CELEX: 51992PC0395
Language: en
Date: 1992-09-18
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION ON THE FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME FOR PRIORITY ACTIONS IN THE FIELD OF STATISTICAL INFORMATION 1993-1997

No C 277 / 54                           Official Journal of the European Communities                                       26 . 10 . 92
               Proposal for a Council Decision on the Framework Programme for Priority Actions in the Field of
                                               Statistical Information 1993 to 1997
                                                            ( 92 / C 277 / 02 )
                                                         COM (92J 395 final
                                     (Submitted by the Commision on 21 September 1992)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,                                — to disseminate statistical information to Europe in
                                                                             general , to businesses and to all concerned with
                                                                             economic and social matters , to assist them in their
                                                                              decisions ;
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Economic Community , and in particular Article 213                       — to seek to improve the statistical systems in the Member
thereof,                                                                      States and to support the development of statistics in
                                                                              the developing countries and countries which are
                                                                              changing over to market economies ;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
                                                                         Whereas these specific programmes will be implemented,
Having regard to         the   opinion   of the European                 where possible , in each Member State under the authority
Parliament ,                                                             of the bodies and institutions in charge of compiling official
                                                                         statistics ;
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee ,                                                              Whereas the Community is willing to cooperate in a
                                                                         mutually advantageous fashion with non-Community
                                                                         countries , particularly those with which it has concluded
Whereas , in the context of the implementation and                       framework agreements ;
operation of the Single Market, the Community has taken
decisions in the field of economic and monetary union ,
economic and social cohesion , common policies and other                 Whereas the following Committees have been consulted :
Community policies ;
                                                                         — the Statistical Programme Committee ( SPC ),
Whereas the Community should be able to base its                         — the Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of
decisions on statistical information which is up-to-date ,                    Payments Statistics ( CSMF ),
reliable , relevant and comparable between the Member
States for the design , implementation, monitoring and                   — the European Advisory Committee on Statistical
evaluation of its policies ;                                                  Information in the Economic and Social Spheres
                                                                               ( CEIES ),
Whereas , in order to ensure the feasibility , consistency and
 comparability of all the statistical information required,
there is a need to draw up a medium-term statistical
                                                                         HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS :
 framework programme comprising specific programmes
 relating to the different Community policies ;
                                                                                                     Article 1
 Whereas the Commission , in its communication to the
 Council and the European Parliament of 21 February
 1992 , made a commitment to promote the development of                   The Community statistical framework programme shall
 a Community Statistical System with the following tasks:                 relate to priority actions in the fields covered by
                                                                          Community policies as defined in the Treaties. The
 — to implement a system of standards , methods and                       programme shall cover the period from 1993 to 1997 .
     organizational structures which is capable of producing
     comparable, reliable and relevant statistics throughout
     the Community ,
                                                                                                     Article 2
 — to provide the European institutions and the
     Governments      of   the  Member     States     with     the
     information they need to implement, monitor and                      The statistical framework programme shall make provision
     evaluate Community policies ,                                        for actions in the following fields :
 ---pagebreak--- 26 . 10 . 92                             Official Journal of the European Communities                                No C 277 / 55
1 . the operation of the Single Market ;                            — specify the procedures for its implementation , its length
                                                                         and the role of the national statistical authorities ,
2 . social policy and economic and social cohesion ;
                                                                    — define the role of the Statistical Programme Committee
3 . economic and monetary union ;                                        set up by the Council on 19 June 1989 and of the
4 . the Community and the rest of the world ;                            Committee on Monetary , Financial and Balance of
                                                                        Payments Statistics set up on 25 February 1991 in
5 . the development of statistical technologies and human                implementing and evaluating the programme ,
     resources .
                                                                    — be subject to a cost-effectiveness analysis and be
                                                                        implemented in accordance with the principles of
                                                                        economy ,
                          Article 3
                                                                    — take        account      of      international     statistical
The objectives of the statistical framework programme and                recommendations in the fields covered ,
the Community standards and methods for the actions to
be carried out during the period 1993 to 1997 are set out in        — be designed in such a way as to lighten the burden on
the Annex .                                                             respondents       in     answering       the     statistical
                                                                         questionnaires .
                          Article 4
                                                                                               Article 6
In the implementation of the Community statistical
programme the requirements should be filled in each
Member State in cooperation with the national statistical           During the third year of implementation of the Community
                                                                    statistical framework programme , the Commission shall
authorities responsible for the fields covered by the priority
actions .                                                           examine the progress made in this respect . It shall
                                                                    particularly assess whether the objectives, the priorities and
                                                                    the actions planned during the period have been achieved ,
                                                                    and shall submit any proposed amendments . At the end of
                          Article 5                                 the period covered by the statistical framework
                                                                    programme, the Commission shall present a report on its
Each specific action shall :                                        implementation to the Council and the European
                                                                    Parliament . This report is to be sent to the Council and the
— set precise objectives and quantities and make provision          European Parliament by the end of the year following the
    for an evaluation of the results attained ,                     end of the statistical framework programme .
           \
 ---pagebreak--- No C 277 / 56                                   Official Journal of the European Communities                                     26 . 10 . 92
                                                                      ANNEX
            OUTLINE PROGRAMME 1993 to 1997 — MAJOR ACTIVITIES ENVISAGED FOR COMMUNITY
                                                                   STATISTICS
                                                            GENERAL OBJECTIVES
            The Community statistical system must fulfil the following tasks:
            — develop a set of standards, methods and organizational structures which allow comparable, reliable and
                  relevant statistics to be produced throughout the Community ,
            — provide the European institutions and the governments of the Member States with the information needed
                  to implement , monitor and evaluate Community policies ,
            — disseminate the statistics to the European public, to enterprises and to all the economic and social agents
                  involved in decision-making,
            — endeavour to improve the statistical systems of the Member States and support the developing countries as
                  well as the countries moving towards a market economy .
            These tasks imply the following activities :
            ( a ) the development of common classifications, methods and definitions that are directly applicable in all the
                  Member States and backed by Communiy legislation ;
            ( b) the conduct of common statistical surveys based on harmonized methods;
            ( c) preparation, analysis and dissemination of Community statistics , including comparisons from
                  country-by-country and region-by-region comparisons;
            (d) incorporation of Community know-how into the statistical programmes of the Member States ;
            ( e ) promotion of convergence in national statistical practices by means of common training activities;
            ( f) support for the development of the statistical systems of both Community and non-Community countries
                  via structural activities and exchanges of technology and experience between the Member States and with
                  third countries .
