COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 08.07.1996 
COM(96) 319 final 
96/0173 (SYN) 
Amended proposal for a 
COUNCIL DECISION 
on inter-administration telematic networks for statistics relating to 
the trading of goods between Member States (Edicom) 
(presented by the Commission pursuant to Article 189 a (2) 
of the EC-Treaty) 

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM 
1. Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91 of 7 November 1991 on the statistics 
relating to the trading of goods between Member States defined a new system 
(Intrastat) for collecting directly from the consignors and consignees of goods the 
data necessary for compiling these statistics. It provides for the use of methods 
and techniques (e.g. automatic data processing and electronic data transmission) 
which will ensure that data are exhaustive, reliable and up to date, . 
2. It was therefore proposed to introduce a data processing and telematic 
infrastructure based on a trans-European telematic network - to which businesses 
would also have access - linking up the national and Community statistical 
systems. 
3. This set of measures covers the design, development and introduction of the 
telematic network and promotion, support, monitoring and coordination relating 
to all the parties involved. 
4. This programme, which draws on the general and multisectoral work carried out 
under the IDA (Interchange of Data between Administrations) multiannual 
programme, was the subject of Council Decision 94/445/EC of 11 July 1994 on 
inter-administration telematic networks for statistics relating to the trading of 
goods between Member States (Edicom). 
5. Following the appeal lodged by the European Parliament and endorsed by the 
Commission, Council Decision 94/445/EC was annulled solely on the grounds 
that it had an inappropriate legal basis. 
6. The interim evaluation reports and the reports by experts drawn up after the first 
two years of the Edicom programme testify to its importance and usefulness and 
clearly state that it should be continued. 
7. The viability of the investments already made and the modernization of the 
collection and processing operations which are essential for compiling reliable 
and up-to-date statistics on the trading of goods between Member States depend 
on the continuation of the programme and the rapid adoption of this Decision in 
order to limit the effects of this interruption in the progress of work. 
a 
Amended proposal for a 
COUNCIL DECISION 
on inter-administration telematic networks Tor statistics relating to 
the trading of goods between Member States (Edicom) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular 
Article 129d, third paragraph, 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, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions, 
Whereas completing the internal market depends on the elimination of physical frontiers 
between Member States; whereas a satisfactory level of information on the trading of 
goods between Member States must therefore be ensured by means other than those 
involving checks, even indirect ones, at internal frontiers; 
Whereas it is necessary to collect directly from the consignors and consignees the data 
necessary to compile statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States, 
using methods and techniques which will ensure that they are exhaustive, reliable and up 
to date, without giving rise for the parties concerned, in particular for small and 
medium-sized businesses, to a burden out of proportion to the results which users of the 
said statistics can reasonably expect; 
Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91 of 7 November 1991 on the statistics 
relating to the trading of goods between Member States1 lays down that the conditions 
should be created for increased use of automatic data processing and electronic data 
transmission for the purpose of facilitating the task of the parties responsible for 
providing information; 
Whereas it is necessary to ease the burden which statistical returns place on businesses, 
while at the same time improving the circulation of statistical information with a view 
to the creation of the European information market; 
Whereas an essential objective of Council Decision 95/468/EC of 6 November 1995 for 
a Community contribution for telematic interchange of data between administrations in 
the Community (IDA)2 is to carry out feasibility studies, including validation schemes; 
whereas that Decision should be supplemented by operational measures, particularly in 
the statistical sphere; 
OJL316, 16.11.1991, p. 1. 
OJL269, 11.11.1995, p. 23. 
A9-
Whereas the compilation of harmonized statistics, in particular with a link between 
statistics on trade and other economic statistics, should be ensured in order to contribute 
to market transparency and to the evaluation of the competitiveness of businesses; 
Whereas the promotion of the use of harmonized standards and concepts at European 
level will ultimately lead to the elimination of duplication and to economies of scale, 
while facilitating the emergence of new services in the field of statistical telematics; 
Whereas standardization carried out at international level in the sphere of electronic 
interchange (EDI) contributes to facilitating international trade and to simplifying 
relations between undertakings and administrative authorities; 
Whereas the establishment of common statistical standards for the production of 
harmonized information is an activity which can be carried out effectively only at 
Community level, in collaboration with the Member States; whereas such standards will 
be implemented in each Member State under the authority of the bodies and institutions 
responsible for the compilation and dissemination of official statistics; 
Whereas the Court of Justice has annulled Council Decision 94/445/EC of 11 July 1994 
on inter-administration telematic networks for statistics relating to the trading of goods 
between Member States (Edicom)3 on the grounds of inappropriate legal basis and, so 
that the programme can be continued, a new Decision must therefore be adopted on the 
appropriate legal basis; 
Whereas the interim evaluation reports and the reports by experts drawn up after the first 
two years of the Edicom programme testify to its importance and usefulness and state 
that it should be continued, 
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS: 
Article 1 
A set of measures, hereinafter referred to as "Edicom" (Electronic Data Interchange on 
Commerce), shall be implemented to facilitate the conversion of regional, national and 
Community systems towards interoperable systems at European level, as a first stage, 
for the collection of returns on the trading of goods between Member States from 
businesses, the validation and pre-processing of such returns and the dissemination of the 
statistics derived therefrom. 
These systems shall be based on distributed information systems at regional, national and 
Community levels, the interoperability of which shall be guaranteed by the development 
and use of harmonized standards and communication procedures. 
These systems shall be based in particular on the use of electronic data interchange (EDI) 
for the transmission of statistical returns. Computerized procedures may be made 
available to the competent national and Community authorities and to the parties 
OJ L 183, 19.7.1994. p. 42. 
C 
responsible for providing statistical information by agreement with the competent national 
authorities. 
These systems shall be developed in a way which takes account of the requirements 
associated with compiling statistics on internal trade. 
Article 2 
1. Edicom shall run for five years from 1 September 1996. 
2. The Commission shall, in the framework of the interim report referred to in the 
first indent of Article 8, and on the basis of a report by experts, evaluate the 
application of Edicom and, if appropriate, propose amendments to this Decision. 
Article 3 
Measures shall be undertaken only where a clear need for Community action has been 
established, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity. Edicom may, by agreement 
with the competent authorities in the Member States and bearing in mind the preferential 
use of existing technologies and products, comprise in particular: 
the design, development and promotion of software for the collection, validation 
and transmission of statistical information, and assistance to Member States in 
making that software available to businesses; 
the design, development and promotion of software for the acceptance, validation, 
processing and dissemination of data, providing assistance for, and making that 
software available to, the regional, national and Community bodies responsible 
for collecting statistical information, and where necessary the upgrading of 
equipment; 
the design, development and promotion of formats for the exchange of 
information, on the basis of European and international standards, and making 
them available; 
the design, documentation and promotion of the methods, procedures and 
agreements to be used in the exchange of information; 
making software and services suppliers aware of the requirements of national and 
Community statistics. 
