WRITTEN QUESTION P-2350/96 by Karin Riis-Jørgensen (ELDR) to the Commission (8 August 1996)

Subject: Simplification of rules within the internal market

The Commission's priority tasks include simplification of rules, deregulation and easing the administrative burdens on European businesses, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Molitor report and the new SLIM project are important initiatives in this connection.

However, the Commission proposal of 3 April 1995 for a Council regulation concerning structural business statistics (COM(95) 99 final) ((OJ C 146, 13.6.1995, p. 6. )) puts forward a series of far-reaching requirements for very detailed information to be submitted by businesses to Eurostat via the Member States.

In view of the above proposal for a regulation, can the Commission say whether a prior cost-benefit analysis together with an assessment of the administrative and financial implications for SMEs have been carried out and, if so, with what outcome?

Does not the Commission consider the proposal to be at odds with the principles laid down in the SLIM project, including the plans to simplify the INTRASTAT system?

How does the Commission propose to prevent too great a margin of unreliability as regards the information submitted on, for instance, investment in pollution control and cleaner technologies?

In Denmark, the proposal will mean a 50% increase in the number of businesses subject to mandatory reporting with, at the same time, considerably more information being required.

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission (3 October 1996)

As noted by the Honourable Member, the draft regulation on structural business statistics (SBS) would require Member States to compile statistical information on the business community and transmit it to the Commission. The Commission carried out an assessment of the impact on businesses of its proposals by asking for details of the time spent or cost incurred by enterprises in providing the necessary information to the statistical offices of the Member States which will normally carry out this work. The results of this investigation are contained in the impact assessment report submitted with the Commission's proposal. In addition, a study of current practice in the Member States that collect data from small enterprises shows that these enterprises are only included in surveys once every ten years on average when sampling is used.

The Commission's proposal would repeal two existing directives and permit Member States to compile statistical data in a more flexible manner than the existing legislation. Member States may compile results using data from administrative sources or using sample surveys, neither of which are possible under the existing legislation. The text brings together a broad number of survey areas which had traditionally been managed separately and hence would reduce the risk of duplication and redundancies between different business surveys. The text foresees a review procedure whereby the Commission will report regularly to the Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the text, including measures of cost and quality. The Commission regularly reports developments in this field to the business community. All of these changes are in accordance with the principles and objectives of the Slim project.

The Commission has consistently recognised the problems of measuring the efforts made by the business community to protect the environment. However, it is necessary to try to measure this phenomenon. For a number of years Member States, aided by the Commission have carried out pilot studies in order to develop a methodology in this domain. The problems linked to cleaner technology are well known to the Commission. Member States are agreed to continue with pilot studies in this area rather than to compile data which could not be compared.

The number of enterprises subject to surveys in Denmark will certainly increase as the Danish statistical office expands its survey system from the traditional industrial domains to cover the service sectors of the economy. The decision by the management board of the Danish statistical office (Danmarks Statistik Styrelse) to expand coverage to the service sectors reflects practice in all Member States which have accepted the need to cover this section of the economy which contributes to 66% of GDP across the Community. The Danish statistical office has been conducting pilot studies in these sectors during the last few years. This proposed regulation will therefore ensure consistency between Danish results and those for other Member States.

The list of variables to be transmitted to the Commission was drawn up by assessing the need for data by the European institutions and other users of European data whilst taking into account the cost and burden of data collection. The draft legislation proposes the compilation of the more burdensome and difficult variables on a multi-yearly basis or as part of pilot studies. The impact of new variables is therefore considerably reduced.