No C 181/8 Official Journal of the European Communities 18. 7. 89 
Amended proposal for a Council Decision instituting a specific multiannual programme for the 
research and development of statistical expert systems (Doses) (') 
COM(89) 94 final — SYN 149 
(Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 149 (3) of the EEC Treaty on 9 March 1989) 
(89/C 181/10) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 130q (2) 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
In cooperation with the European Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas Article 130k of the Treaty provides that the 
framework programme shall be implemented through 
specific programmes developed within each activity; 
Whereas statistical information can be of use in defining 
and monitoring economic activity and expansion, one of 
the tasks assigned to the Community in Article 2 of the 
Treaty; 
Whereas in its Decision 87/516/Euratom, EEC of 28 
September 1987, concerning the framework programme 
for Community activities in the field of research and 
technological development (1987 to 1991) (2) the Council 
approved the development of statistical tools as the 
objective of the work on forecasting and assessment and 
other back-up measures (including statistics); 
Whereas it is necessary to encourage the undertakings to 
which such an initiative is of relevance, research centres 
and universities, in their research and technological 
development activities as well as to support their efforts 
to cooperate with one another; 
(') OJ No C 203, 4. 8. 1988, p. 5. 
O OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987, p. 1. Whereas it is desirable to promote basic or applied 
research whose value for the development of statistics is 
unquestionable but whose short-term viability is 
uncertain; 
Whereas coordination between Member States makes it 
possible to limit incompatibilities, overlapping and 
redundancy; 
Whereas it is desirable to further exchanges and transfers 
of knowledge on statistical expert systems between the 
Member States; 
Whereas in the present state of development of infor­
mation systems and in particular statistical systems, the 
development of statistical tools appears a useful and 
indeed essential aid to the optimum use of information; 
Whereas the enhancement of statistical tools will enable 
work productivity to be increased; 
Whereas it is desirable for statistical information to 
become more widely used by making access to it easier; 
Whereas that Decision provides that a particular aim of 
Community research shall be to strengthen the scientific 
and technological basis of European industry and to 
encourage it to become more competitive at the interna­
tional level and that Community action is justified where 
research contributes inter alia to the strengthening of the 
economic and social cohesion of the Community and the 
promotion of its overall harmonious development, while 
being consistent with the pursuit of scientific and 
technical quality; whereas it is intended that the Doses 
programme should contribute to the achievement of 
these objectives; 
Whereas the Scientific and Technical Research 
Committee (Crest) has been consulted about the 
following measures, 
18. 7. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 181/9 
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 
Article 1 
A specific programme on research into and the devel­
opment of statistical expert systems for the European 
Economic Community is hereby adopted as defined in 
the Annex for a period of four years starting on 
1 January 1989. 
Article 2 
The funds estimated as necessary for the execution of 
the programme amount to ECU 4 million, including 
expenditure on a staff of one. The indicative allocation 
of these funds is set out in the Annex. 
Article 3 
The programme implementation procedures and the 
description of staff duties are set out in the Annex. 
Article 4 
In the implementation of the programme, the 
Commission shall be assisted by an advisory committee 
composed of representatives of the Member States and 
chaired by a Commission representative. The 
Commission representative shall submit to the committee 
a proposal regarding the measures to be taken. The 
committee shall give its opinion on this proposal, within 
a period which the chairman may lay down in the light 
of the urgency of the question concerned, and if appro­
priate a vote may be taken. The opinion shall be entered 
in the minutes; in addition, each Member State shall 
have the right to request that its position be recorded in 
these minutes. The Commission shall take the greatest 
account of the opinion delivered by the committee. The 
Commission shall inform the committee of the way in 
which it has taken account of this opinion. Article 5 
In accordance with Article 130n of the EEC Treaty, the 
Commission is hereby authorized to negotiate 
agreements with European third countries and with 
international organizations, particularly the OECD and 
its member countries, with a view to their full or partial 
integration into the programme. 