Article 4 
In implementing the measures, the following general aims shall be taken into account: 
ÇL 
to facilitate the introduction and use of these systems, by means of promotion and 
awareness campaigns aimed mainly at businesses and users and conducted by the 
competent Community bodies by agreement with national and regional bodies, 
to undertake special measures for the benefit of less-developed regional and 
national bodies to enable them to take part in these systems, 
to promote the use of the most appropriate telematic technologies and tools to 
meet the needs of the statistical system, and their incorporation into the various 
computer environments of the authorities concerned. 
Article 5 
1. The Commission shall be responsible for the implementation of Edicom. It shall 
be assisted by: 
(a) the Committee on the Statistical Programme of the European Communities, 
established by Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom4, in drawing up, 
quantifying and approving the annual work programme, in accordance with the 
procedure laid down in Article 6; 
(b) the Committee on statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member 
States, set up by Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91: 
for the approval of calls for tenders and the evaluation of projects and 
measures of a total value of more than ECU 200 000, in accordance with 
the procedure laid down in Article 6, 
for measures to implement Edicom other than those referred to in point 
(a) above and in the first indent of this point, in accordance with the 
procedure laid down in Article 7. 
2. The Commission shall keep the Committee set up under the Council Decision for 
a Community contribution for telematic interchange of data between 
administrations in the Community (IDA) regularly informed of the progress of 
the measures. 
Article 6 
The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a draft of 
the measures to be taken. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft 
within a time limit which the chairman may lay down according to the urgency 
of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in 
Article 148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required 
to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of 
OIL 181,23.6.1989, p. 47. 
e 
the Member States within the Committee shall be weighted in the manner set out 
in that Article. The chairman shall not vote. 
(a) The Commission shall adopt the measures envisaged if they are in 
accordance with the opinion of the Committee. 
(b) If the measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the Committee, 
or if no opinion is delivered, the Commission shall, without delay, submit 
to the Council a proposal relating to the measures to be taken. The 
Council shall act by a qualified majority. 
If, on the expiry of a period of three months from the date of referral to the Council, the 
Council has not acted, the proposed measures shall be adopted by the Commission. 
Article 1 
The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a draft of the 
measures to be taken. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time 
limit which the chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter, if 
necessary by taking a vote. 
The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; each Member State shall have the right 
to ask to have its position recorded in the minutes. 
The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the 
Committee. It shall inform the Committee of the manner in which its opinion has been 
taken into account. 
Article 8 
The Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and the Council: 
by 31 December 1998, an interim report on the progress of Edicom, 
on the conclusion of Edicom, a report on its implementation together, where 
appropriate, with proposals for further measures. 
Article 9 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States. 
Done at Brussels, 
For the Council 
The President 
? 
Report on EDICOM actions in 1994 and 1995 
by the Experts* Group 
Contents 
Preface p. 2 
1. Summary p. 3 
2. Background p. 3 
3. The aim of the report p. 4 
4. About EDICOM p. 4 
5. EDICOM actions in 1994 and 1995 p. 6 
6. Experiences of the 1994 and 1995 actions p. 9 
7. Conclusions p. 13 
8. Priorities, aims and budgetary needs for 1996 - 1998 p. 14 
February 1996 
A 
PREFACE 
The formation of an Experts' Group was agreed at the meeting of the "Committee on 
statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States" held in 
Luxembourg, December 18 and 19, 1995. 
Five Member countries agreed to participate in the Experts' Group: 
Austria, which was represented by Mr. Gerhard ECKER, 
Denmark, which was represented by Mr. Jens THOMASEN who has also acted as 
chairman of the group, 
France, represented by Mr. Antoine EGEA, 
Greece, represented by Mrs. Athanassia XENAKI, and 
the Netherlands, which was represented by Mr. Vick SMEETS. 
The group was assisted by Eurostat, represented by Mr. Uwe KUNZLER and Mr. 
Bert RECTOR. 
The group has met once in Luxembourg, February 5 and 6, 1996 and has moreover 
exchanged views by phone and fax. 
This report was finished on February 29, 1996. 
EDICOM Experts' Report 
1. SUMMARY 
The report by the EDICOM Experts' Group evaluates the application of EDICOM 
based on the achievements of 1994 and 1995. 
Chapter 2 provides background to the conception of EDICOM, focusing on the 
introduction of the internal market and the new INTRASTAT system. 
In Chapter 3, the aims of the report are described. 
In Chapter 4, the Council Decision is analysed, and the objectives and aims are 
outlined in detail. 
In Chapter 5, an analysis of the EDICOM actions in 1994 and 1995 is presented, 
based on the Interim EDICOM report 1996. 
In Chapter 6, the EDICOM actions are evaluated. Special attention is given to 
software developed for the enterprises, national administrations' and Eurostat, and 
to standards for the exchange of data. 
In Chapter 7 it is concluded that considering the conditions, the length of time the 
EDICOM project has been implemented, and the experiences and results achieved, 
EDICOM has given value for money. 
Chapter 8 contains the Group's proposals concerning priorities, aims, and 
budgetary needs for the period 1996-1998. 
2. BACKGROUND 
INTRASTAT introduced 
Statistics on commodity trade between Member States of the Community were 
directly influenced by the introduction of the internal market from January 1, 
1993. Until that time, trade statistics had been based upon information supplied on 
the customs document - the SAD. With the abolition of customs control at the 
internal borders a new system had to be designed for collecting trade data. This 
new system is known as the INTRASTAT system and is based upon Council 
Regulation 3330/91. 
Ease the burden on enterprises 
An important aim of the Intrastat system, as described in the above mentioned 
regulation, is that the collection of trade data should be conducted in such a way 
as to ease the burden of enterprises supplying information. 
This has been achieved in three ways: 
• by introducing statistical thresholds in the Member States which exempt most 
small companies from supplying information at all (Intrastat Regulation Art. 
28), 
• by reducing the number of data elements collected compared to the SAD, 
• by obliging the Commission to provide an environment conducive to the use of 
automatic data processing and electronic data transmission ( Intrastat 
Regulation Art. 34). 
EDICOM and IDA 
This obligation gave rise to the idea of the EDICOM project. 
The framework for this project, which was initially scheduled for five years 
beginning in 1994, was laid down in the Council Decision of July 11, 1994. 
However EDICOM, created to encourage the use of telematic technologies in 
transmitting data, is closely linked to another project run by the Commission, 
namely the IDA project. This project concerns feasibility studies on the 
implementation of trans-European information networks for the interchange of 
data between administrations. 
