ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(73)726
Vol.1973/0141

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COMMISSION OFTELSEUROE3ANCOMMUMIIB5
COM(73 )726final
Brussels ,14May1973
PROPOSAL FOR A
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
regarding synchronisation ofgeneral population censuses
(submitted totheCouncil "bytheCommission )
COM (73)126final

Explanatory fl-emorandum
NoonewoulddenythatdeCommunityinstitutions shouldhavean
adequatesystemofstatisticsforpopulation,' employment aridunem­
ployment,andhouseholdandfamilystructurewithintheCommunity.'
Suchinformatipn :isgatheredineachmembercountryperiodically when
generalpopulation ,censuses ,areheld.
Theresultsofthesebensuses,however,afrenoteasilyuseableat
Communitylevel,sincetheyareconductedatdifferent "timesand
thedefinitions andconcepts' -employedare'notsufficiently comparable.
TheStatistical -Officeh&sbeenconsideringthisproblemforalong'
time,andpartialfindingswere"obtainedforcensusesheldaroundthe
year1970.Ithasthusbeenpossibletoprepareajointprogramme '
fortablescoveringpopulationandhouseholds,professionalactivity
and,toacertaindegree,housing.
(•,•
Λ. . · ··"··'"\·Γ'«·'·'.'· '".'V
As.regardssynchronisation jontheotherhand,itmUstbeacknowledged
thateffortshavefailed:thevariouscensuseswere,infact,spread
overaperiodofmorethanthreeyears,fromspiring1968toautumn
1971." •::••••'
Quiteapartfromtheprejudicialnaturepereeofthis-non-synchronis-
ation.,itresultsinaninevitablelackofcomparability amontthe:
dataforthevariouscountries.
832/73e

Contactsmadeattechnicallevelwiththeappropriate departments
intheninememberstateshaveestablished thatthemostsuitable
periodfororganisinggeneralcensuses -intheCommunitycountries .
isfromthe1stMarchtothe31stMay.1981.rClosersynchronisation
wouldappeartobeimpossiblebecauseofthesizeanddiversityof
thegeographical areascoveredincensusoperations ?Thereisno
doubtthowever,thatatimelimitation .ofthiskindwillenable
satisfactory Communitytotalstobeobtained *
Theproblemsofharminisation arespecifically technical "ones,and
willhavetobesolvedthroughconcertedeffort -bytheCommission
andnationalstatistical departments ofthemembercountries.
Theorganisation ofacensusisalongdrawn-outaffair. ■.
Harminisation andsynchronisation ofcensusesinthemembercountries,
will,atleastforsomeofthem,requireamendmentstoexistinglegis­
lation.IntheviewoftheCommissionitisthusneoessarythatthe
requisitemeasuresforsolutionoftheseproblemsshouldbetaken
ioaediately .
ThereisnoprovisionfortheCommunitiestomakeanyfinancialcontri­
butiontowardsthecostsoftheI98lcensuses.
832/73ev

PROPOSAL FOR A
j
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
''1 « #»«-»
regarding synchronisation ofgeneral population censuses
THE COUNCIL OFTHE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community
. /
and inparticular article 213thereof ,
having regard totheproposal from the Commission ,
whereas theCommission ,inorder tofulfil thetasks entrusted toit
bytheTreaty ,inparticular Articles 2,'3,.117 ,118 ,122and123thereof ,
needs tobeinpossession ofsufficiently reliable ,detailedand comparable
data onpopulation ,working population -,employment ,households and
families }
whereas general population censuses donot enable comparable data onthe
above subjects tobeobtained ,since they have not todate been conducted
atthe same time j- .•
whereas periodic exhaustive surveys ofthepopulation and theprincipal
social ,economic and family characteristics ofindividuals are indispens ?-
able for thestudy anddefinition ofpolicy onregions and particular
sectors ofthe economy :
832/73e

having regard totherecommendations ofvarious international organisation
particularly theUnited .Nations andtheCouncil ofEurope ,which provide
forsuch censuses tobeorganigad atthebeginning ofevery decade ;
whereas itisnecessary that themethods andprocedure governing these
censuses should beworked out indetail bytheCommission ,inagreement
with thegovernment departments oftheMember Countries ;
whereas thepreparation ofageneral population census isalong-term
affair ,particularly since theadoption ofacommon period will ,ina
number ofcountries ,require legislative changes ;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE :
I
- ■ \ ' ■
Article 1
TheMember States shall conduct ageneral population census onadate
falling within theperiod 1March to31May1981 .
Article 2
This census shall cover anumber ofdemographic ,professional and
social characteristics ofindividuals ,households andfamilies ,selected
bycommon agreement between theCommission and thegovernment departments
ofMember States ;each Member State may ,ifitwishes ,extend thescope
ν
ofitssurvey beyond thedetails required fortheCommunity census .
832/73e

Article 3
This directive isaddressed tothe Member States
832/73e