were based on the DG EAC statistical requirements list, which had been revised and discussed during an Interservice Consultation procedure. The priority-rankings were aggregated taking into account data availability and data collection complexity.

In terms of priorities, television, cinema exhibition, video and audiovisual productions come first and are followed by other sectors such as audiovisual services (Business Statistics), audiovisual distribution, sound recordings, cable and satellite operating market (some of these market data, such as sound recording production and publishing, were not collected before). Enterprise and economic information, employment, international trade information, qualitative and structural information on the market and information about the demand structure are ranked high interest. In addition, it appeared necessary to collect information on new media aspects not covered before (multimedia, off-line and on-line products, web-casting). New specific markets such as "video games" and "Internet/multimedia" were to be included into the framework .

Areas such as "International trade", "Employment", "Video games" and "Internet/multimedia" caused some restructuring of the original framework, and, for clarity purposes, the section "General information from other domains" was split into "Advertising expenditures" and "Household consumption", but excepting current collection on the radio and TV signal transmission market, nearly all the current AUVIS collection now matches the Commission requirements. This seemed to indicate that the system is very close to identifying the "hot" topics.

Measure B-10, in accordance with Article 2(2)(d) of the Council Decision, provides for study of the priorities concerning needs for statistics by international organisations working in the field.

Summary - Eurostat sent in September 2000 a questionnaire to 7 international organisations (ACT [22], EBU [23], EAO [24], IFPI [25], IVF [26], OECD [27], UNESCO [28]). Four organisations (EBU, EAO, IVF and OECD) replied during the period November 2000 - January 2001. A report on the "user needs" at international organisations level was produced in May 2001.

[22] Association of Commercial Television in Europe

[23] European Broadcasting Union / Union Européenne de Radio-Télévision (UER)

[24] European Audiovisual Observatory

[25] International Federation of the Phonographic Industry

[26] International Video Federation

[27] Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

[28] United Nations Organisation for Science, Education and Culture

The report indicated the following markets (or aspects) with the highest percentage of variables ranked as "essential" or "useful" by the responding organisations:

-employment (100% of the items listed)

-video market (94% of the items listed)

-television market (85% of the items listed)

-advertising (78% of the items listed)

-cable operating market (75% of the items listed)

-audiovisual services (overall services market) (71% of the items listed)

No variables were ranked "essential" or "useful" for sound recording production and publishing.

At the October 2000 EEA Working Group "Audiovisual statistics" meeting in Luxembourg, it was noted that the current EAO action plan (2000-2002) includes a deeper collaboration with Eurostat and work on methodological aspects linked to the audiovisual sector. Whereas Eurostat is working primarily with statistics supplied by the national statistical institutes at the level of relatively aggregated data, providing a stable statistical framework in the audiovisual field, the Observatory is mainly collecting data from a network of professional sources, aiming to understand rapidly market trends. It also collects statistical information on specific companies or audiovisual works. Those different approaches and a close collaboration (meeting twice a year and mutual participation in committees) assure complementary work on methodology and data collection.

V. Overall assessment

Action currently carried out to implement the Council Decision can be considered as fairly advanced, under relatively satisfactory conditions. The availability of Community funding in the period under review enabled Member States to carry out user needs studies, inventories of sources, and to participate in the review and fine tuning of the electronic AUVIS questionnaire. The measures that were to be implemented at Member State level have been achieved to the maximum extent, taking into account the non-compulsory aspect of the Decision under review. However, a larger voluntary involvement of Member States in developing their contacts network and in "volunteer workshops" could have been expected.

Actions that were to be undertaken by Eurostat have been completed to the best possible extent. Methodological studies can now be more vigorously launched and will be of great benefit in the comparison process of existing systems with a view to improved harmonisation. Delays observed in data transmission to Eurostat will need to be shortened, and more resources will need to be devoted to ensuring the quality, reliability and comparability of the data.

Difficulties experienced by some countries in forwarding data can be pointed out, although, in general, it can be said that Eurostat received all that could reasonably be expected from Member States. In a single case the requested information could not be supplied: lack of existing official data and lack of resources were quoted as reasons for the inability to provide the statistical information. Data availability and delays in data transmission are still problems to be solved. In some areas confidentiality of data also poses problems. Elsewhere, delays are said to be due to the fact that large part of the data are collected from primary sources which are outside official statistics and which provide the data just when they have time to process them. Elsewhere again, data take time to be collected, concerning film exhibition information, for example, because of lack of information broken down by origin of the films.

The usefulness of European audiovisual statistics is fully recognised. The economic and social significance of the audiovisual markets and industries requires additional statistics to measure their performance, development and wealth creation. Their reliability and consistency will continue to depend on the quality of their harmonisation by Eurostat.

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ANNEX 1 - ATTACHMENT 3 (refers to measure B - 2) SAMPLES OF THE AUVIS QUESTIONNAIRE 2000 ( in DE / EN / FR )

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Dissemination - All Eurostat products are disseminated through the Data Shop network or the sales agents of the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. Data Shops are available in 12 of the 15 Member States as well as in Switzerland, Norway and the United States. They provide a wide range of services from simple database extracts to tailor-made investigations. The information is provided on paper and/or in electronic form via e-mail, on diskette or CD-ROM. Eurostat has also developed its website. It includes a broad range of on-line information on Eurostat products and services, newsletters, catalogues, on-line publications as well as indicators on the euro-zone: www.europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat

For immediate access to harmonized statistical data, contact a

"EUROSTAT DATA SHOP"

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ANNEX 4 - SOURCES AND REFERENCES

The following sources and documents have been used in the preparation of this report:

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The following sources can provide additional information:

Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT) http://www.acte.be

Advertising Association/ NTC http://www.warc.com/open/WARCPartners/AA.asp

AFMA http://www.afma.com/

Bureau van Dijk http://www.bvdep.com/

Essential Television Statistics (ETS) http://www.etstv.com/

Fondazione Hypercampo / Eurofiction http://www.hypercampo.org

European Broadcasting Union (EBU) http://www.ebu.ch/

European Cable Communications Association (ECCA) http://www.ecca.be

Eutelsat http://www.eutelsat.com

GfK http://www.gfk.com

Group of European Audience Researchers (GEAR) IDATE http://www.idate.fr

International Video Federation (IVF) http://www.ivf-video.org/

Médiamétrie http://www.mediametrie.fr/

Eurodata TV http://www.eurodatatv.com

MEDIA SALLES http://www.mediasalles.it/

Lyngsat http://www.lyngsat.com

NORDICOM http://www.nordicom.gu.se

Screen Digest http://www.screendigest.com

Société européenne de satellites (SES) http://www.aia/lu