In Article 2, Paragraph 2, of the Council Decision it is stated that " The 
Commission shall ... and on the basis of a report by experts evaluate the 
application of Edicom and, if appropriate, propose amendments to this Decision". 
3. THE AIM OF THE REPORT 
The aim of the Experts' report, which must be regarded as complementary to the 
Interim EDICOM Report 1996, is to provide information and facts to the 
Commission for the evaluation of EDICOM and if appropriate, the proposal of 
amendments, and for the estimation of the necessary funds for 1996, 1997 and 
1998. 
Explanations of acronyms and abbreviations used in this report can be found in 
Chapter 6 of the Interim Report (Annexe 6.2). 
4. ABOUT EDICOM 
In Article 1 of the Edicom Decision it is stated that : 
Objectives and aims 
"A set of measures, hereinafter referred to as 'Edicom' (Electronic Data 
Interchange on Commerce), shall be implemented to facilitate the conversion of 
regional, national and Community systems towards interoperable systems at 
European level, as a first stage, for the collection of returns on the trading of 
goods between Member States from businesses, the validation and pre-processing 
of such returns and the dissemination of the statistics derived therefrom". 
EDICOM measures may include: 
Main measures 
® the design, development, and promotion of software for the collection, 
validation, and transmission of statistical information, and assistance to 
Member States in making that software available to businesses, 
• the design, development, and promotion of software for the acceptance, 
validation, processing, and dissemination of data. Providing assistance for, and 
making that software available to, the regional, national and Community bodies 
responsible for collecting statistical information, and where necessary the 
upgrading of equipment, 
• the design, development, and promotion of formats for the exchange of 
information, on the basis of European and international standards, and making 
them available, 
® the design, documentation, and promotion of the methods, procedures, and 
agreements to be used in the exchange of information, 
• making software and service suppliers aware of the requirements of national 
and Community statistics. 
In implementing these measures some general aims had to be taken into account: 
General aims 
• to facilitate the introduction and use of these systems, by means of promotion 
and awareness campaigns aimed mainly at businesses and users, conducted by 
the competent Community bodies by agreement with national and regional 
bodies, 
• to undertake special measures for the benefit of less-developed regional and 
national bodies to enable them to take part in these systems, 
• to promote the use of the most appropriate telematic technologies and tools to 
meet the needs of the statistical system, and their incorporation into the various 
computer environments of the authorities concerned. 
Value for money criteria 
Generally the measures implemented must guarantee value for money by ensuring 
that the benefits are in keeping with the allocation of resources. 
Financial aspects 
The initial budget for the first two years was 20 million ECUs which was divided 
evenly over the two years. When the three new Member States joined the 
Community in 1995 the EDICOM budget was extended by 2 million ECUs to a 
total of 12 million ECUs for 1995. 
and Responsibilities 
Eurostat is responsible for the implementation of EDICOM. It is assisted by the 
'Committee on the Statistical Programme of the European Communities' and the 
'Committee on Statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States'. 
Many EDICOM activities for 1994 and 1995 were conducted by, and under the 
direct responsibility of, the national administrations in the Member States. Other 
actions were conducted centrally by Eurostat. 
5. EDICOM ACTIONS IN 1994 AND 1995 
The implementation of the EDICOM decision has resulted in a large variety of 
projects and initiatives to facilitate the collection and dissemination of data by 
electronic means. 
In order to ensure proper planning and implementation of EDICOM, a set of 
Action Plans were specified by the Member States and Eurostat. 
Although there are national differences in organization, needs, and priorities, a set 
of common features appear after studying the Interim report. 
The initiatives contained in the Action Plans have been grouped under headings in 
order to simplify and structure their presentation. 
Five headings have been chosen to present an overview of the 1994 and 1995 
EDICOM Actions. 
A. Actions aimed at the providers of data 
B. Actions within the national administrations and Eurostat 
C. Actions aimed at the users of trade statistics 
D. Actions concerning analysis and methodological studies 
E. Actions concerning administration and management 
A. Actions aimed at providers of data 
Developmen t of electronic forms 
Special software packages have been developed to facilitate the 
INTRASTAT declaration process and make use of EDI-based declarations. 
Software packages 
These systems offer the functionality of data entry, including validity checks 
of the data entered. The packages can also be used to import data from 
existing administrative sources within the companies e.g. accounting 
systems. Various help facilities are available i.e. code lists including 
consultation of the Combined Nomenclature containing codes for 
approximately 10.000 commodity items, default values and calculation 
facilities. 
The software packages have been developed to also make use of 
telecommunications in the transmission of data from the companies to the 
national administrations. 
At the central level, Eurostat in cooperation with a private company, has 
developed the IDEP/CN8 package which is used in the majority of Member 
States and normally supplied free of charge to the enterprises 
Two Member States have developed their own software - the Netherlands 
developed CBS-IRIS, which is also used in Germany, and Portugal 
developed IDEP-INE. 
Promotion and distribution 
In the preparation phase of INTRASTAT, and in conjunction with Eurostat, 
a survey of trading firms was conducted in most Member States. These 
surveys were designed to obtain an overview of the level of automation used 
to process logistical information. 
Afterwards initiatives followed, the main objectives being to raise future 
data providers' awareness of the statistical returns in INTRASTAT and to 
provide information on the data requirements of the INTRASTAT 
Regulation at company level. Logos, brochures and technical documents 
were presented for use at national as well as European level. 
Nomenclature 
Eurostat prepares and maintains the commodity nomenclature - the CN8 -
used to classify the goods traded. The nomenclature is kept in a text module 
from which all Member States' versions are extracted. 
The printing and distribution of the nomenclature is generally done by the 
Member States. 
B. Actions within national administrations and Eurostat 
Integration of information systems 
The change towards electronic data interchange between the data suppliers 
and the national competent administrations urged the need for message 
standards. Priority has been given to develop a message for the transmission 
of INTRASTAT returns by companies. The UN / Edifact was adopted as 
the standard as there is a growing practice in the field of commerce to apply 
Edifact for internal and external communication. 
Development of computer systems 
A number of Member States have been forced to modify or change their 
computer systems in order to comply with the rules and conditions laid 
down in the INTRASTAT Regulations. The changes concern all parts of the 
statistical system, i.e. collecting, checking and dissemination routines. 
Disk /fax system 
Several Member States have installed hardware and software to handle 
INTRASTAT returns on diskettes or tapes. The installations provided by 
Eurostat to the Member States can process various formats, convert the 
information - mostly EDIFACT messages - to the appropriate internal 
standards, handle the returns, and send messages to companies when their 
declarations cannot be processed properly. 