                 LINKS WITH OTHER ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT UNDER COOPERATION ARRANGEMENTS
            Apart from the partnership with the national statistical systems of the Member States, cooperation will also
            extend to the systems in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries which form part of the
            European Economic Area (EEA), as well as to international organizations active in the statistical field,
            particularly the United Nations and its agencies and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
            Development ( OECD ).
                                                   SECTORAL STATISTICAL PROGRAMMES
            I.      SECTORAL PROGRAMMES FOR THE FUNCTIONING OF THE SINGLE MARKET
                   A. Sectoral programmes for policy on industry, transport, energy, R&D and tourism
                       Purpose
                       To contribute to the preparation of statistics necessary for the proper functioning of the European
                       Single Market by providing decision-makers (government, businesses and social partners) with the
                       information they require to promote competitiveness of the Community economy at international
                       level , at the same time improving market transparency.
                       Statistical objectives
                        To propose to the Member States the harmonization of standards, the execution of Community
                        statistical surveys, common processing of existing data, and the introduction of common statistical
                        infrastructures utilizing existing data where possible, such as the registers in the following fields.
                        1.   Standards
                             All the statistical programmes will incorporate new European classifications which are harmonized
                             to a high degree with national classifications, thus providing a true common data framework for all
                             the sectors of activity in the Community.
 ---pagebreak--- 26 . 10 . 92                         Official Journal of the European Communities                                       No C 277 / 57
             2 . Statistics of trade in goods between Member States
                 This project is aimed at implementing the Council decisions concerning the exchange of goods
                 between Member States after 1992 subsequent to abolition of the internal borders of the
                 Community .
                 The Comext-93 distributed database , containing trade and tariff statistics for the Community and
                 non-Community countries , will result in new more detailed and more up-to-date statistics thanks
                 to the distribution of processing operations .
                 Providing these detailed data to the Institutions and economic agents will facilitated by the general
                 use of new informatics media , mainly CD-ROM , by an output which is more suited to the major
                 sectors of activity and by matching the disseminated product to the declaring systems ; this in turn
                 will make for improved feed-back and greater market transparency .
                 The quality of the statistics and their up-to-date character depend directly on the usefulness
                 businesses attach to them and on the cost-benefit ratio of the declaration ; consequently, in addition
                 to the efforts to reduce the general workload, promotion and training campaigns will be stepped up
                 to improve the response rates .
                 The combination of trade and tariff data , the greater coordination between production and trade
                 statistics , the extension of geograpic coverage to the EFTA countries and comparisons with third
                 country data will be the main thrusts of future development.
             3 . Statistics on enterprises
                 ( a) Industry
                      The main objective of Statistics on enterprises is to provide all the information necessary for
                      monitoring the Community production system in the Single Market and for monitoring the
                      Commission's sectoral policy. The operational consequences for the Statistical Programme
                      1993 to 1997 , as they result from the EEC Treaty , as amended by the Maastricht Treaty ,
                      involve both standardization (adoption of joint methods , classifications and standards),
                      infrastrucutre apsects (technical and legal) the extension of Community surveys to cover new
                      ground, and human and budgetary resources.
                      The main objective remains the improvement of the three mainstays of these statistics: annual
                      data on structure and activity , sufficiently detailed monitoring of business cycles and sufficient
                      details for monitoring the production of goods and services .
                      The introduction of an annual survey on the structure and activity of enterprises will lead to
                      data broken down by activity sectors, size classes , Member States or their regions .
                      The statistics on the production of goods and services will from the basis of all work on
                      monitoring and improving the transparency of the internal market (commercial policy ,
                      competitiveness).
                      Beyond this central objective, two major categories of work will be continued or developed .
                      First, all ways and means will be studied to achieve improved industrial statistics which will
                      lessen the load on the enterprises surveyed but also improve the possibilities for them to use the
                      information ( further standardization work , coordination of surveys with the enterprises,
                      dialogue with them to adapt the information to their needs , etc.).
                      Second , specific developments are called for by new Community policies:
                      — development of the information system for small and medium-sized enterprises ( SMEs)
                          specific indicators , particularly on demography or characteristics which are unique to the
                          ( SMEs ),
                      — design and introduction of detailed indicators of the competitiveness of European
                          enterprises which also permit comparisons with their competitors (mostly USA and
                          Japan ),
                      — development of R&D statistics to measure this factor of increased productivity and
                          competitiveness .
 ---pagebreak--- No C 277 / 58                          Official Journal of the European Communities                                            26 . 10 . 92
                  ( b ) Services
                        Services statistics will continue to be developed by an approach which is both global and
                        sectoral .
                        Consolidating the methodology for the statistics of service enterprises and institutions will call
                        for increased integration with the industrial enterprise and service enterprise ( including statistics
                        analysis of the growth of ancillary enterprise services ). The methodological work will have to
                        take into account the experience gained from pilot surveys which themselves will require
                        support and coordination at Community level .
                        The 'enterprise' approach must be supplemented by developing the methodology for functional
                        statistics of services , particularly the statistics of products , functions, prices and volumes .
                        Measuring the impact of the Single Market on several important and sometimes fragile sectors
                        will require specific surveys in several priority fields. For example , financial services, services
                        rendered to enterprises , communications and the audiovisual sector will be regarded as priority
                        at Community level and work already commenced will be intensified so that information
                        systems can be set up .
                        At the same time , the new perspectives opened up by the Treaty on Political Union , and
                        particularly the activities under 'Social Europe', point to the emergence of new service sectors
                        for individuals and local authorities such as social security , education , health and welfare
                        recreation , cultural and sporting activities , etc . These must be analysed under the 'services
                        enterprises' approach , devoting particular attention to the treatment of non-market services and
                        to the close links between these sectors and the functional analysis of public expenditure .
                        The development of statistics on service enterprises must als be linked to an information system
                        based on sectoral registers which cover the social economy and the craft industry , and with
                        implementation of an 'Action programme for the development of a system of statistics on trade
                        and distribution'.
              4 . Transport statistics
                  The Maastricht Treaty puts the accent on moving forward in respect of transport by a market
                  liberalization policy ; in other words , as far as statistics are concerned , priority must be given to
                  statistics which do not yet exist at Community level , i.e. statistics on air and sea transport.
                  However , apart from the various modes of transport, statistics are needed on the use of
                  infrastructures and means of transport . A high degree of priority must therefore be accorded to
                  passenger transport .
                  The framework already laid down for transport statistics will , of course , continue to be developed
                  through the revision of directives on transport by road , rail and inland waterway and these will be
                  extended to air and sea transport .
                  The information system must be consolidated by a more intermodal approach which can link
                  sectoral methodologies and simplify survey organization .
