Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Council Decision establishing a Committee on monetary, financial and balance of payments statistics (codified version)" (COM(2003) 298 final — 2003/0103 (CNS))
Date: 2003-09-24
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EU statistics, balance of payments, codification of EU law, committee (EU), financial statistics

14.1.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 10/27

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council Decision
establishing a Committee on monetary, financial and balance of payments statistics (codified
version)’

(COM(2003) 298 final — 2003/0103 (CNS))

(2004/C 10/08)

On 6 June 2003 the Council decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-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 11 September
2003. The rapporteur was Mrs Florio.

At its 402nd plenary session on 24 and 25 September 2003 (meeting of 24 September), the European
Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 125 votes to 2 with 1 abstention.

1.
In June 2002 the Commission adopted a series of
documents in response to the White Paper on Governance
aimed at improving the workings of the European institutions,
which must strive to deliver a clearer message on the activities
and decisions taken by the European Union. It has therefore
been repeatedly emphasised that the EU’s ability to progress
democratically also depends upon its ability to keep its citizens
informed and to support their involvement in the decision-
making and legislative process.

2.
This is even more important regarding simplification
and clear information, including information on EC law. In
1987 the Commission authorised its services to carry out
legislative (official) codification designed to provide greater
clarity of the law, given that it was impossible to change the
basic content of the decision.

The current proposal

3.
for codification concerns the
previous Council Decision (91/115/EEC) establishing a com-
mittee on monetary,
financial and balance of payments
statistics. Since it concerns the codification of a consolidated
text, the EESC will not deliver an opinion on the document
itself, but does submit its views on the simplification pro-
cedure.

4.
The EESC believes that, due to the importance of
establishing such a committee, and as a result of several
amendments to the text tabled at various stages of the drafting

Brussels, 24 September 2003.

procedure, simplification (of codification) should be endorsed.
This would certainly help improve the workings of
the
committee itself and would help provide better information
on its activities.

5.
This information is particularly important for the various
tiers of institutions and society that use and supply data on
monetary, financial and balance of payments statistics, as
provided for.

6.
The EESC has for some time considered it crucial that
the decisions taken regarding statistics should, as far as
possible, be taken jointly and with consensus, given the
importance they represent in defining economic, monetary
and balance of payments strategies. It is vital that the accuracy
and reliability of data provided by national statistical offices as
well as by Eurostat are constantly checked and monitored.

7.
Therefore, the Council Decision to establish a committee
to examine the development and coordination of monetary,
financial and balance of payments statistics is particularly
important. Moreover, the EESC endorses codification of the
text of the Council Decision, although it stresses that over ten
years have passed since the Council document was approved
in 1991, and this could mean a certain delay in finalising legal
texts and codification procedures.

The EESC therefore calls for codification procedures to

8.
be accelerated, where possible.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger BRIESCH