OCR system 
Hardware to read the large number of standard INTRASTAT paper 
declarations was installed in only a few Member States, i.e. Germany, 
Austria and France. An efficient use of the OCR technique requires firstly, 
that paper declarations are the dominant way of reporting and secondly, that 
a centralized processing solution is chosen as economies of scale are only 
possible in this instance. 
Equipment upgrading 
For a number of Member States the INTRASTAT system meant that new 
technical requirements and demands had to be met. This phase of 
modernizing equipment has been possible by the support of EDICOM funds. 
Personnel and training 
Both Eurostat and the Member States have been forced to employ more 
people in order to cope with the numerous and complex problems 
encountered during the first three years of INTRASTAT. Along with the 
implementation of new information systems, intensive training of employees 
has been necessary. 
C. Actions aimed at users of trade statistics 
Data distribution 
The dissemination of statistics compiled in INTRASTAT is done at national 
as well as European level. Eurostat provides the monthly EU results based 
on data from the Member States. The figures on trade between the Member 
States are available in the COMEXT database. This uniform client-server 
system was developed to handle the large datasets involved and to provide 
users with facilities to specify files or tables to be extracted and to retrieve 
the data. COMEXT also contains statistics for the trade between Member 
States and non-Member States. 
A monthly abstract of the database is transferred to the COMEXT CD-
ROM which is distributed to the Member States and other subscribers and 
contains user-friendly software. 
D. Analysis and methodological studies 
Analysis and methodological studies 
The introduction of INTRASTAT, entailing changes to the collection of 
trade data from a customs-based system to a new, business-oriented system, 
has caused many problems at company level and at national administrative 
level, consequently effecting Eurostat as well. In other words statistics on 
trade between Member States have, for the last three years, been facing 
problems of quality and timeliness. 
The Intrastat difficul-ties are here to stay? 
The problems encountered were expected to be of an incidental nature. 
However, it turned out that the problems were of a profound and 
complicated nature and that there are no quick solutions to the problems. 
A lot of effort has been made to clarify the problems and also to propose 
solutions with the objective of improving the quality and exhaustiveness of 
statistics on the commodity trade between the Member States. 
Quality studies undertaken 
Based on the proposals and recommendations of a group of experts, who 
analysed several of the quality problems, the Member States committed 
themselves to implementing appropriate methods for improving the quality 
of the INTRASTAT statistics. 
A comprehensive study of the INTRASTAT systems implemented in all 
Member States - including the new three - was carried out in the last part of 
1995 with the purpose of comparing the application of the Regulations, the 
data collection and processing systems, adjustment and control procedures 
and the reliability of the results. Interview teams consisting of two Eurostat 
representatives and two Member State representatives have reported on the 
systems in each country based on a common list of questions. 
The opinion of companies and users 
In order to collect impressions of the present system, an opinion poll was 
launched. One part of the poll was aimed at the reporting companies, 
another was directed towards the users of trade statistics. The aims of the 
opinion poll, which was based on two questionnaires (one form for 
reporters, and another for users), were to obtain a clearer view of the 
reporting companies' perception of the system, including their proposals for 
changes, and to ascertain the users perception of the quality of trade 
statistics and the level of detail they require. 
Seminar organized 
The results of the opinion poll are therefore not only relevant for the present 
system but certainly also for the future system and framework. The changes, 
and especially the future framework, will be discussed in March 1996, where 
these issues are on the agenda during a two day seminar entitled 
INTRASTAT. 
E. Administration and management 
During the planning and implementation phase of most of the tasks carried 
out under the EDICOM project, Eurostat and Member States were forced 
to set up steering committees to ensure the large number of tasks were 
constantly moving in the right direction. 
Furthermore, regular meetings of the EDICOM task force have required 
preparation of documents, translations and special consultative missions. 
6. EXPERIENCES OF THE 1994 AND 1995 ACTIONS 
From reading the Interim report it appears that the ideal, basic conditions were not 
present for EDICOM when this project started. 
The national administrations were far from being at the same technical level. 
The enterprises' readiness to use PC's and modems differed between Member 
States. 
The technical infrastructure for data communication was not available in all 
Member States. 
In other words the EDICOM project had to focus heavily on development and 
improvement in these areas. 
To summarize the accomplishments, i.e. the results achieved and the experiences 
gained, and to evaluate the 1994 and 1995 Action Plans, the Experts' Group has 
chosen to examine three major areas of EDICOM. 
1. Software for the enterprises and other actions to reduce their reporting burden 
2. National administrations' and Eurostat actions 
3. Standards for exchange of data 
1. Software for the enterprises etc. 
Within the framework of EDICOM, three software products were 
developed for the enterprises. The CBS-developed package, CBS-IRIS, 
which is used in Holland and Germany, the Portuguese IDEP-INE, which is 
used in Portugal, and the Eurostat developed IDEP/CN8 package, which is 
used in all other Member States except the UK., where the private software 
houses are the sole suppliers of these or similar products. 
Stability reached 
The programs have now been stabilized after a number of "children's 
diseases", and are accepted by the enterprises. Most countries have chosen 
to provide the software free of charge or at a symbolic price in order to 
make these data entry solutions attractive. The distribution of the 
programmes is either handled by the national administrations themselves or 
in co-operation with software companies. 
Especially for IDEP there was a serious problem of delay when Intrastat was 
first introduced. Furthermore, the above mentioned programmes contained 
too many bugs. However, these conditions have improved satisfactorily, and 
the organisational framework within Eurostat has been strengthened. 
Software companies 
The national administrations have established close co-operation with 
software companies to set up standards on conformity, i.e. a guarantee now 
exists that for certain software products the Intrastat declaration generated 
conforms with the standards in the relevant country. In a number of 
countries IDEP and CBS-IRIS have become the de-facto standard for 
electronic forms and output formats. 
Telecommunication 
The software provided by the national administrations usually produces a 
diskette as output to be sent and later processed by a national administration 
unit. Some countries, however, have introduced telecommunications. 
Successful results have been reported in Holland, and in Belgium and 
Austria using CBS-IRIS and IDEP respectively. In the UK the experiences 
with EDI are also positive. Telecommunications by networks or telephone 
lines are generally seen as growing in the Member States. 
10 
The CN-8 
As a service to the enterprises, an electronic list of commodities has been 
developed containing the official Combined Nomenclature (CN8) which 
must be used when the goods traded are declared for statistics. The CN8 is 
also available in paper format and distributed in the Member States. As with 
the software some Member States provide the CN8 free of charge, others 
make a small charge. 
Helps-desks 
In most countries help-desks have been set up to support the software users 
when they make their electronic INTRASTAT declaration and face 
problems. These help-desks are very successful and highly appreciated by 
the declarants. 
In some countries the software help-desks are integrated, or at least 
cooperate, with the Intrastat help-desks. 
