Decision No 234/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Concil of 11 March 2008 establishing the European Statistical Advisory Committee and repealing Council Decision 91/116/EEC (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2008-03-11
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Subjects: EU policy, EU statistics, advisory committee (EU), information policy, operation of the Institutions

15.3.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 73/13

DECISIONS ADOPTED JOINTLY BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE
COUNCIL

DECISION No 234/2008/EC OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE CONCIL

of 11 March 2008

establishing the European Statistical Advisory Committee and repealing Council Decision
91/116/EEC

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

(3)

Having regard to the Treaty
Community, and in particular Article 285 thereof,

establishing the European

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and
Social Committee (1),

After consulting the Committee of the Regions,

Acting in accordance with the procedure
Article 251 of the Treaty (2),

laid down in

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

The consultation of users and producers of statistical
information as well as respondents to requests for such
information is essential for the preparation and devel-
opment of
information
policy.

the Community’s

statistical

The European Advisory Committee on Statistical Infor-
mation in the Economic and Social Spheres set up by
Council Decision 91/116/EEC (3) currently assists the
Council and the Commission in the coordination of
the objectives of the Community’s statistical information
policy, taking into account user requirements and the
costs borne by information providers and producers.

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(1) OJ C 97, 28.4.2007, p. 1.
(2) Opinion of the European Parliament of 24 October 2007 (not yet
and Council Decision of

Journal)

published in the Official
14 February 2008.

(3) OJ L 59, 6.3.1991, p. 21. Decision as amended by Decision

97/255/EC (OJ L 102, 19.4.1997, p. 32).

its enlargement

The European Advisory Committee on Statistical Infor-
mation in the Economic and Social Spheres has been of
use but changes that have taken place in the Community,
to 27 Member States,
in particular
require that a number of modifications be made to the
role, mandate, composition and procedures of
that
Committee. In the interests of clarity,
it is appropriate
to replace that Committee by a new European Statistical
Advisory Committee (the Committee).

The Committee should contribute to a close cooperation
in the programme-planning process in order to improve
the governance of the European Statistical System and
enhance the quality of Community statistics. To this
effect, close collaboration should be maintained with
the Statistical Programme Committee established by
Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom (4) and with the
Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of
Payments Statistics
established by Council Decision
91/115/EEC (5).

A balance should be achieved between the need to
reduce membership in order to enable the Committee
to work efficiently in an enlarged Community on the
one hand, and the need to allow representation of all
stakeholders in Community statistics, as requested in
the Council conclusions of 8 November 2005, on the
other.

In order to meet the objectives of better assessing and
balancing the benefits and costs of Community statistical
requirements and rebalancing and reducing the burden of
so
Community
facilitating
statistical
compliance with increasing demand,
the Committee
should play a stronger
role in preparing and im-
plementing the Community statistical programme.

legislation,

The Committee should serve as a channel for advice from
users,
infor-
respondents and producers of statistical
mation on the objectives of the Community’s statistical
information policy.

(4) OJ L 181, 28.6.1989, p. 47.
(5) OJ L 59, 6.3.1991, p. 19. Decision as replaced by Decision

2006/856/EC (OJ L 332, 30.11.2006, p. 21).

L 73/14

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

15.3.2008

(8)

Decision 91/116/EEC should therefore be repealed,

authorities, and appropriateness to users’ needs of
scope, level of detail, and costs of Community statistics;

the

HAVE DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

European Statistical Advisory Committee

The European Statistical Advisory Committee (hereinafter

1.
referred to as the Committee) is hereby established.

2.
The Committee shall assist the European Parliament, the
Council and the Commission in ensuring that user requirements
and the costs borne by information providers and producers are
taken into account in coordinating the strategic objectives and
priorities of the Community’s statistical information policy.

That assistance shall cover all statistical domains relevant

3.
to the Community’s statistical information policy.

Article 2

Tasks

in the preparation of

The Commission shall consult the Committee at an early
1.
stage
statistical
programme. The Committee shall deliver an opinion addressing
in particular:

the Community

(a)

the relevance of the Community statistical programme to
the requirements of European integration and development,
as expressed by the Community institutions, national and
regional
and social
the various
authorities,
categories and scientific circles;

economic

(b) the relevance of the Community statistical programme in
taking into

relation to the activities of the Community,
account economic, social and technical developments;

(c)

the balance as regards priorities and resources between
different areas in the Community statistical programme,
the annual statistical work programme of the Commission,
and possibilities of re-prioritising statistical work;

(e)

the costs related to the provision of statistical information
by information providers and possibilities of reducing the
response burden, with particular reference to the burden on
small and medium-sized enterprises.

shall

The Committee

also draw the Commission’s
2.
attention to areas in which it may be necessary to develop
new statistical activities and shall advise the Commission how
to improve the relevance of the Community statistics to users,
taking into account the costs borne by information providers
and producers.

