CELEX: 51988PC0696
Language: en
Date: 1988-12-05
Title: Draft COUNCIL RESOLUTION on the implementation of a plan of priority actions in the field of statistical information: Statistical Programme of the European Communities 1989-1992#Draft COUNCIL DECISION establishing a Committee to administer the Statistical Programme of the European Communities#(presented by the Commission)

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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                           COM(88 ) 696 final
                                           Brussels , 5 December 1988
                                  Draft
                           COUNCIL RESOLUTION
         on the implementation of a plan of priority actions
               in the field of statistical information :
          Statistical Programme of the European Communities
                                1989-1992
                                  Draft
                            COUNCIL DECISION
   establishing a Committee to administer the Statistical Programme
                      of the European Communities
 ---pagebreak---                              EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
 INTRODUCTION
 1'n April this year , the Commission presented a communication to the Council on
 the development of a Community policy on statistical information . This
document set out the guiding principles for a plan of priority action wnich
should form the basis for programmes on statistics in the coming years .
Information in general and statistical information in particular will be
  of help in the preparation and correct functioning of the internal market in
1993 and in all the policies which will accompany it .
The aim is to provide community bodies ( the Commission , Parliament and
Council ), national governments and all contributors to market developments
with the means for more rational and efficient management of their policies .
In order to make statistical information truly operational , it must meet
certain criteria of comparability , topicality and relevance which will
encourage all those involved in political , economic and social life to make
use of it .
Hence the need for greater coordination between all the parties concerned by
this information , to create a statistical infrastructure which is suited to
the new situation , and will facilitate the implementation , monitoring ana
evaluation of common policies .
This new statistical infrastructure for Europe must make it possible to
Improve the quality , extend the range and speed up the availability of the
information produced , while at the same time lowering the cost for economic
operators and public administrations , by modernizing and rationalizing data
collection .
THE OBJECTIVES
                                         Apri L
In its communication to the Council in “TT , the Commission outlined the
objectives of increasing the Community 's efficiency in providing statistical
information :
      a)   to speed up the development of the statistical infrastructure whicn can
           contribute to the proper operation of the Single European Market ,
      b)   to extend the scope of Community statistics to incluae new areas of
          policy and of public interest ,
 ---pagebreak---                                           2
    c)   to permit the assessment of Community policies and the effective
         management of the related budget resources by developing reliable ana
         timely information at the necessary geographical levels ,
    d)   to promote the adoption of European statistical standaras ,
    e)   to eliminate the barriers between the national statistical systems in
         order to construct an integrated European system .
In order to achieve these objectives , the Commission is proposing that the
Member States take action under three main headings .
         Statistics to enhance the efficiency of Community programmes ;
         achieving and consolidating the political objectives outlined in tne
         Single European Act ( completion of the internal market , economic ana
         social cohesion , a common scientific and technical development
         policy , reinforcement of the European Monetary System , the emergence
         of a social dimension in Europe and coordinated action on tne
         environment , and assertion of the Community 's profile on the
         international scene ) all entail certain responsibilities for Europe 's
         statisticians , to produce information to back up effective ana
         rational policies in all these areas .
         On the one hand , coverage of sectors where information is patchy or
         non-existent must be improved , by introducing aata collection metnoas
         ( logging , panels , sample surveys , etc ) which do not impose a burden
         on economic operators , particularly business , and on tne other hand
         the production process must be speeded up to provide more topical and
         hence more valuable information for users , by developing moaern aata
         processing techniques .
         Statistics as a means of budgetary discipline ; the decisions of tne
         Heads of State and Government on the doubling of structural funds ,
         the fourth resource of the Community budget and stabilizers in
         agriculture , and on budgetary discipline , make it essential to set up
         high-quality programmes of statistics as a solid foundation for
         Community programmes and to provide a means of evaluating their
         impact on the socio-economic fabric of European society .
    -    Statistics as an instrument of European integration both in the
         production of standards and on the institutional level : the creation
         of the frontier-free market will move the Community into an era of
         integration where mere coordination will no longer be enough : tnere
         will be a need for statistics which can be merged at Community level .
         It is indispensable to arrive at European-level methodology standards
         which function with the same powerful logic as national standards at
         present .
                                                                                  3
 ---pagebreak---                                          -3-
 In addition
           more rational use of resources which would make it possible , in tne
           medium term , to reduce the cost of the entire apparatus for
           production of Community statistics ,
           the need to avoid creating discrepancies between Member States in the
           burden of data collection imposed on economic agents ,
           the emergence of a common impetus in the utilization of data covering
           the whole of the Community ,
           the effort required to develop statistical infrastrucures in the
           leoa-favoured Member States .
mean that accelerated integration of national statistical systems into a
common system is not merely desirable but absolutely necessary .
THE PRIORITIES
Achieving these objectives will call for in-depth analysis of priority
measures and the resources needed to implement them , and careful planning of
all the action to be taken . Europe 's statisticians are currently faced by two
opposing sets of constraints :
          a growing demand for information , although the available resources
          are often inadequate to meet these new challenges ;
          demands for immediate results , although statistical sy3tem3 are
          focussed on long-term developments .
It will not, be enough simply to set priorities for new projects . It will also
be essential to freeze or discontinue existing operations which are now
outdated , and to devise new collection and processing methods using more
modern techniques which are less onerous for economic operators .
The Statistical Programme 19^9-1992 sets out the activities and projects to be
carried out in each area of Community policy , with priorities , time schedules ,
and the work input required from Commission departments and from national
statistical services ( NSIs and other statistical bodies ).
The primary tasks in the next four years will be to :
          create a new system of collecting and processing the statistics on
          intra-Community trade to replace the system which is scheduled to
          disappear following the abolition of internal fronv-ers and frontier
          controls so that the necessary level of statistical information
          can be assured;
                                                                                  4
 ---pagebreak---                                    • 4-
  formulate statistical indicators designed to measure the impact of the
  policies and programmes financed by the structural funds ;
  provide the statistical information necessary to support the programmes
  to establish a European social area which will provide for improved
  living and working conditions for Europe 's citizens ;
  achieve a marked improvement in the reliability and comparability of
  the systems of economic accounts supplied by the Member States ,
  following the decision by the European Council to use GNP as the basis
  for assessing contributions to the Community budget ;
  draw up reliable and speedily available information to facilitate
  decision-making in the management of the common agricultural policy and
  the monitoring and assessment of such decisions ;
  adapt and deveLop the data available on industry and the services
  sector in order to increase the transparency of the Single market and
 monitor changes in the Single market , and support the preparation , monitoring
 and evaluation of Community aid in this field ;
  develop more modern and rapid means of collecting ana using data on
  business , with a view to lightening the burden on enterprises ;
  introduce a system of statistics on services , which
  international trade negotiations in which the Community is involved ;
  improve the statistics on the main monetary and financial variables
  with a view to the strengthening of the European Monetary System and
  the use of the ECU ;
  create a veritable statistical system on the environment in order
 better to design and follow Community action in the safeguarding
 and improvement of the environment , human health and the use of
 natural resources ;
        sufficiently
 providelcomplete , reliable , up- to-date and comparable statistical
 information for the effective implementation of Community policies in
the fields of coal and steel , transport , tourism , small ana
medium-sized businesses , research and development , high technology ,
                energy , fisheries , development cooperation , etc .;
support and strengthen the statistical infrastructure of those Member
States for which the accelerating process of integration is
particularly burdensome ;
using the most advanced telematics technologies , establish the means by
which all private and public sector economic operators will be able to
draw on the statistical information thus generated , for the better
management of their activities .