Eurostat has also established a help-desk with the aim of supporting the 
national administrations when serious problems arise. This service has 
proved to be very valuable and is an efficient way of collecting, recording 
and solving software problems. 
Promotion 
Promotion campaigns for the software have been conducted at a national 
level. The rate of success differs from country to country. Most countries 
have been reluctant to promote IDEP on a large scale because, until 
recently, the product hasn't been stable enough and/or the Member States 
have not been ready to launch the package. Some countries have also 
offered training courses for new users of the electronic forms. 
Communication 
Regular communication in the form of, for instance, a newsletter, has not 
been widely used due to high postal costs except in countries with a 
relatively low number of users. 
2. National administrations' and Eurostat actions 
These actions have primarily focused on software development, the setting 
up of statistical processing systems and the upgrade of equipment. 
Registers 
A great deal of effort has been devoted to establishing comprehensive 
INTRASTAT registers in the Member States, i.e. records of the enterprises 
performing EU trade. The register plays an important role, facilitating the 
communication flow with the enterprises, and indicating, for instance, IDEP, 
CBS-IRIS, IDEP-INE users. The general experience is that maintenance is 
difficult, in the sense that the completeness and correctness of the register 
can be somewhat uncertain. In addition, maintenance is a heavy workload. 
Processing systems 
The national administrations have developed their own INTRASTAT 
routines for validation and processing of declarations including 
11 
telecommunications. Individual solutions are, for example, also seen for 
reminders. Some Member States have installed network systems facilitating 
the communication between the administrations. 
However, uniform functionality cannot be used due to national variations, 
thereby limiting harmonisation. 
Disk/fax 
The experience with disk/fax systems, which are installed in the majority of 
Member States, has generally been good. These systems have been 
developed as standard, stand-alone systems, i.e. they are not at the moment 
integrated with the register of enterprises. Fax returns to the enterprises 
therefore concern only diskette reading problems at the moment, not 
acknowledgments or reminders. 
OCR 
Other systems for data capture have been installed, providing valuable 
experience. For instance, diskette copy boxes, OCR and scanner systems. 
IDEP, CN8, COMEXT 
At Eurostat level, major progress has been made. The development of IDEP 
has already been mentioned. 
The maintenance of CN8 now takes place in a new text handling system 
thereby improving the chances of timely deliveries to the Member States. 
Prior delays have now been reduced. However, at Member State level, the 
printing of the CN8 is a considerable task as is the following distribution. 
COMEXT can now be accessed in an open database system and 
complementary to this, extracts are available on the COMEXT CD-ROM. 
Other actions 
In a few Member States the idea of sending trade statistics to the enterprises 
in return for their INTRASTAT declarations is being examined. Behind this 
initiative lies the hope of improved motivation by the companies in supplying 
timely, exhaustive and correct monthly declarations. 
The recruitment of staff in the Member States for INTRASTAT and 
EDICOM has not been an easy task. Special attention has also been given to 
the training and education of the personnel. 
Furthermore, a necessary upgrade of equipment has taken place in several 
Member States. 
Quality improvement a must 
Many efforts have been devoted to examining the quality problems in 
INTRASTAT, which are also reflected in EDICOM (garbage in = garbage 
out). Individual studies have been made as well as common actions. There 
are no immediate signs that the problems will disappear quickly, although 
substantial improvements have already been Made. 
The genera! quality of trade &t;4ii »(.«<•'* i* still *>* ' satisfactory, influenced by a 
large proportion of non-response, pertir! dect'rations, errors in commodity 
codes etc. 
12 
To improve the situation the national administrations have put a lot of effort 
into making INTRASTAT statistics reliable, timely and accurate. In the 
coming years these efforts will continue and may even have to be intensified. 
3. Standards for exchange of data 
The Experts' Group finds that there is widespread use of EDIFACT 
messages, e.g. CUSDEC/INSTAT and CUSRES/INSRES. 
Other EDI standards are also used ,e.g. X.400 lines. 
It seems that teleprocessing is in an elementary phase, however expanding. 
Experience also shows that attempts to introduce advanced 
telecommunication solutions have not been successful partly because few 
enterprises are linked to VANs and possess the know-how. Another 
restriction is the relatively high costs of VAN connections, which are rarely 
used, or established solely for statistical declarations. Simple solutions have 
proved to be the right choice to start with ("crawl then walk" solutions). 
The national administrations have, from the start, announced certain 
standard file formats for INTRASTAT EDI-declarations, and a Community 
paper standard format has been introduced, which was even prepared for 
OCR. 
The national administrations have made agreements with software suppliers 
and network owners to ensure implementation of uniform standards. 
7. CONCLUSIONS 
Since the introduction of the INTRASTAT system, there have been many 
achievements in the field of EDICOM developments. 
Considering the conditions and the length of time that the project has been 
running, the Experts' Group finds that the EDICOM project has been 
implemented, and that the experiences and results achieved have given value for 
money. 
Valuable projects have been started, some have been finished and others still run 
and have to be continued. 
It has been demonstrated that: 
• the IDEP, CBS-IRIS, IDEP-INE software is now stabilized and ready for full 
scale promotion and wider use, 
• telecom solutions are expanding, but must not be forced, 
• a satisfactory number of enterprises use EDI declarations, 
® the opportunity to modernize equipment at national and Eurostat level brings 
the administrations more in-line technically, 
© the Intrastat problems known are handled but far from solved, and new 
problems are expected to arise 
The value for money argument can also be put this way: if the EDICOM initiatives 
were to be stopped now and no new versions of IDEP, CBS-IRIS, IDEP-INE 
were developed, no new CN8 available, no help-desk assistance was to be given 
etc., the Intrastat system would meet even more serious problems. 
13 
8. PRIORITIES, AIMS AND BUDGETTARY NEEDS FOR 1996-1998. 
The Experts' Group recommend the continuation of EDICOM with the following 
priorities and aims for 1996, 1997 and 1998. An indication of the annual 
budgetary needs is also given. 
• Continue and intensify promotion of the use of electronic forms (software 
packages) developed by the national administrations or Eurostat. 2Vi million 
ECU, 
• follow developments of hardware and software to recognize the need for 
amendments or renewal of equipment or programmes, e.g. EDIFACT 
translators, disk/fax systems, Windows 95. 2Vz million ECU, 
• follow developments on telematic networks and tele-transmission and adapt 
systems to these, e.g. use of Internet to send CN8, thresholds, and other 
messages to the enterprises. 2 million ECU, 
• continue and strengthen the existing data-communication initiatives. 1 million 
ECU, 
• examine the dissemination of statistics as a means of motivation for the 
enterprises providing Intrastat declarations. 1 million ECU, 
• continue and improve the quality and availability of trade statistics. 2 million 
ECU. 
For organisation, follow-up, meetings and other overheads an annual amount of 1 
million ECU is reserved. 