              5.  R&D statistics
                  The competency for research and technological development vested in the Community by virtue of
                  the Single Act , strenghtened by the Maastricht agreements and Community policy on promoting
                  innovation , calls for up-to-date and precise statistics . Pursuant to the proposal for a Council
                  Decision on R&D and innovation statistics , the aims of the 1993 to 1997 programme will be to
                  consolidate the present situation and to extend data collection activities , i.e. new information on
                  R&D workers , measuring the technological potential of the regions and pilot surveys on
                  innovation . Cooperation with the OECD should be stepped up so as to obtain information on
                  R&D financing and expenditure within shorter deadlines.
              6 . Energy statistics
                  The outlook for energy statistics depends on developments in the economic situation in general and
                  the energy market in particular . Efforts will be directed at improving balance sheets , as regards
 ---pagebreak--- 26 . 10 . 92                            Official Journal of the European Communities                                         No C 277 / 59
                     both product breakdowns and aggregates . The price and consumption surveys will need to be
                     expanded so as to provide better coverage .
                     The activities envisaged will improve , and render more comparable , statistics on the transparency
                     of energy prices and flows , security of supply with targeted measures regarding the extension of the
                     geographical distribution of resourced , the substitution of energy products, the rational use of
                     energy , the exploitation of renewable energy sources , the impact on the environment of emissions
                     resulting from the transformation of energy products (C02 , S02 etc .) and assessment of their
                     economic significance and on regional energy investment .
                     A strategy of careful use of non-energy raw materials is an important counterpart to these
                     activities . When the networks are opened up , statistical monitoring of their use may be
                     necessary .
                7.   Tourism statistics
                     A system of tourism statistics will need to be set up in the context of the European Economic Area ,
                     based mainly on tourist supply and demand .
             B. The sectoral programmes for management of the common agricultural policy (CAP) and fisheries
                statistics
                Purpose
                To contribute to the statistical information necessary to manage and monitor the arrangements made
                under the CAP and as part of fisheries policy.
                Statistical objectives
                To propose to the Member States the Community surveys to be carried out, the comparable processing
                of national surveys , the application of harmonized standards and the introduction of common
                infrastructure statistics in the following fields .
                1 . Agricultural statistics
                    Agricultural statistics will undergo a significant change in the coming years as a result of the reform
                    of the CAP and the implementation of the results of a 'screening' operation carried out under the
                    previous programme . It seems inevitable that changes to the instruments for collecting information
                    on production and forescasting production , prices , revenues and agricultural structures will be
                    necessary . The goal is to attain better utilization of the resources devoted to agricultural statistics
                    while limiting as far as possible the growing administrative burden on farmers .
                    ( a ) Agricultural production
                          Crop production: the introduction of stabilizers in various sectors of crop production , as well
                          as certain lekely elements in CAP reform , have emphasized the need to improve the quality,
                          comparability and provision times of these statistics. Reform of the CAP will reinforce the
                          direct impact of statistics on market management. It is therefore necessary not only to create a
                          binding legal framework for crop statistics, but also to continue to seek the most appropriate
                          means of guaranteeing their reliability and objectivity whilst containing financial and
                          manpower costs as far as possible. It is with this aim in mind that research on sampling and
                          forecasting techniques and remote sensing for agricultural statistics will be continued and , if
                          possible, intensified .
                          Animal production: Community statistics and legislation will have to adapt to changes in the
                          markets and market management; they will therefore need to be reviewed carefully at regular
                          intervals in order to ensure that the objectives can be attained at the lowest cost, taking account
                          in particular of the different levels of importance of production in the various countries . Special
                          attention will have to be paid to improving the overall information on slaughterings .
                          Supply balances: these balances provide a synthesis of the statistics on the supply and uses of
                          the various crop and animal products , and their main function is to permit monitoring of the
                          degree of self-sufficiency and of consumption . Adaptations may be required as a consequense of
 ---pagebreak--- No C 277 / 60                          Official Journal of the European Communities                                         26 . 10 . 92
                        the new system of intra-Community trade after 1992 . It is necessary to improve their quality
                        and better define the essential information required, taking account of the fact that the figures
                        constitute reference data for international agreements , in particular for GATT .
                        Fodder supply balances: statistics have been compiled for the last 20 years on the supply of
                        animal feedingstuffs . Studies have been undertaken to determine the nutritional needs of
                        animals in order to assess the demand for feedingstuffs well before data on supply are known .
                        Efforts have been undertaken and will continue to be undertaken to compare the supply and
                        demand side to improve knowledge of the feedingstuffs consumed by each category of animals.
                        CAP reform , which will reinforce the role of the markets , will imply a special effort to obtain
                        information on the levels of stocks of agricultural products, private and public, in view of their
                        impact on the market .
                  ( b ) Agricultural prices and incomes
                        Verifying and improving the sources and methods used in the preparation of the Economic
                        Accounts for Agriculture constitute an important task which will lead to greater harmonization
                        of statistics between Member States and improved knowledge of the disparities in agricultural
                        income that still exist in the Community . The quality and analysis of agricultural income
                        forecasts will be further improved .
                        The development of analysis of total income of agricultural households will lead to a greater
                        understanding of total income in agriculture .
                        Forecasting and simulation models ( short- and medium-term ), based on an integrated
                        agricultural sector database , will be developed and / or maintained. These will constitute a tool
                        for forecasts and simulation of the effects of alternative agricultural policies. The use of these
                        models will allow policy-makers to support their proposals. Member States will be more closely
                        associated with this work .
                  ( c) Agricultural structures
                        During the years 1993 to 1997 , the Member States will carry out all the surveys on the
                        structure of agricultural holdings provided for in Regulation 571 / 88 .
                        In order to facilitate access to and utilization of the results from these surveys , it will be
                        necessary to continue development of the new databank system (Eurofarm).
                        The use of statistics from administrative sources ( registers), especially for permanent crops ,
                        should provide the Commission with an indispensable set of data on trends in the agricultural
                        sectors concerned .
                  ( d ) Agri-food industry
                        Bringing together data on the industries linked to agriculture will continue. Users needs will be
                        met by drawin on existing data and taking advantage of improvements being prepared
                        particularly in enterprise statistics .
                  ( e ) Forestry
                        Improved information on the forestry sector is needed in the light of the relevant Community
                        policy. In this context it is necessary to reinforce the efforts to improve information on the
                        structure of forestry units and to try to establish a Community forestry inventory .
              2 . Fisheries statistics
                  The common fisheries policy covers several areas of interest that require the provision of statistics:
                  market management, conservation of fish stocks and restructuring of the fishing industry .
                  The Regulations already adopted on landings of fishery products and catches in the north-east and
                  north-west Atlantic require the compilation of the most essential statistics . In the years to come , the
                  quality of these data will have to be improved by a continuous exchange of information on the
                  methods employed by the Member States.