                                                                        5
 ---pagebreak---                                        -5-
THE RESOURCES
Implementing this programme will commit the Commission and the Member States
to supplying budgetary resources which must be provided for under a plan of
finance . Far from simply increasing tne Community 's expenditure , this will
represent an investment which will give it better control over tne information
it needs for the formulation of its policies , better supervision of
expenditure and a more accurate view of their economic and social impact .
In addition , the procedure followed under the Statistical programme helps to
highlight the problem of resources in the Member States , where budgetary
constraints may militate against involvement in any new or additional wortc .
To safeguard effective implementation of the programme , the bulk of which is
financed by national budgets , the Commission must follow two lines of action :
   -    ensure that national statistical services and information users play a
        more active and responsible part in defining the aims and organization
        of the programme : this will entail creating a working unit capable of
        bringing national and Community priorities into line with each other.
        This is the intention behind the proposal to set up , by decision of the
        Council of Ministers , a Committee to administer the Statistical
        Programme .
        provide political back-up for this action in order to ensure that the
        priorities outlined in the programme match both national and Community
        priorities , and that the budgetary resources needed for carrying out
         the work are provided over a period of several years . This is the aim
        of the draft Council Resolution on the Programme .
                                                                                 6
 ---pagebreak---                                    DRAFT
 Council resolution on the implementation of a plan of priority actions
 in the field of statistical information : Statistical Programme of the
                     European Communities 1989-1992
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Communities ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Whereas the effective implementation and assessment of Community
policies largely depend on the existence of relevant and sufficiently
reliable statistical information ;
Whereas the attainment of the objectives assigned to the European
Communities , in particular the creation of the single market provided
for in the Single European Act , can be supported effectively through
the implementation of a comprehensive and coherent programme in the
field of statistical information ,       and whereas the Commission has
designated objectives in a communication to the Council dated 29 April
1988;
Whereas this programme will give fresh impetus to the search for
European statistical standards in the Community and will serve to
improve the flow of comparable statistical information for the benefit
of Community policy;
Whereas maintaining the quality of statistical information ,          all
necessary efforts must be made to reduce the burden of collecting data
from enterprises and households ;
Whereas , in order to facilitate the implementation of the Statistical
Programme , close cooperation should be maintained between the Member
States and the Commission, in particular via the Conference of the
Di rectors-General of the National Statistical Institutes and sectoral
Statistical Committees and by the creation of a Statistical Programme
Committee with the task of assisting the Commission in the
implementation of the current programme and the preparation of
subsequent programmes and with such other tasks as are attributed to it
by acts of the Council in the field of statistics .
Whereas in order to relate the information on the Community to that on
its main economic partners , it is necessary to increase the
comparability of statistics at world level by taking an active part in
the work of international organizations ;
Whereas the implementation of this programme will require the Member
States and the Commission to allocate over several years budgetary
resources , of which a major portion will be needed for Community
requirements , and whereas there should therefore be a financing plan
for the implementation of this programme,
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 2 -
Considers that the Statistical Programme provides a comprehensive and
coherent framework to satisfy Community requirements with regard to
statistical  information by ensuring methodological similarity and
uniform concepts and definitions ,
Supports the objectives and the guidelines of the Statistical Programme
of the European Communities 1989-1992 , as defined in the annex .
Takes note of the procedures for financing the programme, as defined in
the annex ,
Notes that the Statistical Programme Committee , created by the Council
Decision of . . has an essential role to play in the
implementation of the present programme and the preparation of future
programmes .
Calls on the various authorities in the Member States , in cooperation
with the Commission , to take a full account of the Community programme
in formulating and implementing their national programmes ,
Requests the Commission to submit a final report on the implementation
of the programme before June 1993 .
                                                                        8
 ---pagebreak---                                       ANNEX
          Statistical Programme of the European Communities 1989-1992
 I      Objectives
 The objectives of the Statistical Programme of the European Communities
 are :
 1.     to speed up the development of the statistical infrastructure which
        is of help for the proper operation of the single European market ;
 2.     to extend the scope of Community statistics to cover new areas of
        policy and of public interest ;
 3.     to permit the assessment of Community policies and the effective
        management of the related budgetary resources by developing
        reliable and timely information at the necessary geographic levels ;
^4 .    to promote the adoption of European statistical standards ;
 5.     to construct an integrated European system built on National
        systems .
 II     PRINCIPLES
 The Statistical Programme 1989-1992 of the European Communities has
 been inspired by the following principles directed towards reenforcing
 the cooperation between the Commission ( EUROSTAT ) and Member States
 ( NSOs ) :
 1 . the characteristics of each statistical system are taken into
       consideration in the definition and application of Community
       statistical work .
 2 . Statistical work of a Community nature benefits , in so far as is
       possible , from Community support .
 3 . The statistical systems of the weaker countries benefit from
       technical support of the Commission and of the stronger countries in
       so far as is possible .
 4 . The statistical requirements of the Commissions services are
       co-ordinated by EUROSTAT .
 5 . The development of requests for statistical information from
       individuals and enterprises is accompanied by efforts to ensure the
       reduction in the burden of replying to this request .
 Ill PRIORITIES
 The Statistical Programme of the European Communites is comprised of ,
 in particular , a set of sectoral programmes intended to :
 - consolidate existing Community projects (ongoing activities )
 - draw up the data in accordance with more efficient                methods
     ( restructured projects ),
 - create new information ( new projects ).
 ---pagebreak---                                        2
  The existing Community projects will have to be continued in the light
  of periodic examinations of their relevance and usefulness . The new and
  restructured projects will have to be either completed within the
  period 1989-1992 or prepared according to the aspects of methodology
  and feasibility and carried out progressively within time limits
  compatible with their usefulness .
  A. The sectoral programmes aimed at the following will have to be
     completed by 1992 :
     a ) assess the reliability and comparability of the systems of
         economic accounts supplied by the Member States ,, and decide what
         improvements are necessary for the GNP as the basis for assessing
         contributions to the Community budget ;
     b ) create a new system of collecting the statistics on
         intra-Community trade to replace the system which cannot remain
         in its existing form following the abolition of internal
         frontiers and frontier controls , so that the future level of
r        statistical information is quite close to the present ;
     c ) draw up sufficiently reliable and timely information to
         facilitate decision-making in the management of the common
         agricultural policy and the monitoring and assessment of such
         decisions ;
     d ) improve the quality and availability of the statistical
   '     indicators designed to define and measure the impact of the
         policies and programmes financed by the structural funds ;
 B. Progress also needs to be made in the short term in improving the
     statistical information in the following areas :
     a ) exchanges of services , which is vital for the international trade
         negotiations in which the Community is involved ;
     b ) industrial and    services enterprises   in order  to ensure the
         transparency of and monitor changes in the Single Market , and to
         prepare , monitor and evaluate Community programmes in this field,
         while developing more modern and rapid means of collecting and
         using data, with a view to lightening the burden on enterprises;
     c ) the main monetary and financial variables with a view to the
         strengthening of the European Monetary System and the use of the
         ECU ;
     d ) environment in order to achieve the objectives set by the
         European Single Act ;
     e ) European social area in order to provide the statistical
         information of help for the programmes which are set up to
         improve the living and working conditions of the citizens .