However, the amounts may vary for the priorities in the course of the 3 years. 
According to this an annual total amount of 12 million ECU is needed, 
accumulating to a total of 36 million ECU for the 3 year period. 
The experts' group also finds that the conclusions from the seminar about 
INTRASTAT in March 1996, may influence the priorities and aims listed and 
make a revision necessary. This may even influence the budgetary needs. 
14 
Financial statement 
1. TITLE OF OPERATION 
Proposal for a Council Decision on inter-administration telematic networks 
for statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States 
(Edicom). 
2. BUDGET HEADINGS INVOLVED 
1996 budget - Article B5-721 IDA (networks for the interchange of data 
between administrations). 
1997 preliminary draft budget - Heading B5-7211 - Networks for 
intra-Community statistics (Edicom). 
3. LEGAL BASIS 
Article 129 D, third paragraph, of the Treaty. 
4. DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION 
4.1. General objective of operation 
The aim of this operation is to introduce a computerized and telematic infrastructure 
based on a trans-European network interconnecting the national and Community 
statistical systems and to which businesses also have access. 
The telematic network will not only perform the standard functions of transporting 
information but will also offer general telematic services such as service bureau, 
information dissemination hosts, messaging services, etc. 
The Community and National Statistical Systems cover the data processing 
infrastructures, in terms of both software and hardware, required by the collection 
centres, the national authorities responsible and Eurostat for the processing of the 
statistical information collected and disseminated. All these Community and 
national systems will have to be harmonized and interconnected in order to cope 
with the internal market and in particular to meet its requirements of 
interoperability. 
Access to the telematic network will be available to businesses via telematic forms 
and publications. In addition, the data processing systems of businesses will be able 
to connect directly to the network on condition that they comply with its standards 
of information structure (Edifact, etc.) and communication protocols and provide 
prior evidence that they do so. 
4.2 Period covered and arrangements for renewal or extension 
45 
Multiannuai operation (1996-2000), as there is an ongoing demand for 
statistical information (continuation of an operation which began in 1994). 
5. CLASSIFICATION OF THE EXPENDITURE OR REVENUE 
5.1. Non-compulsory expenditure 
5.2. Differentiated/non-differentiated appropriations 
5.3. Type of revenue involved: 
Sale of statistics, partly covering the production of publications. 
6. TYPE OF EXPENDITURE OR REVENUE 
The Community budget contribution accounts for only a small percentage 
(in the region of 5%) of die actual cost of collecting the data, since the 
Community's statistical activities are largely carried out by the Member 
States. However, some expenditure is essential to encourage the 
standardization of data collection, processing and transmission to Eurostat. 
Subsidy for joint financing with other sources in the public and/or 
private sector 
NO 
Interest subsidies 
NO 
Other 
NONE 
Should the initiative prove a financial success, is there provision for all 
or part of the community contribution to be reimbursed? 
NO 
Will the proposed operation cause any change in the level of revenue? 
Indirectiy. The results of the statistical work on indicators of own resources 
(GNP, VAT, customs duties) may be used to re-assess the general level of 
the budget. 
4 
Re-use 
This expenditure may generate income which may be re-used. The income 
which may be re-used is estimated at ECU 100 000 per year. 
7. FINANCIAL IMPACT 
7.1. Method of calculating the total cost of the operation 
Point 9.2 gives a breakdown of the operation. The attached experts' report 
provides a breakdown of the costs. 
These costs have been based on the implementation of the programme in 
1994 and 1995, the prospects for further development (in particular the 
number of users of electronic forms and the number of Intrastat returns via 
telecommunications) and the processing costs incurred by the competent 
national authorities. 
In the amounts shown for the period in question, the part devoted to 
development decreases while the costs of training, back-up, assistance and 
maintenance increase in proportion to the extension of the system. 
The total cost of the programme is broken down as follows: 
OPERATING APPROPRIATIONS: 
B5/7 
of which: contribution to the official 
public Statistical Institutes of 
the Member States 
Provision of services to 
research institutes and private 
firms 1996 
6 
3 
3 1997 
10 
5 
5 3 years 
1998-2000 
30 
15 
15 
4? 
7.2. Breakdown by programme component (ECU million) 
BREAKDOWN BY ACTIVITY 
I. Systems for reporting data and returning data 
to businesses 
Electronic forms 
II. National and Community Statistical Systems 
Introduction of telematic services 
HI. International standardisation 
IV. Promotion/Training/Back-up/ 
Supervision/Coordination 
TOTAL 97 
3.5 
4.5 
1.0 
1.0 
10.0 98 
4.0 
4.0 
1.0 
1.0 
10.0 99 
4.0 
4.0 
1.0 
1.0 
10.0 2000 
4.5 
4.0 
1.0 
1.0 
10.5 2001 
17.5 
18.5 
5.0 
5.0 
46.0 
7.3. Schedule to be completed for multiannual operations accompanied by 
amount deemed necessary 
Commitment appropriations in ECU million 
Commitment 
appropriations 
Payment 
appropriations 
1996 
1997 
1998 
1999 
2000 
Later years 
Total 1996 
6.0 
3.6 
3.6 1997 
10.0 
2.4 
6.0 
8.4 1998 
10.0 
4.0 
6.0 
10.0 1999 
10.0 
4.0 
6.0 
10.0 2000 
10.0 
4.0 
6.0 
10.0 Later 
years 
-
4.0 
4.0 Total 
46.0 
6.0 
10.0 
10.0 
10.0 
10.0 
46.0 
8. FRAUD-PREVENTION MEASURES; RESULTS OF MEASURES TAKEN 
Statistical information is considered an objective means of assessing Community action 
programmes and thus helps to consolidate anti-fraud measures. 
4 
9. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS 
9.1 Specific and quantified objectives; target population 
The objectives are linked to the provisions of the Treaty on European Union relating 
to the completion of the internal market and to trans-European telematic networks. 
This beneficiaries of this operation are: the Community institutions, the governments 
of the Member States, businesses, economic and social decision-makers in the 
Member States, research institutes, universities and the media. 
The activities planned for 1996-2000 have four main objectives: 
- to increase the effectiveness of data collection and dissemination by national and 
Community statistical organisations through the establishment of a European 
infrastructure to even out the structural differences between the Member 
States in the level of development of their data processing and statistical 
systems; 
- to lighten the burden on businesses in making statistical returns and achieving 
harmonisation at European level, while improving the circulation of statistical 
information and thereby creating a genuine European information market 
based on the devolution of appropriate activities to the Member States; 
- to obtain the comparable, harmonized and up-to-date statistical data required to 
supervise and monitor the policies associated with the internal market, 
particularly within the context of trade policy, obtain new statistics by product 
(Prodcom) at lower cost, and link up with intra-Community trade statistics 
(Intrastat), leading to a better assessment of the competitiveness of businesses 
and improved market transparency; 
- to promote the use of harmonized standards and concepts at European level, 
eventually putting an end to the duplication of similar activities and 
introducing economies of scale, while at the same time promoting the 
emergence of new markets in the field of statistical telematics. 