                  Preliminary work has already been undertaken to improve existing statistics on fishing in the
                   Mediterranean , as well as on aquaculture .
 ---pagebreak--- 26 . 10 . 92                                Official Journal of the European Communities                                      No C 277 / 61
                  C. Sectoral programmes for environment policy
                     Purpose
                     To draw up a set of statistical indicators enabling Community programmes on the environment to be
                     prepared , implemented , monitored and assessed .
                     Statistical objectives
                     To propose to the Member States the Community surveys to be carried out , the comparable processing
                     to be done from existing data , the application of standards and the establishment of common statistical
                     infrastructures in the following field :
                     Environment statistics
                      The period covered by the new programme coincides with the fifth Community action programme on
                     the environment, entitled 'Towards sustainability', which is based on the principles of sustainability
                     and shared responsibility of all the various operators and sectors . The programme recommends
                     moving from a strategy based on normative legislation to the development of a set of economic and
                      social instruments which will enable the aim of sustainability to be integrated into all fields and bring
                     about a change in the behaviour of the various operators and introduce a concept of environmental
                     liability .
                     The idea of sustainability will be taken up at world level by the United Nations Conference on
                      Environment and Development (UNCED ), which will meet in Brazil in June 1992 and has an agenda
                     for the 21st century which includes a section on the development of an appropriate information
                     policy .
                     In this context , the aims of the environmental statistics programme for 1993 to 1997 should be to
                      continue and extend the work begun in 1989 to 1992 and to implement the results of studies which are
                     currently under way .
                     Priority action concerns :
                     — the introduction of a system for collecting statistics on waste in connection with Community
                          legislation on waste management ,
                     — introduction of a system for collecting statistics in connection with industrial surveys on the
                          generation of emissions and wast and the costs incurred for prevention and elimination;
                          identification and description of the eco-industries ,
                      — collaboration in the establishment of a register of emissions and waste by economic sector in
                          cooperation with the EEA ( Corinair project),
                     — harmonization of statistics on public spending on the environment and R&D efforts in this
                          field ,
                      — producing indicators and analysing statistics on transport, raw materials and energy , industry
                          agriculture and tourism in application of the environmental policy in these sectors,
                     — involvement in international work on satellite accounts of the environment .
                      In the next few years , statistics should progress thanks to the introduction of Community standards on
                      environmental planning, accounting and auditing by enterprises and public administrations , increasing
                      information for and the responsibility of consumers and individuals , by research into why and how
                      human activities affect the environment, and by the development of an economic theory and empirical
                      methods for putting a price on damage to the environment; this latter aspects is intended to show the
                      cost of environmental deterioration and the depletion of natural resources as reflected in economic
                      accounts .
             II . SECTORAL PROGRAMMES FOR SOCIAL POLICY , ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COHESION AND
                  CONSUMER PROTECTION
                  Purpose
                  To contribute to the preparation of harmonized statistical indicators on employment, unemployment ,
                  population movements , standard of living, health , social protection , education , vocational training and
                  regional disparities .
                  Statistical objectives
                  To propose to the Member States the statistical surveys to be carried out or the processing required of
                  existing data , in accordance with common arrangements , in the following fields .
 ---pagebreak--- No C 277 / 62                               Official Journal of the European Communities                                        26 . 10 . 92
              1 . Employment statistics
                  The efforts made to improve the reliability and completeness of the results of the labour force surveys
                  ( LFS ) find their full justification here. The LFS will retain its central role in employment statistics and
                  will acquire additional importance by a development consequent upon Article 123 of the Maastricht
                  Treaty which adds to the missions of the Social Fund, under Objectives 3 and 4 , 'to facilitate the
                  adaptation of workers to industrial changes and to changes in production systems , in particular
                  through vocational training and retraining'.
                  This Community survey will become, to a greater extent than in the past, the basis and common
                  framework for estimates which complete other more detailed or more frequent statistics compiled in
                  the Member States. It will thus become possible not only to produce comparable monthly
                  unemployment rates but also to identify more clearly the problem of work volume in economies in
                  which work organization is becoming increasingly variable ( part-time, multiple employment ,
                  alternation of work and training , etc.).
                  Particular attention will be devoted to the possibility of establishing short-term indicators of
                  employment at sectoria level .
              2 . Statistics on living and working conditions and social protection
                  Priority actions in this domain can be divided into three major areas :
                       ( a ) Population , with the following activities :
                             — achieving an annual set of consistent and internationally comparable data on the
                                  demographic situation and on demographic trends ,
                             — continuing work on demographic projection ,
                             — supplying information on intra-Community mobility, giving priority to the aspects of flow ,
                                  qualifications and age ,
                             — fulfilling the need for statistical information on extra-Community migration by according a
                                  special place to family composition as well as to the training and qualification of migrant
                                  population ,
                             — creating an EEC / EFTA information system on the stocks and flows of migrants.
                  (b ) Working conditions , with the following activities :
                       — providing statistical information on working conditions and , in particular, with regard to the
                             type of contract, of the distribution of working time , in order to monitor the draft directives
                             dealing with these questions ,
                       — improving information on wages and labour costs , in particular by means of strucuture of
                             earnings surveys , providing data on qualification levels and on the distribution of wages by size
                             of enterprise , sector of activity and region . This improved information will also meet the
                             requirements arising from the 'Opinion on equitable remuneration' and from the 'Third
                             programme of equal opportunities for men and women applying the principle for equal pay for
                             equal work',
                       — developing short-term indicators of labour costs ,
                       — setting up indicators of industrial relations ( strikes , union membership , collective agreements ,
                             etc .).
                       Generally speaking, the Community , having set the objective of developing equal opportunities for
                       men and women , the distinction by sex must be present in all statistics which , by their nature ,
                       permit of such a distinction .
                  (c) Living conditions and social protection , with the following activities
                       — the improvement of comparability and of frequency of data on the consumption and living
                             conditions of households ,
                       — the setting up of a data base on the distribution of incomes , with particular attention to the
                             incomes of elderly persons within the framework of the European year of the elderly ( 1993 ),
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                     — the establishment of a European panel on the income and living conditions of households as a
                          follow-up instrument of the social implications of the Single Market ,
                     — the continuation and improvement of the indicators on poverty and in particular the integration
                          of ist non monetary dimensions ,
                     — the monitoring of expenditure and of income as regards social protection ( Esspros), notably in
                          accordance with the draft recommendation on the convergence of objectives for social security
                          and with that concerning a minimum level ,
                     — the monitoring of micro-economic studies on the rates of replacement by function ,
                     — the regular updating of the 'Digest of Statistics on Social protection in Europe',
                     — the two-yearly updating of statistics on the social condition of handicapped persons ,
                     — the development of data acquisition concerning the 'time-budgets' of Europeans ,
                     — the provision of data on the measures and the budgets provided in favour of supporting services
                          for families .