  C. The sectoral statistical programmes designed to supplement the
     existing information in the other areas covered by the Statistical
     Programme 1989-1992 will have to be prepared in line with political
     priorities from the point of view of methodology and feasibility and
     gradually implemented .
                                                                            10
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 3 -,
D. Furthermore , the Commission will have to
   a ) support and strengthen the statistical infrastructure of those
        Member States for which the accelerating process of integration
        is particularly burdensome ;
   b ) establish the means by which private and public sector economic
       operators will be able to draw on the statistical information
        thus generated , for the better management of their activities , in
        a cost-effective manner and with the use of the most adequate
        technologies ;
   c ) promote the development of the statistical systems of non-member
        countries , particularly the ACP countries , within the context of
        the development cooperation policy pursued by the Community;
   d ) develop a programme for the exchange of reliable and useful
        statistical information with state trading countries and their
        international organisations .
IV   Domains
In order to achieve the objectives referred to in Part I , the
Statistical Programme of the European Communities - which will be
carried out in liaison with the National Statistical            Institutes and
other appropriate bodies of the Member States - will have to provide
the information needed to implement Community policies , in particular :
I    THE    SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT :
     I.A    The Internai Market ;
     I.B    The   création of a   social  and  économie    area  ( économie  and
            social cohesion , monetary union , research and development , the
            envi ronment )
     I.C    Presence on the international       stage   ( external    relations .
            development coopération )
II   OTHER COMMUNITY POLICIES
     II . A Agriculture
     II . B Fisheries
     II . C Industry
     II . D Energy
     II . E Transport , tourism and other services
     II . F Information
III FUNCTIONING OF THE COMMUNITY
     III . A Own resources
     III . B Infrastructure
     III . C Staff management
The Statistical Programme will comprise a set of sectoral programmes
covering the following areas :
   -    National economic and financial accounts and prices
   -    Statistics on international trade , non-member countries and ACP
       countries
                                                                                  11
 ---pagebreak---                                      4
       Business statistics
       Social and régional statistics
       Statistics on agriculture , fisheries and the environment
       Statistical informatics and dissemination .
V   Organization
The Statistical Programme of the European Communities 1989-1992
includes some measures which have a basis in existing Community acts
and procedures ; others will be necessary in order to achieve the
objectives set out in paragraph I. To this end the Commission will take
the necessary steps assisted by the Statistical Programme Committee,
without prejudice to the competence of statistical committees in
existance at the time of entering into force of this resolution .
In order to accelerate and simplify the decision-making procedure, any
new statistical survey to be undertaken on the basis of a Council act
pursuant to Article 213 shall , as far as possible , be the subject of
framework regulations of the Council conferring the appropriate
executive powers on the Commission, assisted by the Statistical
Programme Committee .
VI  Finance
The Statistical Programme of the European Communities 1989-1992 will be
financed at Community level by appropriations from the general budget
of the European Communities, Chapter 76 .        Within this context the
Community will lend support to measures effected in the Member States ,
if necessary,     when they are destined to furnish the statistical
information needed for the implementation, monitoring or evaluation of
Community policy .
The annual amount will be decided in the context of the annual
budgetary procedure .
                                                                         12
 ---pagebreak---                                t
                                     DRAFT
                              COUNCIL DECISION
                              of •• •••••      0
   establishing a Cowaitte® to administer the Statistical Programme
                       of the European Comuni ties
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNTIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy
Community,
Having regard to the draft Decision submitted by the Commission ,
Whereas Council Resolution No ...       on the Statistical Programme of the
European Communities 1989-1992 highlighted the need for a comprehensive
and coherent statistical programme to support the objectives of the
European Communities ;
Whereas the implementation of the Statistical Programme calls for the
introduction of procedures to enhance the existing close cooperation
between the Member States and the Commission;
Whereas in order to bring about such cooperation a committee should be
established with responsibility for assisting the Commission in the
implementation   of    the    Statistical     Programme   of   the   European
Communities ;
Whereas it is desirable that such cooperation should embrace all
domains covered     by   the     Statistical   Programme   of   the  European
Communities ;
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS
                                    Article 1
A Statistical Programme Committee , hereinafter called the Committee ,
shall be established and shall be composed of representatives of the
statistical   institutes    of    the   Member   States  and  chaired    by   a
 representative of the Commission ( the Director-General              of    the
Statistical Office of the European Communities ).
                                    Article 2
The Committee shall assist the Commission in the general coordination
of the Multiannual Statistical Programmes , in order to ensure that the
actions to be undertaken are consistent with those decided upon in the
national statistical programmes .
                                                                                13
 ---pagebreak---                                  Article 3
The Commission shall consult the Committee on :
( a ) the actions to be undertaken to achieve the objectives referred to
      in the Council resolutions concerning the Multiannual Statistical
      Programmes ;
(b ) the methods and timetables for achieving these objectives ;
( c ) the objectives to be included in subsequent Statistical Programmes .
The Committee may consider any other question arising from the
establishment or implementation of the Statistical Programme which is
raised by its chairman , either on his own initiative or at the request
of a Member State .
The    Committee   shall furthermore   exercise  such   functions as  are
attributed to it by acts of the Council in the field of statistics , in
accordance with the terms of such acts .
                                 Article 4
The Committee shall prepare an annual report containing a review of the
statistical work for which it is responsible .        The report shall be
forwarded by the Commission to the Council and to the European
Parliament .
                                 Article 5
The Committee shall draw up its rules of procedure .
Done at Brussels , . 19 ..
                                                  For the Council
                                                  The President
 ---pagebreak---    STATISTICAL PROGRAMME
OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
           1989-1992
 ---pagebreak---                                          I
                                 TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I                                                            Page
The background and political priorities .                            1
New statistical initiatives . . .                                    2
The i mp lement at ion of statistical infomat ion policy.            4
Principles of cooperation between EUROSTAT and the National
Statistical Institutes ( NSI ) of the Heaber States .                8
The structure and presentation of the 1989-1992 Statistical
Programme of the European Communities .                              9
Definition of terns in the Statistical Programme .                  11
PART II
Introduction .                                                      13
I.    The Single European Act
      I.A. The internal market
            I.A.1 . Standardization and confidentiality .           14
            I.A. 2 . Intra-Community transactions after 1992 ....   16
            I.A. 3 . Enterprise sector .                            17
      I.B. Towards a social and economic area
            I.B.1 . Economie and social cohésion .                  18
            I.B. 2 . Towards a social area
            I.B. 2 . a . Growth of employment and combatting
                         unemployment .                             20
            I.B.2.b . Social dialogue .                             21
            I.B.2.C. Economie and social integration of
                         deprived groups and social security .      22
            I.B.3. Money and finance ....... .                      23
            I.B. 4 . Research and development .                     24
            I.B.5 . Environment .                                   25
      I.C. International affairs
            I.C.1 . External relations .                            27
            I.C. 2 . Technical coopération .                        31
 ---pagebreak---                                           II
II .  Other Coaaunity areas
      II . A. Agriculture .                                           33
      II . B. Fisheries .                                             35
      II.C. Industry .                                                36
      II . D. Energy .                                                38
      II . E. Services
              II.E.1 . Services in general .                          39
              II . E. 2 . Transport .                                 41
              II . E. 3 . Tou ri s» .                                 41
      II . F. Inforaation .                                           42
III . Functioning of the Conaunity
      III . A. Own resources .                                        44
      III . B. Infrastructure
               III.B.1 . Inforaatics .                                45
               III.B.2 . Support of and cooperation between the
                            Statistical Offices of the Heaber States  46
      III.C. Staff aanageaent .                                       4?