9.2. GROUNDS FOR THE OPERATION 
This operation covers all the tasks of design, development and implementation of the 
telematic network or promotion, training, back-up, supervision and coordination in 
relation to all the parties involved. It will benefit from the general and multi sectoral 
work undertaken under the IDA programme and will concentrate on developing the 
statistical component of these projects. 
/« 
1. System for declaring information and returning it to businesses: electronic 
forms and dissemination 
The main aim is to collect statistical information directly from those with an 
obligation to provide it, and to return it to them as soon as possible. 
Four activities are planned: 
1. providing electronic forms: 
a) development 
b) dissemination. 
2. incorporation of derived statistical declaration modules into commercial 
management software packages. 
3. dissemination of electronic publications: 
a) development 
b) dissemination 
4. making the telematic services available to those with an obligation to 
provide statistical information for their declarations by EDI. 
EL Community and national statistical systems: Adaptation to the rules of the 
internal market and to its requirements for interoperability. 
The telematic service, accompanied by all its advantages for, in particular, those 
responsible for providing statistical information, cannot be introduced without 
adapting and harmonizing the Community and national statistical systems to cope 
with the requirements of the internal market. 
There are basically two such requirements: a) new regulations or amendments must 
be incorporated into the Community and national statistical systems; b) the 
Community and national statistical services must be interoperable. 
The purpose of all developments is to harmonize the Community and national 
statistical systems and to create synergies. 
The following operations are planned: 
1. Incorporation of amendments to regulations in the systems. 
2. Creating an interface between the systems and the collection points. 
3. Adding telematic dissemination hosts to the databases. 
O2Q 
4. Interconnection of the systems to the telematic service. 
III. European and international standards: international standardization. 
The interoperability of the computer applications of the various parties concerned 
(those with an obligation to provide statistical information, national authorities, 
Eurostat and users of statistics) is based mainly on the application of a corpus of 
standards some of which are still far from fully defined, particularly with regard to 
the structure of the interchanged data, protocols for electronic data interchange, and 
security and confidentiality procedures. 
All this standardization work will have a European application while at the same 
time fitting into international standardization processes. 
This standardization is essential at all levels of development for introducing the 
telematic network and, as such, is an associated horizontal activity. It involves the 
standardization of the following: 
1. flows of statistical data (Edifact); 
2. the EDI transmission system for statistical flows; 
3. procedures for computer and telematic security, electronic signature and 
protection of confidential data. 
IV. Promotion, training, back-up, quality control and coordination 
These activities are horizontal in relation to all those described above. They are 
vitally important for the success of the project and its operational continuation: 
1. the regulations: awareness/training of the parties responsible for providing 
information; 
2. checking the returns; 
3. telematic services: awareness, training and back-up for the parties 
responsible for providing information; 
4. the products: awareness/training/backrup for economic operators; 
5. products and services: quality control and monitoring their compliance 
with the standards; 
6. coordinating the activities of all those involved. 
9.2.1 Cost: 
-The Member States are mainly responsible for financing this operation (point 
6.1.), since they have well-established collection and processing facilities. If 
the Commission were to finance this programme in its entirety, the costs 
would be extremely high and the results less reliable. 
*i 
- Given die very large number of units concerned, the development of new statistics 
and the introduction of a European network of data on businesses in particular 
will mean that for the Intrastat project alone about 500 000 businesses will 
have to thoroughly revise their traditional collection channels so as to 
guarantee the interoperability of the structures selected. 
- The bulk of the costs are operating costs (equipment, staff, etc.), in proportion to 
the number of components at the various levels - businesses, regional centres, 
national institutes and Eurostat. They are met primarily by the Member 
States. 
9.2.2 Spin-off effects: 
- The improvement of statistical information and its dissemination facilitates the 
work necessary for implementing Community policies (on trade, competition, 
own resources, tariff statistics, agricultural levies, etc.). 
- The responsibility and concerted mobilisation of the various participants in this 
highly devolved European structure will help to create the European statistical 
area. 
- The operation encourages rather than competes against the private sector. The 
principle is to provide a set of products to be incorporated into the range 
offered by private businesses, which will thereby be required to meet 
minimum quality standards. 
9.2.3 Multiplier effects: 
- The planned programme is an encouragement to mobilize the budgets of the 
national statistical systems and to emulate and transfer experience and systems 
between Member States. 
- Trade associations and other bodies representing businesses, research institutes and 
universities will have easier access to the data necessary for socio-economic 
studies and analyses. 
9.2.4 Need for the operation: 
- The data collection, processing and dissemination systems at European level for 
statistics on trade, industry and the regions are designed as distributed 
database architectures. This approach provides a greater wealth of databases 
at national or even regional level, helps avoid the duplication of data and 
systems and, thanks to the interoperability of these databases, presents new 
possibilities for compiling statistics and disseminating them to a wider public. 
3JL 
- The activities carried out at Community level aim to ensure that tiiese networks 
run smoothly by minimising the effects of die differences in die level of 
development of the national systems, promoting synergies and exchanges 
between national authorities, developing modules which are common to the 
different national systems (economies of scale) along with the interfaces 
required to ensure interoperability between the national systems, and, lastly, 
by coordinating all the work. 
- As with the collection of basic data from businesses, once the regulatory 
framework for these systems has been adopted, the aim of the Community 
activities will be either to encourage the wider use of national software or to 
develop software promoting the use of telematics in order to reduce the 
burden on businesses in making statistical returns. 
9.3. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF THE OPERATION 
Performance indicators: 
The performance indicators adopted to assess the progress of work are: 
For type I operations (see 9.2) 
Number of Member States using Intrastat electronic forms and/or 
electronic dissemination. 
Number of businesses per Member State using Intrastat electronic 
forms and/or electronic dissemination. 
Percentage of Intrastat returns on magnetic and/or telematic 
medium in relation to the total number of returns. 
For type II operations 
- Time taken to transmit data from the competent national authorities 
to Eurostat. 
- Number of errors detected in the data. 
For type HI operations 
- Number of Edifact messages (CUSDEC/INSTAT etc.) 
23 
For type IV operations 
- Number of training seminars held for businesses and number of 
persons concerned. 
- Number and frequency of assistance and back-up measures at 
national level. 
Details and frequency of planned evaluations 
The implementation of the programme will be monitored by the Task 
Force made up of representatives of the Member States and Eurostat, to 
be set up by the Committee on statistics relating to the trading of goods 
between Member States with responsibility for supervising the Edicom 
programme and assisting the Commission in managing it. 
