Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC, Euratom) No. 58/97 concerning structural business statistics"
Date: 2001-07-11
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU statistics, branch of activity, business policy, company structure, competitiveness, economic statistics

C 260/54

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

17.9.2001

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Regulation of the European
Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC, Euratom) No. 58/97 concerning
structural business statistics’

(2001/C 260/10)

On 21 February 2001 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the aboved-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion, which was
responsible for preparing the Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 26 June 2001.
The rapporteur was Mr Bento Gonçalves.

At its 383nd plenary session (meeting of 11 July 2001), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the
following opinion with 112 votes in favour and five abstentions.

1.

Introduction

2. Gist of the proposal

1.1.
This opinion relates only to the amendments proposed
to Regulation No. 58/97, as referred to in point 2 (Gist of the
proposal). The Regulation itself has already been the subject of
a Committee opinion (1).

Two extra annexes are to be added to Regulation

2.1.
No. 58/97, viz.:

1.1.1.
Regulation No. 58/97 provides the main legal frame-
work for the collection, compilation, transmission and evalu-
ation of statistics on the structure, activity, competitiveness
and performance of businesses.

1.2.
The permanent assessment of the single market in
financial services and the backup provided by economic
statistics about credit institutions, pension funds and other
financial services are necessary for the development of the
single market, for assessing its competitiveness and dynamism
and for comparing the EU’s economy with the other major
economies in the world.

— Annex 6 — Credit institutions

— Annex 7 — Pension funds.

— The coverage of the horizontal module (Annex 1) is also

to be extended to include:

— Other financial intermediation services

— Pension funds

— Financial auxiliaries.

1.3.
Environmental regulations make it necessary to evalu-
ate the cost of complying with such regulations, thereby
improving their planning, application and enforcement.

— Finally, two additional environmental variables are to be
included in Annex 2 of the SBS Regulation (industry
activities).

1.3.1.
Harmonised and comprehensive data about environ-
mental expenditure will make for better policymaking and
increase the level of protection at — maybe — lower cost.

3. General comments

Data about other financial intermediation activities and

1.4.
financial auxiliaries are also to be collected and processed.

(1) OJ C 236, 11.9.1995, p. 61.

3.1.
High-quality statistics — and in particular statistics
which are relevant, precise, timely, comparable, consistent,
complete and reliable — are necessary, firstly, to enable the
political powers at all
levels to frame and adopt suitable
policies and, secondly, to provide organisations representing
employers and workers and other associations with data on
it is important to
which to base their activities. However,
ensure that this does not impose additional administrative
and/or financial burdens on businesses.

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3.1.1.
policies for removing obstacles to progress are lacking:

Below are a number of areas in which suitable

3.7.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

— monetary integration (single currency);

— functioning of the single market and assessment of its
effectiveness, as well as the increasingly important sector
of credit institutions, pension funds, financial interme-
diation activities and financial auxiliaries;

3.7.1.
The number of small and medium-sized enterprises
in the EU-15 (1) is impressive, putting these enterprises at the
forefront of job and enterprise creation in the Member States,
especially in remote areas:

— number of enterprises: 19 370 000;

— liberalisation of international trade, including financial

— number of persons employed: 75 550 000.

services;

— competition, social, environmental and corporate poli-

cies, etc.;

— national and regional accounts;

— prudential supervision of credit institutions;

— pension funds — a high-growth sector.

3.2. Globalisation

3.2.1.
Because of globalisation, the EU also requires stat-
istics to assess the development and performance of the
world’s main economic areas. The EU’s system of statistics will
have to cater for this.

3.3. Confidentiality

3.3.1.
The confidentiality of the data collected must be fully
guaranteed, in accordance with the legal provisions already
established at Community level.

3.4. Updating

3.4.1.
The updating of statistics will have to be a major
objective. Delays in the collection, processing and dissemi-
nation of data are not acceptable.

These figures do not include agricultural SMEs.

3.7.2.
In the Committee’s view, this situation in the EU
justifies the development of a specific module for processing
data on SMEs. This module should include specific information
on, for example, the setting-up and situation of businesses, as
these data are very important for the economic environment.
However, this new activity must not make additional demands
on small and medium-sized enterprises or involve them in
additional formalities.

3.7.2.1.
not outweigh the benefits gained.

The cost of collecting and processing the data must

3.7.3.
environmental statistics.

Agricultural SMEs will play an important role in

4. Specific comments

4.1. Article 1

4.1.1.
Regulation No. 58/97:

The following indents are to be added to Article 5 of

— a detailed module for structural statistics on credit

institutions, as described in Annex 6;

— a detailed module for structural statistics on pension

funds, as described in Annex 7.

— Annexes 6 and 7 are also to be added.

3.5. Availability

4.2. Article 2

3.5.1.
promptly. Otherwise, they may no longer be relevant.

The processed data will have to be available

4.2.1.
In Annex 1 of Regulation No 58/97 a sentence is to
be added to section 5 about the first reference year for which
statistics on the activity classes covered are to be compiled.

3.6. Vocational training

4.2.2.
Member States are to be laid down in an amended section 8.

The deadlines for the transmission of data by the

3.6.1.
have to be included.

A point about the cost of continuing training will

(1) See the Committee Opinion on The craft sector and SMEs in

Europe, OJ C 221, 7.8.2001.

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4.2.3.
Financial intermediation, which comes under Sec-
tion J, is to be included in Section 9 (new) of Annex 1 to
Regulation No. 58/97 (NACE 4-digit level).

— protection of ambient air and climate;

— wastewater management;

4.2.4.
An amendment to the first sentence of section 10
paragraph 1 is to make it obligatory for Member States to send
the Commission a report relating to the definition, structure
and availability of information on various statistical units.

— waste management and other environmental protection

activities.

4.3.3.
include:

The other environmental protection activities are to

4.3. Article 3

4.3.1.
regarding:

Various amendments are proposed to Annex 2

— section 4, paragraph 3;

— section 4, paragraph 4;

— pollution control equipment;

— expenditure on environmental protection and the like;

— variables relating to expenditure on environmental pro-
tection (including investment in integrated technologies).

4.3.2.
An addition is to be made to section 7 specifying
that results are to be broken down according to the following
environmental domains:

Brussels, 11 July 2001.

— protection of soil;

— protection of groundwater;

— noise and vibration abatement;

— protection of biodiversity and landscape, plus radiation

and R&D;

— general administration of the environment and indivisible

expenditure.

5. Conclusions

5.1.
The Committee endorses the proposal amending Regu-
lation No 58/97, which is to add two new annexes on specific
sectors (credit institutions and pension funds), extend Annex 1
(other financial intermediation services and financial auxiliari-
es) and include two additional environmental variables in
Annex 2 (industry activities).

The Committee would again emphasise the need to
5.2.
collect data for statistical purposes in connection with the
general assessment of the costs involved in protecting the
environment.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Göke FRERICHS