PART III
STATISTICS UNDER EUROSTAT RESPONSIBILITY
6eneral econoaic statistics, National accounts and prices ...         51
International trade statistics. Third countries and ACP
countries .                                                           63
Enterprise statistics .                                               73
Social and regional statistics . 89
Agricultural, fisheries and environaental statistics . 101
STATISTICS UNDER THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OTHER COMMISSION
SERVICES .                                                           115
INFORMATICS AND DISSEMINATION .                                      127
                                                                         17
 ---pagebreak--- PART I ---pagebreak---                               INTRODUCTION
                                 Hain theses of the
                        Coaaunity Statistical Programme and
                             its Units and priorities
A. The background and political priorities
1 . "The coming into force of the Single European Act has relaunched the
    European Union . The achievement of the internal market will free the powers
    of growth which are necessary to assure the competitiveness of Europe, as
    well as the economic and social cohesion of the Member States .    To this end,
    it serves to reinforce the Community 's ability to act ." These are the
    opening lines of the text , approved in Brussels at the summit meeting of
    Heads of State and Government ,     which relaunched the process of European
    integration .
    The Single European Act has set the Community six objectives :              the
    achievement of the Single Market ,    economic and social cohesion,    a common
    policy of scientific and technological development , the strengthening of the
    European Monetary System, the introduction of a European social dimension ,
    and coordinated action on the environment .
    These six policy objectives are the latest step on the road to European
    union embarked upon more than 30 years ago , which has found practical
    expression in common policies on, for example , coal and steel , agriculture,
    development cooperation, international trade relations , etc ., as well as in
    consultations in other areas ,    such as social policy,   energy,   transport ,
    industry or fisheries .
2. The Brussels and Hannover European Councils ( February 1988 and June 1988
    respectively ) confirmed this trend, and the prospect of the Single European
    Market in 1993 is now an important factor in the plans of all economic and
    social operators in the Member States : businesses , households , trade unions ,
    government and non-government bodies , etc .
    The Single Market implies in the first place the free movement of people ,
    goods , services and capital . There are, however, far-reaching political and
    administrative implications as well . Policies which were previously pursued
    in a fragmented way will have to be pursued in an integrated way . Regulatory
    measures which were taken independently will have to be taken jointly . The
    Single Market will even give rise to new policies and add further dimensions
    to existing policies . The Single Market will thus be the single most
    important driving force towards further European integration for years to
    come .
    This acceleration of integration has found practical expression in a
    decision to double the structural funds ( Social and Regional Funds and
    Agriculture Guidance Fund ), which are intended to strengthen social cohesion
    and to enable the Community 's less prosperous regions to catch up .
    The European Council also decided to reform the system for financing the
    budget .  The Community institutions,     conscious of the financial demands
    resulting from this decision on the new system of own resources, have
    decided to reinforce the discipline and thoroughness with which budgetary
    matters are to be conducted .
                                                                                     19
 ---pagebreak---                                         - 2 -
     One of the aspects of this budgetary discipline is the assessment of the
     impact of the sectoral programmes in order to measure their effects on and
     consequences for the social and economic fabric of European society .
 .   Finally as the Community will be present on the international scene as a
     responsible actor open to the world this implies for the Community to play a
     key role in the development of
     - the exchange with the traditional partners in the western world,
     ~ the economies of the developing countries ,
     - the relations with the state trading countries and their intergovern¬
       mental organisations .
 3. In this context ,    the setting up,     monitoring and assessment of common
     policies calls for increased coordination in the creation of a statistical
     infrastructure needed for this purpose . The aim must be not only to
    modernise the collection of data but , where necessary, to improve the
     reliability and consistency of the resulting information, extend its
     coverage and make it available more quickly .   At the same time an important
    objective is to reduce the administrative burden on businesses .   The overall
    aim is to provide the Community bodies ( Commission, Government and Council ),
     the national governments and all others involved in the market with a
     cost-effective statistical service which can help them to manage their
    affairs more effectively .
    As a result of the work done over the past 30 years , it has been possible in
    certain sectors (agriculture, iron and steel , external trade etc .) to create
    a range of statistical programmes which are already very harmonized and
    comparable at European level . In other areas, such as national accounts , the
    methodological bases exist but still need to be implemented . New fields are
    opening up as a result of the prospect of the Single Market : the national
    statistical systems ( National Institutes and other public and private
    statistical bodies ) and Eurostat will have to cooperate more and more
    closely to explore these fields and to find the solutions which will enable
    the Community statistical machinery to meet the challenge of 1993 .
B. New statistical initiatives
1 . Information in general and statistical information in particular will be
    important if the Single Market of 1993 and all the Community policies which
    accompany it are to work properly .
    Quantitative information is necessary not only for rational policy-making by
    the Community institutions ,        Member States' Governments and other
    authorities , but also to increase consensus on economic and social issues .
    If statistics are to play their necessary part in this process , they need to
    be appropriate for the uses to which they are to be part , and accepted by
    all those concerned as an objective representation of the facts . The
    confidence of users in the objectivity of the statistics is particularly
    important . To meet these criteria we shall need energy, imagination and a
    high level of professional competence from those engaged in this work , the
    necessary financial resources and active support and cooperation at a
    political level .
    Relevant statistical information is of great value to businesses .       Their
    activities are expected increasingly to reach beyond national borders with
    the completion of the Single European Market and the creation of European
    companies . Thus an ever larger business clientele will be asking for ever
                                                                                   20
 ---pagebreak---     more information as companies have to develop successful strategies for
    exploiting the opportunities offered and adjusting to the changes brought
    about by the Single Market . The growth of the European economy depends to a
    large extent on the ability of the businesses to meet these challenges of
    the Single Market . Relevant statistical information will undoubtedly enhance
    this ability .     Where businesses are unable to meet these needs for
    themselves ,   there will be a necessary role for EUROSTAT and national
    statistical services .
2 . The Community wishes to increase its effectiveness in this field by
    adopting , as in other infrastructure fields , a policy with the following
    objectives :
    a . to speed up the development of the statistical infrastructure necessary
        for the Single European Market to operate properly;
    b . to extend the coverage of Community statistics to include new fields of
        political action and public interest ;
    c . to enable Coeaunity policies to be assessed and the coresponding budget
        resources to be effectively anaged by developing reliable and up-to-date
        information at the necessary geographical levels;
    d . to promote the adoption of European statistical standards;
    e . to eliminate the barriers between the national statistical systems in
        order to construct an integrated European system .