Lastly, the implementation of the programme will be monitored by 
committees: 
a) Statistical Programme Committee (Council Decision 89/382/EEC 
of 19 June 1989), made up of the Presidents and Directors-
General of the National Statistical Institutes; 
b) Committee on statistics relating to the trading of goods between 
Member States (Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91 of 7 
November 1991), made UP of representatives of the national 
authorities responsible for trade statistics. 
For each performance indicator, the figures for the objectives have been 
calculated on an annual basis and are being monitored as part of the 
corporate planning exercise being carried out in Eurostat. The 
evaluation will be carried out by the Edicom Task Force and presented 
to the Intrastat Committee. 
The evaluation reports on the national measures will be drawn up in 
accordance with the contracts concluded with other national authorities, 
in which, inter alia, the timetable and practical arrangements for the 
work are laid down. 
ss 
At Community level, interim and final evaluations reports will be drawn 
up by Eurostat and submitted to the Intrastat Committee for approval 
and will give a comparative cost-benefit analysis for each measure. 
9.4. Consistency with the financial programming 
Is the operation included in the DG's financial programming for 
the years in question? 
YES: This operation, which was initially the subject of a Council 
Decision, was extended in 1994, 1995 and 19% with 
appropriations under Chapter B5 72. 
To which broader objective defined in the DG's financial 
programming does the objective of the proposed operation 
correspond? 
Single general objective represented by the implementation of the 
1993-1997 Statistical Programme of the European Community. 
10. ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE (PART A OF THE BUDGET) 
The effective mobilisation of the necessary administrative resources will result from the 
Commission's annual decision on the allocation of resources, taking 
particular account of any additional staff and amounts granted by the 
budgetary authority. 
10.1 Impact on the number of jobs 
Type of job 
Officials or 
temporary staff A 
B 
C 
Other staff 
Total Staff to be engaged in 
managing the operation 
Permanent 
jobs 
2 
1 
1 
4 Temporary 
jobs 
1FND 
1 of which 
by using existing 
staff in the DG or 
department 
concerned 
2 
1 
1 
1FND 
5 by taking on 
additional staff period 
1996 - 2000 
1996-2000 
For additional staff, state when they will be required. 
<fe 
10.2 Overall financial impact of additional staff 
(ECU) 
Amounts Calculation method 
Officials 
Temporary staff 
Other staff 
Total 1 I 
The amounts express the total cost of additional staff for the entire duration of the operation if the period is fixed 
and for 12 months if it is not. 
Costs of staff for managing the operation to be covered by existing resources are estimated at: 
- officials (headings Al, A2, A4 and A5): ECU 400000x5= 2000000 
seconded national officials (A-1520): ECU 46000x5 = 230000 
Total: 2 230 000 
10.3 Increase in other operating expenditure incurred in the operation 
(ECU) 
Budget heading Amounts Calculation method 
(N° and title) 
Total 1 1 
The amounts correspond to the total expenditure of the operation if its duration is fixed and for 
12 months if it is not. 
The cost of the meetings of the two committees provided for in Article 5 of the 
draft Council Decision, to be charged to heading A-2510 "Expenditure on meetings 
of committees whose consultation is compulsory in the procedure for drafting 
Community legislation", is estimated at: 
3 meetings per year x ECU 15 000 = ECU 45 000x5 = ECU 225 000 
The necessary resources will be mobilized by redirecting existing resources. 
x 
IMPACT ASSESSMENT FORM 
THE IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL ON BUSINESS, WITH SPECIAL 
REFERENCE TO SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES (SMEs) 
Title of proposal: Council Decision on inter-administration telematic networks for 
statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States 
(Edicom) 
The proposal 
1. This proposal follows the decision by the Court of Justice to annul Council Decision 
94/445/EC on Edicom solely on the grounds that it had an inappropriate legal basis. 
In terms of its content, tliis proposal is identical to the above Decision and does not 
place any new obligations on businesses. 
For the record, the purpose of this measure is to support the application of the 
Intrastat Regulation as regards the collection, processing and dissemination of 
statistics on the trading of goods between Member States by means of increased use 
of telematic networks and by promoting the exchange of data between businesses 
and national and Community administrations. 
On the basis of this Europe-wide measure, it is possible to increase the level of 
harmonization of data and procedures by using standardized electronic forms and to 
reduce the volume of statistical returns which businesses are required to make. The 
economies of scale achieved by these operations justify Community legislation. 
The impact on business 
2. This proposal will affect all businesses responsible for providing statistical 
information on the trading of goods between Member States (Intrastat), i.e. those 
which engage in intra-Community trade and generate turnover in excess of 
thresholds set for each Member State (currently a total of 450 000 European 
businesses). 
3. By using the telematic networks and tools made available to them, businesses will 
not have to use the forms provided for in the Intrastat regulations. 
By means of a system of thresholds, these Intrastat regulations already exempt 
two-thirds of businesses from the obligation to make returns, and furthermore these 
returns are far simpler than those which applied before the introduction of the 
internal market. 
The national authorities make telematic tools available free of charge and provide 
training, back-up and assistance for businesses, which are thus able to use these 
facilities without taking any special measures. 
& 
The proposal encourages the emergence of new products for incorporating or 
deriving statistical messages into commercial software packages and thus promotes 
the development of this commercial sector. 
Making the operations involved in statistical returns easier and reducing the 
resulting workload will have a positive effect on industrial competitiveness and, 
indirectly, on employment since more resources can then be devoted to production 
proper. 
As mentioned above, the Intrastat regulations have already established a threshold 
system whereby either small firms will not have to make any returns at all or 
simplified returns can be made via electronic forms specially designed to be easier 
for small and medium-sized enterprises to use. 
Consultation 
A Europe-wide survey, carried out at the end of 1995, of a sample of 5 000 
businesses reflecting the industrial structure of each country and including a large 
proportion of SMEs responsible for providing information and 2 000 users was the 
occasion for consulting a wide range of businesses and all trade federations. 
An Intrastat seminar attended by over 400 people from various backgrounds 
(administrations, federations, SMEs, etc.) was held on 13 and 14 March 1996. The 
point of view of businesses was put forward during the proceedings - a record of 
which will appear as an official publication - by speakers from various bodies 
(UNICE, UEAPME, federations, etc.). 
The results of this survey and the conclusions of the seminar show that there is a 
consensus regarding the extension of the Edicom programme and the development 
of all measures to promote the use of telematic tools. 
« 

ISSN 0254-1475 
COM(96) 319 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 17 15 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-96-326-EN-C 
ISBN 92-78-05963-3 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
L-2985 Luxembourg 
X\