             3 . Educational and training statistics
                 The development of statistics on education , and particularly of vocational training , will form one of
                 the major new and urgent tasks of the Community statistical system .
                 Improving the comparability of statistics by establishing real links between national educational and
                 vocational training systems is an important theme which must be developed to bring out the real
                 situation in the Member States . Special processing from existing data to be found in administrative
                 registers will form the starting point for this project.
             4 . Health and safety statistics
                 The activities planned for this field cover analysis of mortality and morbidity by cause . Systematic
                 collections of comparable data will be prepared and further developed in cooperation with the
                 countries and international organizations concerned , in particular the World Health Organization
                 (WHO ).
                 In addition , the Council resolution of 21 December 1987 and the Directive of 22 June 1989 call for the
                 harmonization of statistics on accidents at the place of work and on occupational diseases . Work in
                 this field will be continued .
             5 . Regional and local statistics
                 Regional statistics will be developed on the following lines :
                 — more complete application and regional coverage , including the new German Lander , of the system
                     of regional accounts for all Member States ,
                 — improved regional representativeness of Community surveys and greater possibilities of analysis ,
                 — increased comparability and reliability of the regional indicators used in implementing the
                     Regulations on structural funds ,
                 — regional data on the public sector ,
                 — organization of a joint system of infra-regional information allowing functional and geographical
                     breakdowns of the Community territory (employment zones , urban / rural zones , etc.) and
                     arranging data collection and the data processing base for the mapping of spaces and regions ,
                 — development of indicators showing the significant prospects and capacities of strucutral adaptation
                      such as :
                     — the level and qualification of human resources ,
                      — investment ,
                      — infrastructure resources ,
                      — innovative capacity ,
                      — entrepreneurial capacity as reflected by the development of a number of new businesses and
                          closures .
 ---pagebreak--- No C 277 / 64                                 Official Journal of the European Communities                                      26 . 10 . 92
                  6 . Statistics on consumer protection
                      Title XI in the new Treaty on European Union introduces a chapter on consumer protection in respect
                      of health , safety , economic interests and information .
                      Information is therefore needed on :
                      — effects on health and security arising from the use of products or services , including accidents at
                           home and during leisure activities ,
                      — trends in consumer expenditure by sector and type of distribution ('fixed sales' as opposed to mail
                           order sales ).
                      Finally , statistics of a new kind are needed to determine not only the extent to which the Single Market
                      creates new markets ( for example for financial institutions) in the Community , but also the confidence
                      consumers show in it (e.g. transactions in goods and services beyond its frontiers).
            III . SECTORAL PROGRAMMES FOR ECONOMIC AND MONETARY UNION ( EMU )
                  Purpose
                  To contribute to the development of harmonized statistical indicators for monitoring the objectives of
                  economic and monetary union . This involves all the statistics necessary for the institutions and the
                  Member States to monitor the application of the principles laid down in Article 3a (Title II ) of the Treaty
                  on the convergence of economic policy .
                  Statistical objectives
                  To propose to the Member States the statistical surveys to be carried out or processing to be made from
                  existing data , following common procedures , in the following fields .
                  1 . National accounts (non-financial and financial accounts)
                      National accounts data will continue to provide one of the cornerstones of macro-economic
                      analysis .
                      Gross national product ( GNP ) has been the basis of one of the Community's own resources since 1988 .
                      The GNP Directive instituted a procedure for verifying and assessing comparability and
                      representativeness of the GNP figures for the Member States.
                      In order to attain these objectives , current work must be stepped up and given a high degree of
                      priority .
                      This will involve :
                      1 . achieving a more homogenous respect of the rules of the European System of Integrated Economic
                           Accounts ( ESA );
                      2 . improving the accuracy of GNP assessments ;
                      3 . ensuring that national accounts provide a more exhaustive reflection of economic activity.
                      Substantial improvements in the quality of the underlying basic national accounts data are expected in
                      the near future , in particular from the inventory of sources and methods compiled to verify the
                      comparability of GNP in respect of Member States' contributions to the Community budget based on
                      GNP (the fourth resource). However , this information must go further than GNP alone and its main
                      counterparts : the comparability of macro-economic estimates in respect of distribution of income ,
                      savings and finance will be a major requirement in achieving economic and monetary union .
                      The Union Treaty underlined the importance of statistical indicators derived from the ESA . In the
                      Protocol on the excessive deficit procedure, for example, the terms used relating to government deficit,
                      investment and debt are as defined in the ESA . The revision of the ESA is currently being undertaken ,
 ---pagebreak--- 26 . 10 . 92                             Official Journal of the European Communities                                         No C 277 / 65
                 and the implementation of the revised version will take place during the period covered by this
                 Statistical Programme .
                 Balance sheets of wealth , i.e. the analysis of stocks rather than flows , have already been taken on
                 board in the revision of the ESA. In the case of financial balance sheets , they form an integral approach
                 in the study of specific macro-economic indicators, for example, monetary aggregates, external debt
                 and government debt. It will be necessary to have belance sheets of wealth of all Member States
                 available for use in the analysis of the behaviour of economic agents .
                 The future EMU will require a system of integrated economic accounts for the union as a whole, in
                 order that economic policy can be monitored . For example , to establish the position of the Community
                 vis-a-vis the rest of the world , consistent data on foreign assets and liabilities will be needed .
             2 . Statistics of the public sector
                 A work programme looks completely different depending on whether statistics of public enterprises or
                 public administrations are concerned . In the first case , a sub-set of enterprise statistics must be created ;
                 in the second, the quality of existing statistics must be improved (more timely , more comparable and
                 more detailed ) to adapt them to the specific requirements of EMU .
                 ( a ) Statistics of public enterprises
                       In the first place , the registers of enterprises used for statistical purposes must contain criteria
                       defining the amount of control exercised by public authorities .
                       As regards the Community surveys on industrial enterprises and services , the Commission , in
                       collaboration with the Member States , must tackle the work necessary to arrive at a breakdown
                       between private and public enterprises . From the outset, all the variables covered by these surveys
                       should be monitored for public enterprises and other variables could also be included .
                       When drawing up accounts showing the assets of public companies (financial and non-financial),
                       special attention should be paid to statistics showing the debt burden of public enterprises ( and
                       quasi-corporate enterprises ) which are guaranteed by public authorities .