    Attaining these objectives requires thorough consideration of priority
    actions and the resources needed to carry them out ,       as well as overall
    planning of the activities to be undertaken .
    Like other administrators and managers in government , those responsible for
    statistical services are faced by conflicting pressures :
    - a growing demand for information while resources ( particularly skilled
       professional resources ) are often insufficient to meet these challenges
    - demands    which   require  an   immediate  response  while   the  long-term
       development of statistical systems cannot be neglected without damaging
       consequences .
    This necessitates taking hard decisions about relative priorities . It may
    involve holding back or discontinuing existing work which do no longer
    present an interest or an advantageous cost / benefit ratio . The preparation
    of the programme for 1989-1992 provides an opportunity to take a fresh look
    at the problems and possibilities , and to identify the priority tasks on
    which we need to concentrate in the next few years . At the same time , the
    important work of looking for collection and processing methods which are
    based on more up-to-date techniques , and place a smaller burden on economic
    units , must continue .
3 . From the operational point of view a new Statistical Committee , to be set up
    under a Decision by the Council of Ministers of the Community , will have as
    its main task that of assisting the Commission in the designing and
    implementation of programmes which reconcile national and Community
    priorities , needs and resources . It will have to take account of the special
    features of each Member State 's statistical system in order to determine how
    quickly the necessary standardization of statistical information can be
 ---pagebreak---     achieved .    In particular , it will have to take account of the structural
    problems of those countries which have dfficulty in keeping up with the
     increasing pace of standardization .
'    Furthermore , information on the Community will often need to be put into an
    international context so that it can be compared with information on its
    main trading partners . As - or more than - in the past , the Community will
    have a key r6le to play in the development of the statistical systems at the
    world level . The revision of the system of accounts, classifications, world
    comparison projects , statistics on trade in goods and services etc . are at
    the centre of the discussions being conducted under the aegis of
    international organizations like the UN or the OECD .     The new Statistical
    Committee will be responsible for co-ordinating the Community input to this
    work and giving it the necessary impetus .
 C. The implementation of statistical information policy
1 . Statistics helping the internal market to operate properly
 This objective covers three broad types of action .
 Firstly,   the setting up of the new system of intra-Community trade statistics
after 31 December 1992 .     The removal of customs and tax barriers between the
Member States will help to increase trade and to reduce the associated costs ,
but it will also mean that the administrative infrastructure which provides
 intra-Community trade statistics will disappear .          The major national
departments concerned, business associations and the Commission, however ,
consider that the aim should be to maintain a level of information very close
to that of present statistics . Any replacement system will have to be
compatible with the elimination of obstacles to trade within the Single Market
and take account of the need not to increase the burden which supplying
information places on firms .
Secondly, ensuring that statistical information on industrial and service
enterprises is better adapted to the aim of transparency and to monitoring
changes in the Single Market .
An assumption is that the statistical system must eventually be able to monitor
all    industrial   and service activities and provide     information which   is
pertinent , fresh and flexible for the use of all those involved in the Single
Market .     Since it is essential to reduce the burden on businesses ,       the
statistical system will have to draw as widely as possible on the various
administrative and professional sources .
This requirement will be met by a gradual extension to all the Member States of
experience with business registers, in close association with other
administrative registers, and by the use of sampling, estimation and collection
techniques based on new technologies . The most pressing demands are for the
development of statistics on services, at both global and sectoral levels,
statistics on industrial products, shipping and air transport statistics and
statistics on tourism .
Energy statistics, which are already well developed, must be extended to cover
new forms of energy and to ensure the transparency of the prices of energy
products .
Thirdly, the creation of the information back-up needed for the development of
a genuine European social area , with the aim of facilitating social dialogue .
There is an ever-increasing demand for Member-State and regional figures on
 ---pagebreak---                                          - 5 -
  population trends and population structure in the Community ,     on participation
  in the world of work , on the extent and consequences of longer and longer
  periods of unemployment , and on typical or atypical new forms of employment . A
. link between employment and the possibilities of obtaining adequate
  professional training appears to be indispensable ; knowledge of incomes ,
  expenditures , wages and social security must be improved in order to support
  Community in making more effective its efforts to combat unemployment and the
  new forms of poverty which are becoming more and more common , not only in the
  regions in industrial decline .
  Community surveys , such as those on the labour force and labour costs , are
  already being carried out in the twelve Member States , and harmonized
  statistics are being produced in a large number of fields .     However, the whole
  range of information needs to be revised to take account of new developments ,
  in particular the labour force survey, and to be extended so that trends can be
  better monitored . The possibilities of using new statistical techniques and
  including in the Community statistical system material which is only partly
  used at present need to be pursued more energetically .         Household surveys ,
  particularly the family budget survey, could play an important r6le in this
  respect .
  2 . Statistics for new areas of policy _
  The   Community    recently  took  policy   decisions which   require   for  their
  implementation :
     - new statistics which , broadly speaking , are non-existent or are not
       sufficiently developed in a large number of , or even all , Member States ;
     - statistics from sectors in which the collection of information is difficult
       and extremely costly in the short term .
  The main objectives here are to take account of trade in services in
  international trade negotiations , to speed up the creation of a European
  financial area , to step up joint action on small and medium-sized businesses ,
  to promote a programme of research and technological development , to implement
  a common policy on environmental protection, to promote a Citizens' Europe and
  to implement a policy for rural areas .
  In some   of these areas , at a time when Community policies were at an embryonic
  stage ,   the Commission began by collecting existing information from ad hoc
  studies   or surveys in which the Statitical Offices were not always involved .
  As soon   as these Community policies take shape, the corresponding statistical
  activities must be coordinated within the Eurostat and NSI programmes .
  ... and of public interest
  With regard to service to the public , the approach to be adopted remains that
  of opening up more widely to the outside the Community 's entire statistical
  machinery as an important element in the development of the new information
  policy .     The statistical offices play a key r6le in the information market .
  This special r6le results from the degree of harmonization and standardization
  already achieved , in view of the considerable volume of well structured
  information covering a large number of aspects of Community life .             This
  information is available in various forms - hard copy and on line - and in
  several languages . In this context , if a Community policy on the dissemination
  of statistics is developed , it will provide backing for the policy and the
  priority action plan for developing the information services market .
                                                                                      23
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 6 -
Lastly, combined research into new statistical and data processing techniques
enabling large series of data to be processed and a considerable volume of
statistical information to be transmitted has led the Community 's statistical
services to play a pioneering role in the use of remote processing to process
and disseminate information .     This activity will have to be continued and
 intensified .
3. Assessment of Community policies and effective management of budgetary
    resources .
Sound decisions regarding the setting up or management of Community policies
are greatly assisted by the availability of reliable and timely statistical
information . The same applies to assessing the impact of Community programmes .
Following the European Council of February 1988 , which decided to double the
Community structural funds ( Social and Regional Funds and Agricultural Guidance
Fund ), a comprehensive Regulation on the reform of the structural funds was
adopted in June 1988 . This Regulation lays down the five priority objectives of
the structural funds and sets out , in the form of regional statistical
indicators , the criteria for eligibility of the regions : regional GDP,
unemployment rate and employment structure at NUTS 3 level . Implementing
regulations currently being discussed by the Council refer expressly to other
statistical indicators , in particular those taken from regional agricultural
accounts . These legal bases and the considerable importance of the funds places
a greater responsibility on the European statistical system to produce the
soundest possible statistical information .
