Proposal for a Council Directive on the collection of statistical information in the field of tourism

(95/C 35/05)

(Text with EEA relevance)

COM(94) 582 final - 95/0002(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 6 January 1995)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 213 thereof,

Having regard to the draft Directive submitted by the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament,

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee,

Whereas the resolutions of the European Parliament of 11 June 1991 (1) and 18 January 1994 (2) stress that the Community has a major role to play in developing tourism statistics;

Whereas the elaboration of a directive in order to channel efforts currently expended at national level in a fragmented manner, has been supported by the Economic and Social Committee (3);

Whereas under Council Decision 90/665/EEC (4), a Community methodological framework for the compilation of Community tourism statistics has been developed;

Whereas the results of the two-year programme (1991-1992) for developing Community tourism statistics according to the abovementionned Council Decision highlight the needs of users in the private and public sector for reliable and comparable statistics on tourism demand and supply at Community level available at short notice;

Whereas the development of Community statistics on tourism has been recognized as a priority by Council Decision 92/421/EEC on a Community action plan to assist tourism (5);

Whereas the recognized role of tourism as a tool of development and socio-economic integration can be better ensured through knowledge of the basic related statistics, notably established at regional level;

Whereas, in order to assess the competitiveness of the Community tourism industry, it is necessary to gain greater knowledge of the volume of tourism, the characteristics of the trip, the profile of the tourist and tourist expenditure;

Whereas monthly information is required to measure the seasonal influences of demand on tourism accommodation capacity and thereby to assist public authorities and economic operators to develop more suitable strategies and policies for improving the seasonal spread of holidays and the performance of tourism activities;

Whereas further Community activity in this field must continue to be based on a pragmatic approach which is consistent with the principle of subsidiarity;

Whereas the necessary synergies between national, international and Community statistical projects impinging on tourism must be ensured in order to reduce the onus of collecting information;

Whereas methodological works produced in cooperation with other international organizations, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Tourism Organization, and the Recommendations adopted by the Statistical Commission of the United Nations in March 1993 should be taken into account in order to ensure better comparability of tourism statistics at world level;

Whereas reliable and efficient monitoring of the structure and evolution of tourism demand and supply cannot be achieved individually by the Member States without establishing an appropriate recognized Community framework;

Whereas full implementation of such a system may generate economies of scale, while producing information benefiting all Member States and parties concerned;

Whereas the dissemination of comparable tourism statistics can be better achieved only at Community level;

Whereas the Council Decision 93/464/EEC on the framework programme for priority actions in the field of statistical information 1993 to 1997 provides for the setting-up of an information system on tourism supply and demand statistics (1);

Whereas a Council Directive can provide a common actions which are being carried out at national level;

Whereas the statistical data compiled under a Community system must be reliable and comparable from one Member State to another, it is therefore necessary to establish jointly the criteria enabling these requirements to be met;

Whereas the Statistical Programme Committee, established by Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom of 19 June 1989 (2), has reacted favourably to the Commission proposal,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

Article 1

Aims

For the purpose of establishing an information system on tourism statistics at Community level, the Member States shall carry out the collection, compilation, processing and transmission of harmonized Community statistical information on tourism supply and demand.

Article 2

Domain of information collection and basic definitions

For the purposes of this Directive, the collection of data shall relate to:

(a) the capacity of collective tourism accommodation establishments. The collection shall apply to the local units whose activity falls within the description of Group 55.1 and 55.2 of the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE Rev.1) established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 3037/90 (3) and amended by Commission Regulation (EEC) No 761/93 (4). The types of collective accommodation concerned are:

Hotels and similar establishments (included under NACE 55.1 and NACE 55.23)

Other collective accommodation establishments (included under NACE 55.2),

of which:

- tourist camp-sites (included under NACE 55.22),

- holiday dwellings (included under NACE 55.23),

- other collective accommodation (included under 55.21),

The definition of the local unit shall be in accordance with Council Regulation (EEC) No 696/93 of 15 March 1993 on statistical units (5). The collection may draw upon business registers, as established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 2186/93 (6);

