WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1790/97 by Stephen HUGHES to the Commission. European Union office in Pretoria, South Africa
Date: 1997-05-27
Institutions: European Parliament, HUGHES STEPHEN
Subjects: Commission Delegation, EU programme, EU relations, South Africa, apartheid, economic cooperation, organisation of work, size of business

10. 2. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 45/103

(98/C 45/127)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1784/97

by Jose· Pome·s Ruiz (PPE) to the Commission

(14 May 1997)

Subject: Eurostat

The black economy clearly represents a challenge from a statistical point of view. The difficulties involved in its
assessment are mirrored by those of the economic, fiscal and labour authorities charged with its control, which
are unable to put an end to such activities, despite constant inspections.

Is Eurostat engaged in assessing the EU(cid:146)s black economy?

If so, what method is it using to do so?

How reliable are its estimates?

Are the statistical data produced directly by the countries concerned taken into account?

Answer given by Mr de Silguy on behalf of the Commission

(12 June 1997)

The underground economy is indeed very difficult to measure and to control. In order to address the issue of the
measurement and coverage of underground activity in the statistical data, the Member States make many explicit
and implicit corrections to their calculations of gross national product (GNP), the precise nature of which varies
from one Member State to another.

Eurostat itself is not engaged in measuring directly the size of the underground economy in the Member States.
However,  the  Commission  has  required  that  the  Member  States  complete  the  coverage  of  the  underground
economy by carrying out a number of procedures to verify and to improve estimates of GNP (1). A description of
this work can be found in a report to the Council and the Parliament (2) which describes the responses made to the
requirements  of  the  GNP  Directive  (89/130/EEC,  Euratom) (3),  and  in  particular  to  Article  7,  which  calls  for
special attention to be given to the verification and improvement of the exhaustiveness of the estimates of gross
domestic product (GDP) and GNP, and to the coverage of the underground economy.

The results from this programme will be transmitted by the Member States to Eurostat towards the end of 1998, at
which point Eurostat will verify the work completed. It is not expected that reliability or variability indicators
will be attached to the results.

(1)  Commission Decision 94/168/EC, Euratom.
(2)  COM(96) 124 final.
(3)  OJ L 49, 21.2.1989.

(98/C 45/128)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1790/97

by Stephen Hughes (PSE) to the Commission

(27 May 1997)

Subject: European Union office in Pretoria, South Africa

I have been contacted by organizations dealing with the EU office in Pretoria to report on the ineffectiveness and
disorganization bordering on chaos there.

I would be grateful if the Commission could investigate the matter with some urgency in the hope of providing
additional support to the workers there to provide a professional contact for businesses and individuals in South
Africa with the European Union.

Can the Commission indicate that this will or has indeed been done?