Statisticians will help in this assessment which may require the conduct of
surveys and compiling data at a more and more detailed geographical level . And
this could involve high costs which the Community will have to assume by
providing , from the outset of such programmes , for the necessary information
coverage and its funding . The regionalisation of statistics based on surveys ,
however ,  should be limited in view of the high costs involved in supplying
detailed and sufficiently reliable data .
The revision of the Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP ) has already led to a large
increase in the demand for agricultural statistics , and this trend is bound to
continue throughout this revision process , in which the structural programmes
will play an increasingly important part . The recent decisions on budgetary
discipline for agricultural expenditure - incomes ,           production quotas ,
stabilizers , and retirement from farming - all present a challenge to
statisticians to implement a system of timely reliable and timely information
to assist the authorities in their decision-making and to allow policies to be
monitored and assessed .
The recently adopted decision to use GNP as a basis for assessing the
contribution of the Member States to the Community budget has two major
statistical implications :
- the Statistical Office and the National Statistical Institutes will have to
   devote additional resources for assessing and , where necessary , improving the
   comparability of the economic aggregates provided by the countries under the
   ESA ; particular attention should be paid to achieving a complete coverage of
   the economy ;
- use of the aggregates , not only for statistical and economic analyses , but
   also for administrative purposes to determine the exact contributions of the
   Member States reliability and accuracy of the figures ; the way in which
                                                                                 24
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 7 -
   account is to be taken will inevitably mean that greater attention may be
   focused on the revisions made by the Member States following the improvement
   of statistical sources will have to be agreed .
It is essential that 6NP estimates should strictly adhere to ESA concepts and
definitions so that this aggregate is comparable at Community level . If Member
States were to adopt the ESA for the national accounts , the likelihood of
achieving this objective would be greatly improved .
4 . European statistical standards
The creation of the European Internal Market takes the Community from an
economic zone , in which it was sufficient to harmonize, to a level of economic
integration which calls for European standardization along the same strict
lines as national standardization .
Compiling statistical information at Community level means that the value of
the data is greatly increased, since they acquire greater importance for the
national governments , businesses and all those involved in Community affairs .
Comparisons with other Member States and with the Community as a whole become
increasingly important as both the public and governments seek to assess their
position and their progress in the social and economic field . Putting
statistics on a Community footing produces added value as a result of the
aggregation and harmonization of national data . This added value is extremely
high and often underestimated . It is the result of the introduction of
Community standards ( common nomenclatures , classifications and methods ) which
enable the flow of comparable statistical information to be improved . The
application of standards will be guaranteed through Community legal bases . The
prospect of the Single Market has given fresh impetus to work in this field .
At the same time businesses must be encouraged to participate in producing the
information necessary for their market analyses and their management . Sound
standards , well understood and well applied, produce information of value to
the businesses themselves and encourage them to reply to statistical surveys .
When these standards are more generally followed at national level , they will
also have the significant effect of a reduction in the cost of converting
figures to the Community systems .
As a result of these projects , uniform and up-to-date data will be available at
Community level , thus enabling economic activity to be effectively monitored in
the same way as for the United States and Japan .
5 . Towards an increasingly integrated European statistical system
As part of the implementation of the statistical information policy, speeding
up the integration of the national statistical systems is not only a desirable
aim but a real necessity . There are four reasons for this .
Firstly, the national statistical services are finding it more and more
difficult to obtain the necessary funds for carrying out their programmes , and
even more so when it comes to Community programmes . It is therefore becoming
increasingly necessary for these funds to be used more rationally, which means
that statistical programmes and systems must be more thoroughly integrated to
avoid any duplication of effort and to permit a reduction of costs per project .
Some work projects in certain fields might , for example, be entrusted to
specialized bodies in one or two Member States rather than being spread, with
no real added value, over several countries . Or certain initiatives , for
example in the field of training, taken by one or other of the NSIs might be
                                                                                 25
 ---pagebreak---                                         - 8 -
  applied to Community statistics as a whole . Or lastly, common data processing
  resources might be developed in several countries in order to rationalize the
  costs of processing and disseminating the information collected .
, Secondly, an integrated Europe requires that all those involved in the Single
  Market should be placed on an equal footing as regards both the requirement to
  provide data and the availability of the information produced . Although
  marginal in relation to the whole mass of administrative information collected
  from businesses and households , statistical information could reach proportions
  which are a considerable burden on society . If there is to be rationalization ,
  it must be introduced on a harmonized basis throughout the Community to avoid
  discrepancies in the requirements for the provision of data . This means that
  national statistical programmes must be integrated and harmonized, particularly
  as regards major surveys . At the other end of the statistical chain,
  information is increasingly becoming a commodity whose usefulness extends
  beyond national frontiers . So it is essential for dissemination systems to be
  progressively harmonized so that all Community citizens have access to the
  fullest and most reliable information covering the whole Community .
  Thirdly,   the process of bringing the statistical systems of all the European
  countries into line with each other needs to be speeded up . The successive
  enlargements of the Community have led to a slowing down of this convergence
  and thus of harmonization . It now looks as if it will take longer for
  harmonization between Member States to produce a reduction in costs , but this
  still remains a necessary objective . Considerable efforts will have to be made
  at Community level to enable the more recent members of the Community and those
  countries which are experiencing increasing difficulties as a result of the
  quickening pace of change to integrate more quickly into the Community . To
  achieve this it is necessary, on the one hand , for the Community to finance
  specific projects and, on the other , for those countries with the most highly
  developed statistical machinery to help the others by organizing training
  courses , pooling teams of methodologists , actively sharing research into new
  techniques , or developing data processing systems which can be adapted to
  specific operations which are common to all the countries,         thus enabling
  available resources to be rationalized and redeployed .
  Fourthly, national frontiers are, in some respects , becoming less significant
  for statistical purposes . Trans-border regions will be of greater economic
  importance (e.g. Saar-Lorraine-Luxembourg ) , and this will have to be reflected
  in the information collection process , since information may well be collected
  in one Member State and used in another ( e.g. data on tourism, where there is a
  demand from both public and private operators in the Community 's southern
  countries for information on the destinations of holidaymakers from the north ).
  Lastly, various aspects of economic activity are appearing in different Member
  States as economic agents become more "transeuropean" (e.g. a company legally
  based in one country and operating in others ). This is bound to affect the way
  in which information is collected .
  D. Principles of cooperation between Eurostat and the National Statistical
     Insti tûtes (NSI ) of the Nember States .
  The preparation of the Statistical Programme 1989-1992 has shown the necessity
  of reinforcing the process of cooperation between Eurostat and the NSI 's with a
  view to developing Community statistical information .
                                                                               26
 ---pagebreak---                                        - 9 -
This cooperation must be based on the following principles :
- the    characteristics   of  each  statistical  systea  must   be  taken   into
  consideration in the definition and application of Coaaunity statistical
  work .