(b) guest flows in collective tourism accommodation establishments. The collection shall cover internal tourism, i.e. domestic and inbound tourism; whereby domestic tourism involves residents of the given country travelling only within this country and whereby inbound tourism involves non-residents travelling within the given country;

(c) tourism demand. The collection shall cover national tourism, i.e. domestic and outbound tourism; whereby outbound tourism involves residents travelling in another country. The information on tourism demand shall concern trips whose mainpurpose is holidays or business and which involve at least one or more consecutive nights spent away from the usual place of residence.

Article 3

Information collection characteristics

1. A list of data collection characteristics, including their periodicity and their territorial breakdown is provided in the Annex to this Directive, which forms an integral part thereof.

2. The definitions to be applied to the data collection characteristics and any adjustments to the list of data collection characteristics shall be determined by the Commission in accordance with the procedure specified in Article 12.

Article 4

Accuracy of statistical information

1. The collection of the statistical information shall, where possible, ensure that the results meet the necessary minimum accuracy requirements. These accuracy requirements and procedures for ensuring the harmonized processing of systematic biases shall be established by the Commission in accordance with the procedure specified in Article 12. The minimum accuracy requirements shall be determined with particular reference to annual overnight stays at national level.

2. As regards the basis on which the information is collected, the Member States shall take whatever measures they deem appropriate to maintain the quality and comparability of the results.

Article 5

Collection of statistical information

1. The Member States may, where appropriate, base the collection of the statistical information requested in Article 3 on existing data, sources and systems.

2. For the characteristics with annual and monthly periodicity, the first period of observation shall begin on 1 January 1996. For the characteristics relating to the columns on quarterly data in section C of the Annex, the first observation period shall begin on 1 January 1997 (. . .).

Article 6

Processing of data

The Member States shall process the information collected under Article 3, whith the accuracy requirements stipulated under Article 4 pursuant to the detailed rules adopted in accordance with the procedure specified in Article 12. The regional level shall be in accordance with the Nomenclature of Territorial Units (NUTS) of the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

Article 7

Transmission of data

1. The Member States shall transmit the data processed according to Article 6, including the information declared confidential by the Member States pursuant to domestic legislation or practice concerning statistical confidentiality, in accordance with the provisions of Council Regulation No 1588/90/ Euratom, EEC of 11 June 1990 on the transmission of data subject to statistical confidentiality to the Statistical Office of the European Communities (1). The said Regulation governs the confidential treatment of information.

2. The transmission of provisional annual data shall take place within six months of the end of the observation period, and the revised annual results shall be transmitted within a maximum period of twelve months following the end of the observation period. The transmission of provisional monthly and quarterly data shall take place within three months of the end of the corresponding observation period, and the revised monthly and quarterly results shall be transmitted within a maximum period of six months following the end of the corresponding observation period.

3. The Commission may, for the purpose of facilitating the task of the parties responsible for providing information, establish, in accordance with the procedure specified in Article 12, standardized data transmission procedures and create the conditions for increased use of automatic data processing and electronic data transmission.

Article 8

Reports

1. The Member States shall provide the Commission at its request with all information necessary to evaluate the quality, comparability and completeness of the statistical information. The Member States shall also provide the Commission with details of any subsequent changes in the methods used.

2. The Commission shall present a report to the European Parliament, the Council and the Social and Economic Committee on the experience acquired in the work carried out pursuant to this Directive after data have been collected over a period of three years.

Article 9

Dissemination of the results

The results shall be disseminated by the Commission. Specifc measures necessary to ensure widespread dissemination by the national authorities may be laid down in accordance with the procedure specified in Article 12.

Article 10

Transition period

1. Without prejudice to Article 13, the Member States shall take all the measures necessary to make the Community information system operational during a transition period, which shall end three years after entry into force of the present Directive for monthly and annual data, and shall end five years after entry into force of the present Directive for quarterly data.