                 ( b ) The statistics of general government
                       Some hitherto under-used elements of national accounts will acquire new importance ; for example ,
                       as monetary policy is unified , analysis of fiscal policy will require data on government revenue and
                       expenditure and on deficits and their financing. Moreover, on of the four convergence criteria
                       identified in the Union Treaty directly concerns fiscal policy . In order to implement the Protocol on
                       the excessive deficit procedure , data on both the general budgetary situation and on general public
                       debt should be harmonized , collected and updated in accordance with both ESA methodology and
                       the stipulations of the Protocol .
                       Article 104c of the Union Treaty refers to the fact that the relationship between the level of
                       government investment expenditure and the level of the government deficit is one of the criteria to
                       be included in the report that the Commission must produce should a Member State not fulfil the
                       criteria relating to budget deficits . This means that the data relating to government investment
                       expenditure must be harmonized and collected on a regular basis; these data will be derived from
                       national accounts .
             3 . Statistics of balance of payments
                 A 'sustainable balance of payments' is a guiding principle for both individual Member States and the
                 Community (Article 3a). As a consequence , balance of payments statistics are of utmost importance
                 for monitoring the external economic , monetary and financial situation of individual Member States
                  and of the Community as a whole ; they are a source of genuine information on international
                 macro-economic flows such as trade in goods and services , factor income , unrequired transfers , direct
                  investment , and other capital mand monetary flows . A number of policy measures , relevant in the
                 context of economic and monetary integration , draw heavily on information from balance of payments
                 statistics . Among other things , this applies to measures relating to capital movements and payments
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                  (Article 109c) and to the conduct of foreign exchange operations . In addition , it seems to be quite
                  likely that the forthcoming international trade agreements ( Uruguay Round ) will include international
                  trade in services , for which the balance of payments statistics constitute one of the main sources of
                  information . Detailed , reliable and timely balance or payments statistics are therefore highly
                  desirable .
                  At present , the balance of payments statistics of Member States differ in detail , quality and timeliness .
                  Furthermore , confidentiality considerations existing in some Member States prevent the passage of
                  data to the Community. At Community level , this results in a lack of comparable information based on
                  common definitions across the Member States ; consequently , the aggregated data for national flows
                  are of limited quality . In addition , national flows are not normally broken down into intra- and
                  extra-Community flows. The information currently available, in particular at Community level , is
                  clearly insufficient to meet the future requirements for EMU .
                  Increased efforts are needed in order to obtain the required , substantial improvements . The
                  forthcoming manual of the International Monetary Fund will have to be converted into Community
                  standards such that its application in all Member States will not give rise to statistical asymmetries . By
                  the same token , the data collection system throughout the Community has to be reviewed and
                  harmonized . The achievement of these tasks should be completed before the commencement of the
                  third stage . As a consequence , full use must be made of the period covered by this Statistical
                  Programme . The European Monetary Institute ( EMI ) will cooperate during this second phase where
                  necessary to promote sustained progress towards the objectives set out above.
              4.  Price statistics
                  Data on price indices have two important applications to EMU . First , the Treaty states that the
                  primary objective of the European System of Central Banks ( ESCB ) should be to maintain price
                  stability . Secondly , one of the criteria which will be used to determine which Member States are
                  considered to have economies which have already reached a sufficient level of convergence to joint the
                  monetary union is the reduction of inflation differentials , as measured by consumer price indices ,
                  between countries to an acceptable level .
                  Although the Commission collects and disseminates data on national inflation trends via consumer
                  price indices supplied by Member States on a monthly basis , these national indices are not fully
                  harmonized . Given the importance of having comparable data on inflation rates , action in the
                  immediate future must be geared towards constructing a harmonized consumer price index for each
                  Member State .
              5 . Monetary policy coordination indicators
                  In order to improve the understanding of national financial systems, work will continue on an iventory
                  of sources and methods of banking statistics . This inventory is intended to facilitate the identification
                  of individual financial instruments , which form the 'building blocks' of existing monetary aggregates ,
                  and which are comparable across Member States since they have similar economic features . This will
                  then enable the Committee of Governors , and later the EMI , to use these building blocks to construct
                  and empirically test various definitions of money stock , which could be used in the process of
                  strengthening the coordination of monetary policies in the Community .
                  On the basis of the results of the inventory , areas could be identified if necessary in which greater
                  harmonization of collection and the processing of banking statistics is possible. Up to 1993 , the
                  implementation of proposals for harmonization will take place in accordance with the arrangements in
                  effect in the first phase of EMU . On 1 January 1994 , these procedures will be adapted to conform to
                  the guidelines for the second phase .
                  To contribute to the Council multilateral monitoring exercise , data will be required on a variety of
                  monetary policy indicators . Interest rates will be one of these as well as one of the convergence criteria
                  laid down in the Treaty . Comparable information on these indicators will be necessary .
              6.  Ecu statistics
                  During the period up to the end of the first stage of EMU , ecu statistics will continue to be collected
                  and published on a regular basis .
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                      During the second phase , collection and dissemination of ecu statistics will be continued and
                      developed , particularly to enable the EMI to oversee the development of the currency and facilitate its
                      use in accordance with Articles 2 and 4 of the Protocol of EMI statutes , and to enable the Commission
                      to fulfil its obligations .
                  7 . External trade statistics
                      Systematic action ( EEC ) will have to be taken in 1993 to complete the harmonization or
                      standardization of external trade statistics , the basis for which was laid by Council Regulation ( EEC )
                      No 1736 / 75 . The entry into force on 1 January 1993 of the updated version of this Regulation will
                      provide the Community and the Member States with the opportunity to confirm by means of new
                      implementing provisions (particularly on value , confidentiality criteria and specific movements of
                      goods ) the independence and specific nature of Community statistics .
                      This change of focus appears to be the only way of improving the internal comparability of the results
                      supplied to Eurostat by the national statistical institutes .
                      This improvement will go hand-in-hand with better external comparability , the main objective of the
                      next ten years , to be achieved inter alia by the approximation of methods currently being undertaken
                      with EFTA and likely to take place with the countries making the transition to a market economy , and
                      through current ( USA / Canada ) and future ( GATT ) 'reconciliation' exercises on trade between the
                      Community and third countries . However , the objective can only be achieved if each national
                      statistical institute agrees to reform those aspects of its system which set it apart in practice from the
                      majority of the other institutes .
                      With this reinforced consensus , Eurostat and the national statistical institutes will be able to act in
                      concert at international level to prepare the conventions that will lead to worldwide compatibility of
                      external trade statistics much more surely than corrections , adjustments and estimates undertaken
                      subsequently on results produced by different methods.
                      As regards international trade in services , it would appear realistic to limit initially the extension of
                      information to adjustments in the content of statistics on trade in goods . This will increase the overall
                      precision of the external trade data required for balance-of-payments statistics (e.g. value, nature of
                      the transaction , transport costs , insurance costs , contract work , etc .).