Where framework agreements for scientific and technical 
cooperation between non-Community countries and the 
European Communities have been concluded, organiz­
ations and enterprises established in those countries may 
become partners in a project undertaken within the 
programme. 
No contractor based outside the Community and partici­
pating as a partner in a project undertaken under the 
programme may benefit from the Community financing 
of the programme. Such contractor shall also contribute 
to general administration costs. 
Article 6 
During the second year of implementation, the 
Commission shall review the programme and send a 
report on the results of its review to the Council and the 
European Parliament. This report shall be accompanied 
where necessary by proposals for the amendment or 
extension of the programme. 
At the end of the programme, an evaluation of the 
results achieved shall be conducted by the Commission 
which shall report thereon to the Council and the 
European Parliament. 
The abovementioned reports will be carried out having 
regard to the objectives set out in Annex I to this 
Decision and in accordance with the provisions of Article 
2 (2) of the framework programme set out in Decision 
87/516/Euratom, EEC. 
Article 7 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
No C 181/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 18. 7. 89 
ANNEX I 
TECHNICAL ANNEX 
PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES AND SUMMARY OF THE WORK PROGRAMME 
The actions address the exploitation of advanced information technologies in the field of statistics: in 
particular, the application of expert systems technology to the whole chain of statistical data processing. 
The actions are oriented to develop knowledge and expert systems rules, which can constitute the base for 
the development of expert systems in the various domains of the statistics field. 
The programme shall consist of two parts: Part I comprises the organization of coordinated projects and 
Part II comprises research and development projects regarded as meriting priority in the field of official 
statistics. It is subdivided into four parts. 
Part I: Coordinated projects 
The coordinated projects shall consist in coordination at Community level of activities which are of general 
interest to the Member States and satisfy the criteria laid down in the section 'Coordinated projects' of 
Annex I. The Commission shall provide a framework within which projects can be selected on the basis of 
proposals submitted by the interested parties and financial assistance can be provided for the organization 
of these projects. 
The following are suitable for coordinated projects: 
— subjects which are intrinsically international in character, 
— problems arising in a similar manner in the various Member States (and possibly within the 
Commission) which may therefore benefit from a coordinated approach, 
— problems which have to be solved for purposes of harmonization, 
— problems arising in connection with the processing of confidential data. 
The main feature of these projects is thus that a minimum number of participants coordinate their work of 
fields of common interest and exchange their findings. 
The emphasis will be on projects able to produce results in a relatively short time (two to three years). 
The participants will fund their own share of the work to be done but will be informed of all the results. 
Part II: Jointly funded projects 
The research will be carried out under the terms of joint funding contracts to be concluded with the 
research bodies, companies and other organizations in the Community. As a general rule, the Community 
will meet at the most 50 % of the costs, the rest normally being borne by the contractors. As an alternative 
solution in the case of universities and research bodies carrying out projects or actions, the Community 
may meet up to 100 % of the additional cost of their implementation. Work will be carried out in the 
following areas: 
Theme 1: Vertical study: preparation of a complete system for automated information processing, from 
collection to dissemination, in a specific field (as a prototype for other fields and a reference 
framework for the other themes); 
18. 7. 89 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 181/11 
Theme 2: Documentation of data and statistical methods; 
Theme 3: Access to statistical information; 
Theme 4: Forecasting. 
Implementation procedures 
Contracts under Part I shall be awarded by means of restricted invitations to tender. 
Contracts under Part II shall be awarded by means of public invitations to tender. They shall involve the 
participation of at least two partners, who are independent of each other and who may not be established 
in the same Member State. Public invitation to tender shall be published in the Official Journal of the 
European Communities, and summaries shall be published in the scientific journals specializing in the 
subject. 
Auxiliary staff and experts shall be recruited to help the Commission to carry out its work. They will be 
responsible for the secretariat and the technical monitoring of the programme. They will advise the 
Commission on the technical aspects of project selection and evaluation. 
ANNEX II 
Internal distribution of funds — (for guidance only) 
(1989 to 1992) 
Part I: Coordinated projects 
Part II: Jointly funded projects 
Staff and administrative costs