Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Council Regulation (EC) N.°577/98 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey in the Community

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

Background and policy context

Because of the difficulty in implementing a continuous labour force survey on the same date in all Member States, the Council Regulation (EC) n° 577/1998 provided in article 1, (2), that "those Member States which are not in a position to implement a continuous survey may carry out an annual survey only, to take place in the spring."

At the time being, not all Member States have made the arrangements needed to ensure the implementation of a continuous survey within reasonable time limits.

Three major reports have insisted on the need to ensure and speed up the transition to a continuous labour force survey in all Member States :

a) the Commission report to the European Council at Vienna (December 1998) on ways of improving the comparability of statistics used to monitor the European Union employment strategy (COM(1998)698 final)

b) the Commission report to the European Parliament and the Council on implementation of Council Regulation (EC) n° 577/1998 (adopted by the Commission and transmitted to the European Parliament and the Council on 5.01.2001)

c) the Action Plan on European Monetary Union (EMU) statistical requirements endorsed by the Council on 19.01.2001.

Both the Commission report to the European Parliament and the Council and the Action Plan on European Monetary Union statistical requirements explicitly request an amendment to Council Regulation (EC) n° 577/1998.

Implications of Non-implementation

Given the considerable loss in terms of uselfulness of the labour force exercise in case of the non-implementation of a continous labour force survey by individual Member States, European Parliament and Council reiterate their request that the continuious labour force survey be introduced by all Member States.

Next steps

As required by the Action Plan on EMU statistical requirements, the proposed Regulation will be part of a package of legal amendments to be presented to the European Parliament and the Council in Spring 2001.

2001/0127 (COD)

Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL amending Council Regulation (EC) N.°577/98 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey in the Community

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 285(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission [1],

[1] OJ C ,, p..

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee [2],

[2] OJ C ,, p..

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty [3],

[3] OJ C ,, p..

Whereas:

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No. 577/98 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey in the Community [4] lays down the basic provisions for a labour force sample survey, designed to provide comparable statistical information on the level and pattern of and trends in employment and unemployment in the Member States.

[4] OJ L 77 of 14.3.1998, p. 3.

(2) An expeditious implementation by all Member States of the continuous labour force sample survey required by Council Regulation (EC) No. 577/98 was considered a priority action in the Action Plan on EMU Statistical Requirements endorsed by the Council on 19 January 2001.

(3) Sufficient time has now passed since Council Regulation (EC) No. 577/98 took effect to allow all Member States to make the arrangements and commitments needed fully to implement that Regulation [5];however not all Member States have made such arrangements and commitments. Therefore, the derogation that allows Member States to limit themselves to an annual survey should be subject to a time limit.

[5] Commission report to EP and Council on "Implementation on the Council Regulation (EC) n° 577/98 of a labour force in the Community", COM(2000)895 final

(4) Following the entry into force of Council Decision 1999/468/EC of June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission [6] new rules of procedure should be introduced.

[6] OJ L 184 of 17.7.1999, p.23

(5) Regulation (EC) n° 577/98 should be amended accordingly.

(6) The Statistical Programme Committee, established by Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom [7] has been consulted in accordance with Article 3 of that Decision,

[7] OJ L181 of 28.6.1989, p.47

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Council Regulation (EC) No. 577/98 is amended as follows:

1. Article 1,second paragraph is replaced by the following text:

"The survey shall be a continuous survey providing quarterly and annual results; however, during a transitional period not extending beyond 2002, Member States that are unable to implement a continuous survey shall instead carry out an annual survey, to take place in the spring."

2. Article 8 shall be replaced by the following text:

(1) "The Commission shall be assisted by the Statistical Programme Committee instituted by Article 1 of Council Decision N° 89/382/EEC, Euratom, composed of representatives of the Member States and chaired by the representative of the Commission.

(2) Where reference is made to this paragraph, the regulatory procedure laid down in Article 5 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, in compliance with Article 7(3) and Article 8 thereof.

(3) The period provided for in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be three months."

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels,

For the European Parliament For the Council

The President The President