  It is desirable , therefore , to analyse how far the statistical harmonization
  which remains essential may be implemented differently as a function of the
  capacity and priorities of individual Member States ( e.g. by making
  harmonization more flexible , variable speed " Communitization"), whilst , at
  the same time ,    aiming for a basic language shared by the statisticians of
  Europe .
- statistical work of a Coaaunity nature aust benefit ,        in so far as is
  possible, froa Coaaunity support .
  It is desirable to continue the practice of the Commissions financial
  participation in Community statistical works ; at least in their development
  phase , and most particularly for the smaller countries where Community
  requirements often create an heavy burden of work .
- the statistical systeas of the weaker countries aust benefit froe the support
  of the Coaaission and of the stronger countries in so far as is possible .
  It is desirable to continue , in the appropriate form and on the basis of
  existing resources , financial support for the development of the statistical
  infrastructure in these countriese . It consists , equally, of developing
  exchanges between Member States , so that the weaker links can benefit from
  the stronger .
- the statistical requireaents of the Coaaissions services aust be co-ordinated
  by Eurostat .
  In order to limit the development of Community statistics to the needs which
  are of essential priority it is desirable to avoid the duplication of
  requests for statistical information to the Member States by the different
  services of      the Commission through ensuring the co-ordination of these
  requests by Eurostat .
- the developaent of requests for statistical inforaation froa individuals and
  enterprises aust be accoapanied by efforts to ensure the reduction in the
  burden of replying to the said request .
  This can be achieved by several means such as : better co-ordination of
  requests ;    better utilisation of administrative records ; computerised
  collection of the data coming from the enterprises ; etc .
E. The structure and presentation of the 1989-1992 Statistical Prograaae
   of the European Coaaunities
The policy on statistical information was presented to the Council in the form
of a communication from the Commission in May 1988 . Its implementing instrument
is the new 1989-92 Statistical Programme set out below .
As in the past , the " Statistical Programme of the European Communities " will
be, as far as community 's programmes are concerned, the reference of the
statistical activities of EUROSTAT , of the Commisson 's other departments and of
the Member States , as part of a previously defined policy .
                                                                             27
 ---pagebreak---                                              - 10 -
This programme will define :
- the priorities and a timetable for the next few years ;
- the tasks devolving upon the national services and the Commission during
 ' this period ;
- the means required, namely :
   ~ the amendments to be made to statistics legislation;
   - the budgetary resources, particulary for the most recent and the smallest
       Member States .
The 1989-1992 Statistical Programme of the European Communities is presented
below in two ways .
Part II of the document presents the Programme 's activities and projects (for
definitions see section F according to the main Community policies ; the
statistical requirements are set out for each policy, as regards both
established practice and new developments . Community policies fall into three
 chapters :      *
- sectoral statistical programmes linked to the provisions of the
    Single European Act ;
 - sectoral statistical programmes in support of Community policies ;
 - sectoral statistical programmes for the functioning of the Community .
 Each chapter is broken down into sectoral statistical programmes by reference
 to sectoral policies . The programmes are as follows :
 I.       The Single European Act
          I.A.    The Internai Market
                   I.A.1 . Standardization and confidentiality
                   I. A. 2 . Intra-community transactions after 1992
                   I. A. 3 . Enterprise sector
          I.B.     Towards a social and economic area
                   I.B.1 . Economic and social cohesion
                   I.B. 2 . Social area
                   I.B. 3 . Monetary union
                   I.B. 4 . Research and development
                   I.B. 5 . Environment
          I.C.     International affairs
                   I.C.1 . External relations
                   I.C. 2 . Development coopération
  II .   Other Community policies
         II . A. Agriculture
         II . B. Fisheries
         II.C. Industry
         II . D. Energy
         II . E. Services ( including Transport and Tourism)
         II . F. Information
                                                                               28
 ---pagebreak---                                     ' - 11 -
III . Functioning of the Community
      III . A. Own resources
      III.B. Infrastructure
<     III.C. Staff management
Part III of this document assigns the work envisaged in the Programme to the
various Commmunity services in charge . These are on the one hand EUROSTAT
services and on the other hand services in other Directorates-general . This
part gives a description not only of the work which will be undertaken in view
of Community policies as presented in part II of the Programme but also of the
work which is done by the statistical services of the Community for the public
at large .
Part III is subdivided as follows
1 . Statistics under EUROSTAT responsibi lity
       - general economic statistics, National Accounts and prices^
       - international trade statistics , Third countries and ACP
          countries
       - enterprise statistics
       - social and regional statistics
       - agricultural , fisheries and environmental statistics
2 . Statistics under the responsibility of other Commission Services
3 . Informât ics and Dissémination
In a separate document the Commission supplies details of each activity or
programme under the Statistical Programme, setting out the objectives, the
policy reference , the implications for the Commission and the Member States ,
deadlines and timetables, any funding involved, and the methods of
disseminating the information . This document , which is available from Eurostat ,
is the working tool for monitoring the work planned under the programme during
the next few years .
F. Definition of terms in the Statistical Programme
Activities relate to the regular management and production of statistics under
projects already operational from previous statistical programmes ; projects
refer to all the development work undertaken by the Office during the period
of the Programme to achieve structured objectives . The projects are geared to
either existing or new objectives . In the former case, they are referred to as
restructured projects, the aim being to develop an existing form of statistics
more productively by applying considerable resources for a given period . In the
latter case, they are referred to as new projects, the aim of which is to
produce a new body of data which are not yet available .
                                                                                29
 ---pagebreak--- PART IE ---pagebreak---                                    - 13 -
INTRODUCTION
Statistics have played an important role in the European integration
process over    the  last  decades .   Statistical    information about   the
Community has supported the conduct of policies by Member States
Governements , the Commission and other authorities , and fostered
consensus    concerning   economic    and    social    issues .  Statistical
information , however , has been of equal importance for the private
sector as private sector activities have reached increasingly beyond
national borders . A process towards a Community statistical system has
thus been established whereby considerable progress has been achieved
in many areas trade , agricultural , steel , coal , energy statistics and
in national accounts .
Now the Community is on the move again towards further integration .
Further social , and economic integration calls for a significant
investment into the statistical infrastructure of the Community . More
and above all more appropriate information capturing the essence of the
economic and social life in the Community is urgently needed . Only four
years separate us from the Single European Market . Many other Community
policy initiatives are under way . Thus the stage is set for a new
initiative in Community statistics to be undertaken in view of the
political initiatives .
This part of the document thus presents the activities and        projects of
the programme according to the main Community policies ; the      statistical
requirements are set out for each policy, as regards both         established
practice and new developments . Community policies fall            into three
chapters :
  - sectoral statistical programmes linked to the provisions of the
    Single European Act ;
  - sectoral statistical programmes in support of other Community
    policies ;
  - sectoral    statistical   programmes    for   the   functioning    of the
    Community .
I. THE SINGLE EUROPEAN ACT
With the Single European Act the political agenda for the Community has
been set for the forthcoming years . The accomplishment of the Internal
Market will clearly take centre stage . The Community will move with the
accomplishment of the Internal Market towards a truely common and
Community-wide social and economic area. However, the Internal Market
will have a strong impact not only on the European economy but on the
European society as a whole . This calls for policies which accompany
the implementation of the Internal Market and assure social and
economic cohesion .    Finally beyond the important move towards further
integration the Community will also be present on the world political
scene as a decisive and responsible actor contributing to world
economic growth through international cooperation .