                      The current work on adapting the statistical part of the combined nomenclature to technological
                      progress in external trade and the requirements of other Community and international classifications
                      must obviously be continued . The institutional management body concerned is the Committee on the
                      Combined Tariff and Statistical Nomenclature .
                      The analyses of the convergence measures of european economies require reliable and comparable
                      data . The quality of the data will be improved through specific activities aimed at generalizing, on the
                      basis of studies carried out in the Member States , the application of a minimum Community list of
                      checks and validations , retroactive corrections and rectification of anomalies and discrepant data
                      detected by the statistical analysis programmes developed for this purpose .
                      The information base thus provided will be utilized by producing derived data , by supplying more
                      refined series and by extending work on seasonal adjustment procedures , the calculation and analysis
                      of external trade indices , and appropriate statistical estimates and analyses .
             IV . THE SECTORAL PROGRAMMES FOR THE COMMUNITY AND THE REST OF THE WORLD
                  Purpose
                  These programmes have a double objective. First, to see that the statistical standards and methods
                  developed and implemented within the Community are applied internationally in order to increase
                  comparability and data quality which is indispensable for the user. Second , the Community must fulfil a
                  coordinating and assistance role, in particular in respect of the countries of eastern Europe and the
                  developing countries , so that modern statistical systems are produced which respect the same principles as
                  in western Europe .
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              Statistical objectives
              To propose to the Member States that Community statistical action be coordinated with international
              organisations and that cooperation and technical assistance activities be implemented for the countries
              moving to a market economy and the developing countries.
              1 . Statistics and the European Economic Area
                  In Article 76 , the Treaty on the European Economic Area ( EEA ) mentions the need to develop a
                  system of comparable and harmonized statistics throughout the member countries of the EEA. This
                  provision is reflected in the implementation of a joint EC-EFTA statistical programme comprising all
                  the achievements and projects of the Community statistical programme which are relevant for the
                  implementation of the Treaty. As regards concertation channels and over and above the provisions of
                  the EEA Treaty , Eurostat intends to establish close links between these statistical systems of the EFTA
                  countries and all the Community programmes in order to promote the development of a coherent
                  European statistical area based on common principles , standards and methodologies .
              2 . Development of statistical systems in the countries moving towards a market economy
                  Transition to market economies necessitates a complete redirection of the statistical systems .
                  By far the largest part of the statistical cooperation will be technical , and will aim at making available
                  the methodologies and practices used in the developed market economies , and in particular in use in
                  the European Community. The training may involve conferences and seminars for large groups or be
                  associated with the implementation of a project in a particular domain ( on the job training).
                  The Commission looks after the organisation of training in the broader sense ( from formal training to
                  technical assistance ) and the coordination of actions from all donor countries and international
                  institutions .
                  Cooperation is organized in the frame of a plurannual programme , split into statistical domains where
                  projects and single actions are listed by priority . Formal training is organized in seminars and
                  workshops or on a bilateral basis between Eurostat / Member States and one central or eastern
                  European Country ( CEEC ), or on a multilateral basis (e.g. special training of European statisticians
                  ( TES ) programme, see paragraph 8 (b)). Technical assistance is orgnaized bilaterally between Eurostat
                  or one Member State and one CEEC .
                  Coordination by Eurostat of cooperation projects of G24 countries and international institutions
                  ensures that scarce resources (credits and expertise) are used efficiently .
              3 . Development of statistical systems in the developing countries
                  During the period 1993 to 1997 it is proposed that Eurostat's cooperation activity will focus upon the
                  following priorities :
                  — training of statisticians : education is a basic activity which allows developing countries to lay the
                       foundations for sound institutinal development in statistics . In this area two types of action should
                       be implemented:
                       — financial support of professional training schools in French , English and Portuguese speaking
                           countries in Africa . Similar activity is foreseen in other regions ( Latin America , Asia etc.) in
                           order to reply to possible requests from countries in these regions . Coordination with the CESD
                           network ( Paris , Lisbon , Madrid and Luxembourg), as well as with the Munich Centre , will
                           remain a priority in order to ensure the best possible resources of cooperation ,
                  — support of activities designed to lead to the continual improvement of human resources, i.e. short
                       courses and seminars on appropriate subjects ,
                  — foreign trade statistics: Eurostat's support to foreign trade statistics will continue to be
                       concentrated on the finalization and subsequent installation of the Eurotrace system . French ,
                       English , Portuguese and Spanish versions of this programme will be produced in order to give
                       support to developing countries in all regions on this subject,
                   — the statistical information needed to take into account the social aspects of development constitutes
                       another area for future cooperation . This will be undertaken particularly in the context of
                       structural adjustment support, now included as one of the priorities of the Lome IV
                       Convention ,
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                    — information systems for food security : the aim is to support the creation of information systems
                         capable of contributing to the design and management of food and rural development policies.
                         This will include participation in the programming and fulfilment of the Diaper II project in CILSS
                         countries financed by the European Development Fund ( EDF) and bilateral programmes of
                         Member States .
                    This programme will be set within an overall strategy now being developed by Eurostat in dialogue
                    with the Member States, taking into account the programmes of other agencies such as the World Bank
                    and the UN Economic Commission for Africa .
                4 . Cooperation with other non-Member countries
                    The years 1993 to 1997 will be devoted to achieving the objectives laid sown in the agreement with the
                    United States Office of Management and Budget and the Canadian Statistics Office; this represents the
                    follow-up to the Transatlantic Declaration signed in autumn 1990 by the Community, the USA and
                    Canada . The joint effort will be to develop classifications , standards and methods , to coordinate
                    technical assistance for the countries moving to a market economy , and arrange statistical training as
                    well as dissemination of information .
                5 . Coordination with international organizations
                    Coordination with the statistical departments of international organiszations will continue to be a
                    central aspect of Commission policy in the future . At world level , the Commission will further assert
                    its presence in all the United Nations cooperation machinery . The current revision of this machinery
                    should permit the United Nations Statistical Commission to establish better conditions for cooperation
                    in 1993 and give a better definition of the Commission's role in its coordination bodies such as the
                    Statistical Commission's working party on coordination or the statistical subcommittee on cooperation
                    between international organizations .
                    As regards specific fields , the Commission will be involved in all the inter-secretariat working parties as
                    representative of the European Community . These include the working parties on national accounts ,
                    services statistics , environment statistics , business registers , etc .
                    In the context of Europe or the idustrialized countries in general , the Commission intends to step up its
                    cooperation with the OECD and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE ) in
                    Geneva . The inter-secretariat group set up in September 1991 will permit cooperation between the
                    three institutions in order to improve the development of statistical standards and methods as well as
                    the data collection system of the national offices .