Article 3

Relations with Community institutions and other bodies

1.
At the request of the European Parliament, the Council
and the Commission, the Committee shall deliver an opinion on
matters relating to user requirements and costs incurred by data
the Community’s statistical
suppliers in the development of
information policy, in the priorities of the Community statistical
programme,
in data
quality and in dissemination policy.

in the evaluation of existing statistics,

2.
The Committee shall deliver opinions and present reports
relating to user requirements and the costs borne by data
providers in the production and dissemination of Community
the Council and the
statistics to the European Parliament,
the
Commission whenever
fulfilment of its task.

this necessary for

it considers

The Commission shall report on an annual basis on how it has
taken account of the Committee’s opinions.

In order to accomplish its task,

3.
the Committee shall
cooperate with the Statistical Programme Committee and the
Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payments
Statistics.
It shall regularly inform those two Committees of
its opinions regarding the tasks set out in Article 2 and shall
send them the opinions and reports referred to in paragraphs 1
and 2 of this Article.

(d) the adequacy of the resources needed to implement the
Community statistical programme,
costs
incurred directly by both the Community and national

including the

The Committee shall establish relationships with national

4.
statistical user councils.

15.3.2008

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 73/15

Article 4

Composition and procedure for appointment

1.

The Committee shall comprise 24 members, as follows:

(a)

act

shall

twelve members shall be appointed by the Commission,
after consulting the European Parliament and the Council.
They
view to the
independently. With a
appointment of those twelve members, each Member State
shall provide the Commission with a list of three candidates
with a well-established qualification in the field of statistics.
The Commission shall endeavour
the
selection of the 12 members represent, in equal measure,
users, respondents, and other stakeholders in Community
statistics (including the scientific community,
the social
partners and civil society). The 12 members shall perform
their duties in their personal capacity;

to ensure that

(b) eleven members shall be appointed directly by the insti-
tutions and bodies to which they belong, as follows:

(i) one member representing the European Parliament,

(ii) one member representing the Council,

(iii) one member representing the European Economic and

Social Committee,

(iv) one member
Regions,

representing the Committee of

the

(v) one member representing the European Central Bank,

(vi) two members representing the Statistical Programme

Committee,

(vii) one member

representing

the Confederation of

European Business (BUSINESSEUROPE),

(viii) one member representing the European Trade Union

Confederation,

(ix) one member representing the European Association of

Craft Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, and

The list of members of the Committee shall be published

2.
in the Official Journal of the European Union, C series.

Article 5

Duration of mandate

1. Members of the Committee shall be appointed for a term
of five years, renewable once. On the expiry of their term of
office, members shall remain in office until they are replaced or
until their appointments are renewed.

If a member resigns before the expiry of his or her term
2.
of office, he or she shall be replaced for the remainder of the
term by a member appointed in accordance with Article 4.

Article 6

Structure and operation

The Committee shall elect its chairperson from among the
1.
members appointed by the Commission. The chairperson shall
be appointed for a term of five years, renewable once.

The chairperson shall convene the Committee at

2.
once a year, either on his or her own initiative or at
request of at least one third of its members.

least
the

For

3.
the preparation of opinions on highly complex
statistical matters, the Committee may, in agreement with the
Commission, establish temporary working parties to be chaired
by a Committee member. Each working party shall be made up
of experts providing an appropriate balance of professional
backgrounds and geographical distribution. The chairpersons
their
of
proceedings in the form of a report at a meeting of
the
Committee.

those working parties shall present

the results of

For the performance of

4.
commission studies and hold seminars.

its tasks,

the Committee may

5.
Representatives of any Commission department concerned
may participate in the meetings of the Committee and the
working parties as observers.

The chairperson may authorise other observers
meetings of the Committee.

to attend

(x) the European Data Protection Supervisor;

The Commission shall provide secretarial services for the

6.
Committee and the working parties.

(c)

the Director-General of Eurostat shall be an ex officio
member of the Committee, without a voting right.

The Commission shall include the Committee’s expenses

7.
in its budgetary estimates.

L 73/16

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

15.3.2008

Article 7

Decision-making procedures
The Committee’s internal rules of procedure shall specify the
detail of its decision-making procedures.

Article 8

Confidentiality

Without prejudice to Article 287 of the Treaty, Committee
to disclose information to
members shall be required not
which they have gained access
through Committee or
working party proceedings if the Commission informs them
that such information is justifiably of a confidential nature or
that responding to a request for an opinion or a question raised
would lead to the disclosure of such confidential information.

Article 9

Internal Rules of Procedure

After consulting the Commission, the Committee shall adopt its
rules of procedure. The rules of procedure shall be transmitted

for information purposes to the European Parliament and the
Council.

Article 10

Repeal

Decision 91/116/EEC shall be repealed.

Article 11

Entry into force

This Decision shall enter into force on 15 June 2008.

Done at Strasbourg, 11 March 2008.

For the European Parliament
The President

H.-G. PÖTTERING

For the Council
The President

J. LENARČIČ