2. During the transition period, the Commission may, in accordance with the procedure specified in Article 12, accept derogations from the provisions of the present Directive, insofar as the national statistical systems in the field of tourism require adaptations.

Article 11

Committee

The procedures for implementing this Directive, including the measures for adjustment to economic and technical developments, in particular:

- the definitions to be applied to the information collection characteristics and any adjustments to the list of data collection characteristics (Article 3), insofar as these adjustments do not make the collection process more onerous,

- accuracy requirements and the harmonized processing of systematic biases (Article 4),

- (. . .),

- processing of data (Article 6), data transmission procedures (Article 7), and dissemination (Article 9),

- the derogations from the provisions of this Directive during the transition period (Article 10).

shall be laid down by the Commission, after consultation of the Statistical Programme Committee established by Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom (1) in accordance with the procedure specified in Article 12.

Article 12

Procedure

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; in addition, each Member State shall have the right to ask to have its opinion 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 13

Implementation of the Directive

The Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive by 31 December 1995 at the latest.

Article 14

Entry into force

The present Directive shall enter into force on the twentieth day following its publication.

Article 15

Final Provisions

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.

(1) OJ No C 183, 15. 8. 1991, p. 74.

(2) A30352/93.

(3) OJ No C 52, 19. 2. 1994, p. 22.

(4) OJ No L 358, 21. 12. 1992, p. 89.

(5) OJ No L 231, 13. 8. 1992, p. 26.

(1) OJ No L 219, 28. 8. 1993, p. 1.

(2) OJ No L 181, 28. 6. 1989, p. 47.

(3) OJ No L 293, 24. 10. 1990, p. 7.

(4) OJ No L 83, 3. 4. 1993, p. 1.

(5) OJ No L 76, 30. 3. 1993, p. 1.

(6) OJ No L 196, 5. 8. 1993, p. 1.

(1) OJ No L 151, 15. 6. 1990, p. 1.

(1) OJ No L 181, 28. 6. 1989, p. 47.

ANNEX

STATISTICAL INFORMATION IN THE FIELD OF TOURISM

N.B.:

For the information requested under B.1.3., C.1.1.2. and C.1.1.4. the world geographical breakdown is listed at the end of this annex.

A. Capacity of collective tourism accommodation: local units on national territory

A.1. Information to be transmitted on an annual basis

>TABLE>

B. Guest flows in collective tourism accommodation: domestic and inbound tourism

B.1. Information to be transmitted on an annual basis

>TABLE>

B.2. Information to be transmitted on a monthly basis

>TABLE>

C. Tourism demand: domestic and outbound tourism (excluding day trips)

C.1. Information to be transmitted at national level

>TABLE>

>TABLE>

(. . .)

>TABLE>

BREAKDOWN OF WORLD GEOGRAPHICAL ZONES (1)

WORLD TOTAL

TOTAL EEA

TOTAL EUROPEAN UNION (15)

BELGIUM

DENMARK

GERMANY

GREECE

SPAIN

FRANCE

IRELAND

ITALY

LUXEMBOURG

NETHERLANDS

AUSTRIA

PORTUGAL

FINLAND

SWEDEN

UNITED KINGDOM

TOTAL EFTA

ICELAND

NORWAY

SWITZERLAND (and Liechtenstein)

TOTAL OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES (excluding EFTA):

of which: TURKEY

POLAND

CZECH REPUBLIC

SLOVAKIA

HUNGARY

TOTAL AFRICA

NORTH AMERICA:

UNITED STATES

CANADA

TOTAL CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA

TOTAL ASIA

of which: JAPAN

AUSTRALIA, OCEANIA AND OTHER TERRITORIES:

of which: AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

NOT SPECIFIED

(1) The list of countries given in the Annex to Commission Regulation (EEC) No 93/208 of 1 February 1993 may be consulted for further reference (OJ No L 26 of 2. 2. 1993, p. 11).