             V. DEVELOPMENT OF STATISTICAL TECHNOLOGIES AND HUMAN RESOURCES
                Purpose
                Over and above the production , analysis and dissemination of statistics , the Community system will , in the
                next few years , be faced with the need to bring about a convergence of national statistical practices
                towards an integrated system , all aspects of which draw on the most up-to-date technologies . This will
                involve action in two directions : first , developing techniques for the collection , processing , exchange and
                dissemination of the data derived from the most advanced research into communications technology and
                second , to optimize the use of infrastructures and methodologies developed within the Community system
                on the part of the national statistical systems; this will thus help to create a true European set of
                statistics .
                Statistical objectives
                To propose to the Member States the joint development of modern technologies to yield the most reliable
                and up-to-date statistics and establish a permanent training programme .
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              1 . Statistical dissemination and informatics
                  Until the end of this decade and beyond , the efficiency of the European statistical system will depend
                  primarily on well-designed information systems and an effective computerized set-up.
                  Initially , quality, reliability, relevance and availability of statistical information will continue to be
                  important factors . However , at a later stage the emphasis will increasingly shift to the speed with
                  which information can be made available and the capacity for analysing this information . Thus, the
                  traditional emphasis on data processing systems will shift to the capacities for telecommunication of
                  large volumes of information stored in distributed bases , and the interconnection of the statistical
                  applications of the Member States and the Commission , that is to say to the setting up of veritable
                  decentralized European information systems .
                  There are two areas in which the Member States will be involved .
                  ( a) The distributed statistical information services ( DSIS ) project
                        The DSIS project will involve developing a range of statistical services for the collection , processing
                        and dissemination of statistical information for the European Statistical System .
                        The components of cooperation between the Member States are:
                        — the taking into account of national information systems and the results of statistical
                            standardization ,
                        — an electronic data interchange ( EDI ) standardization component which will involve
                            development in several areas: generic messages for statistical data transmission , statistical
                            message components for primary data collection , use of statistical standards ( classifications) in
                            EDI messages in general , software to back up the Edifact standards and their interfaces with
                            applications ,
                        — technical infrastructure : powerful and multi-media centres for collection ( Stadium project) must
                            be established with different partners to ensure that the flow of information between their
                            systems becomes the most automatic possible ,
                        — new applications must be set up in order to profit as soon as possible from the technological
                            benefits of these projects . In this framework , the pilot application , the most urgent, will
                            concern intra-Community trade. The migration of existing applications has to be studied .
                  ( b ) Creation of a dissemination network for the Community 's statistical system
                        Community statistics must be made available to the end-user at the nearest establishment, i.e. the
                        one he usually consults, and with any necessary instructions in his own language. It has therefore
                        been agreed to set up a network for the dissemination of Community statistics linking Eurostat and
                        the statistical departments of the Member States .
                        This will call for considerable work in the following areas :
                        — circulation of information on the statistics available : architecture and content of national and
                            Community information systems ,
                        — training the members of the network in contact with users ,
                        — drawing up dissemination policies and taking account of all the practical implications (tariffs ,
                            access to and / or routing of information , user-friendliness , etc.).
              2 . Statistical training
                  The Commission will continue in the next few years with the training of European statisticians (TES )
                  programme, which strengthens and supplements the activities of the national statistical systems in the
                  area of specialization and continuing training .
                  The development of an efficient European statistical system also depends on vocational training for
                  European statisticans which is able , on the one hand, to compare and enhance national experience and
                  consolidate the common languages and , on the other , to disseminate the most up-to-date technologies
                  for data Collection , processing and analysis . This training should promote effective synergy betwen
                  official statistics , the universities and private-sector statistics .
                  The basic principle of the TES programme is that both the teaching staff and the participants should be
                  of a variety of nationalities in order to foster the exchange of information and experience on common
                   questions .
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             3. Statistical research
                ( a) Development of statistical expert systems ( Doses ) programme
                      Statistics themselves also constitute a research field . The modernization of the national and
                      Community statistical machinery is achieved by means of R&D work . The period 1993 to 1997
                      will be the time to make use of the results of the Doses programme , to continue the work by
                      stepping up efforts in the most promising areas and to increase the area covered by research
                      activities by including as many new techniques and technologies as possible for statistical purposes.
                      Some thought will also need to be given to the question of a suitable institutional framework for
                      promoting , coordinating and extending national initiatives .
                ( b ) Transfer of technology between statistical systems
                      With regard to information technology, progress made in the establishment of norms and
                      standards of software packages is such that it is now possible to envisage a much closer
                      technological cooperation between different national and European statistical systems. The
                      Commission will develop during the current programme a technological cooperation policy based
                      on the principle of subcontracting in the interests of the whole statistical community. Based on
                      commonly defined charge-out rates , one or several statistical system . Pilot projects will be started
                      up in this area regarding the Blaise system (developed by the Netherlands ), and French
                      nomenclature host. Ohter modules will certainly appear in the framework of the Intrastat / Comedi
                      project and in other domains .
                ( c ) The geographical dimension
                      Traditionally the Commission's data have been primarily at Member State level with , for some
                      data sets , a breakdown by broad standard regions ( the NUTS-nomenclature of teritorial statistical
                      units ).
                      Various new policies require a greater and more varied regional breakdown of their information
                      support . More data with a detailed location identifier is becoming available. New technology
                      (geographical information systems) now gives the tool to store , manipulate and present this
                      data .
                      The new policy elements cover statistical work in various parts of the Commission . Some main
                      examples are the reform and increased size of the Community's structural funds linked to the idea
                      of 'regional cohesion', environmental issues, the reform of the common agricultural policy and the
                      linked preoccupation with the future of the rural world , the operational needs of the large single
                      market and its extension , the European economic area .
                      For problem definition , for policy formation , monitoring and evaluation as well as for market
                      operators information is needed on a variety of new area groupings, some physical (e.g. hydraulic
                      basins ), some economic (e.g. travel to work areas), some trans-frontier .
                      The Commission has started to invest in a geographical information system ( acquisition of
                      specialised hardware, software and staff skills , building up sets of basic geographical information
                      (mapping data ) and ensuring links to georeferenced statistics ). This activity will be developed and
                      extended to provide to other Commission Directorates-General certain central services ( analogous
                      to those provided for statistics) and to collaboration with Member States' statistical services and
                      mapping agencies. Agreed policies on copyright and pricing will be sought. Of paricular
                      importance in this development will be the ability of national statistical services to add detailed
                      location parameters to their data . In addition , the Commission will encourage consideration of the
                      role of remote sensing in the official statistics system as a potentially important source of
                      georeference data , though its proper place is not yet clear .