 ---pagebreak---                                    14 -
The conduct of all these policies requires statistical information, in
some cases entirely new information, in others improved information .
Thus these three priority areas in Community policy are clearly
reflected in the Statistical Programme of the Community so that there
will be no lack of information in those crucial areas .
I.A. The Internai Market
The Single European Act lays down a new range of objectives for the
Community integration policy, most prominent the achievement of the
internal market by the end of 1992 . Creating an Internal Market calls
also for a special effort in order to provide at latest by 1992 the
statistical inforaation necessary for a smooth functioning of the
internal market .
A whole range of projects in statistics will be launched in the years
to come in view of the Internal Market : the existing system of
statistics has to be advanced towards a real Community system of
statistics through intensive work on the standardisation of concepts
and classifications; a post-1992 statistical system for intra-Community
transactions has to be developed replacing the current one for goods
that will be swept away by the Internal Market ; important gaps will
have to be filled, most notably those caused by data confidentiality
and security and those concerning inforaation about enterprises .
I.A.1 . Standardization and Confidentiality
The single European market will lead to yet closer integration of the
national economies . However, the European economy to which this will
give rise is more than the sum of the constituent national economies .
This has far-reaching consequences for the Community statistical
system . As yet major parts of this system are still fragmented and
incomplete , although considerable progress has been achieved in recent
years . Barriers between national systems still exist , but they must be
overcome in the near future . Only then will the statistical system
based on the collation of national statistics be transformed into a
true Community system .
A Community system of this kind is indispensable, since data provided
by a fragmented and incomplete system are only of limited use . This is
a weakness that significantly impedes taking full advantage of the
opportunities which the internal market will undoubtedly offer . It is
therefore a weakness that must be remedied, since the Community is in
dire need of the stimulus arising from the internal market
Work towards standardization is concentrated on two areas :  methods and
classifications . Methodological work takes place in national accounts
and in trade in goods , services and capital . The methodology of the
European System of Integrated Economic Accounts ( ESA ) is being further
developed in order to facilitate links with balance of payments
statistics and to establish a link between flows and stocks using
balance sheets . Finally the purchasing power parities, an instrument to
compare national accounts aggregates in real terms , will be improved
and refined .
 ---pagebreak---                                                             - 15 -
The harmonization of classifications of goods and economic acitivities
worldwide and, more specifically , at European level is essential if
statistics are to be comparable .                                 Without harmonization on a European
scale it is impossible to interrelate data on production , trade ,
employments and investments .                              This interconnection is indispensable ,
however , for obtaining as consistent an overall view as possible of the
situation and structure of the European economy .                                       Finally , the
classifications of territorial units must be further developed in order
to meet the demands of all the Community policies with a regional
component . The worldwide harmonization of classifications is of great
importance in the context of international negotiations .
The transition from a system which merely collates national data to a
European system will be made easier if a uniform solution can be found
to the questions of confidentiality and data protection . Only then will
it be possible to supply the comprehensive statistical data required by
the internal market .
        Activity/Project                                                                                   £
   type title                                                                                         page £
     N  Coordination of statistics and accounts - general                                               55
     N  Coordination of macro-economic statisitcal systems                                              55
     N  Coordination of statistics and accounts - micro-macro                                           56
     N  Statistical coordination for the internal market                                                56
     N  Statistical confidentiality and security                                                        75
     R  Classification of activities and products                                                       53
     R  Community system of accounts ( ESA) - Methodology                                               55
     R  Enterprise activity and product classifications                                                 80
     C  Typical problems concerning national accounts methodology                                       56
     C  Methodology of purchasing power parities                                                        56
     C  Classification of goods for external trade                                                      65
     C  Classification of countries                                                                     65
        (N = now project, R > restructured project, C •= current activity)
                                                                                                             34
 ---pagebreak---                                                               - 16 -
I. A. 2 . Intra-Coaaunity Transactions after 1992
Transactions              between           Member           States        are   expected    to   grow   as   a
consequence of the Internal Market . Information about intra-Community
transactions is regarded as important for both private and public
operators . The conduct of many Community policies , most notably of
those directed towards economic convergence , will have to rely on such
information . Thus a system will have to be developed encompassing trade
in goods and services as well as financial flows .
The implementation of the Internal Market implies that administrative
and customs controls at the Community 's internal borders will be
abolished . The current system of intra-Community trade statistics ,
however , relies on the existence of customs controls . An alternative
will have to be put in place because intra-Community trade statistics
are important not only for the Community and Member States , but also
for the business community .                                      Several alternatives are currently
considered, most notably the use of adainistrative records and direct
surveys . A decision about the basic principles will be taken already in
1988 taking into account that the burden on business for providing the
information will have to be reduced .
The Internal Market is of particular relevance in the area of services .
While       information               about         intra-Community             trade   in   goods   has   been
available for many years ,                            information about intra-Community trade in
services        has       never been               available            in   sufficient    detail .  Thus the
statistical system will have to be extended to services . With the need
to put the system for trade in goods on an entirely new basis there is
an opportunity to tackle both goods and services trade with a more
comprehensive system .                         The methodological aspects and the various
potential sources of information are currently examined and proposal
will be made to Member States .
Economic convergence in the context of the Internal Market , however ,
can only be achieved if equal access to an integrated capital Market is
assured throughout the Community . An effective conduct of Community
policy directed towards economic convergence requires information on
the sectoral and geographical aspects of financial stocks and flow as
well as on interest rates related to different financial instruments .
Thus a system of financial statistics will be advanced in order to
support the process of both capital market integration and economic
convergence .
       Activity/Project
type   title                                                                                                   page
  N    Statistics of trade in goods betwen Member States after 1 992                                             65
  N    Statistics on international trade in services                                                             65
  N    Survey on trade in services                                                                               69
  C    International capital movements                                                                           68
       (N = new project, R = restructured project C = current activity)
                                                                                                                    35
 ---pagebreak---                                                                    17 -
I. A. 3 . Enterprise Sector
Creating a truly European market requires increased transparency of the
enterprise sector . The existing system for industrial enterprises is
somewhat unsatisfactory even for current purposes and does not meet
many of the new information requirements . A system for services
enterprises is not even existing, instead information is provided in a
peacemeal , spasmodic , and indirect fashion .
New avenues are being explored to establish complementary possibilities
encompassing industrial and services enterprises amongst which
registers and panels are most promising . Methodologies have to be
adapted for industrial enterprises in order to accommodate
technological trends , the growth of transnational companies / the
externalisation of services, etc . They have to be developed almost from
scratch for services enterprises as an encompassing methodology does
not exist .
An efficient system of enterprise statistics depends on the quality
(accuracy, completeness , timeliness ) of statistical returns from
enterprises . This is much improved if there is an information feedback
to professional associations and to firms so that the information
collected is meaningful to enterprises and returned to them in an
attractive way . Such a feedback can finally contribute to an efficient
collection process that does not impose too much of a burden on
enterprises . Finally such contacts will help to clarify the statistical
informations needs of enterprises operating in the Internal Market .
          Activtty/Project
  type    title                                                                                        page
    N     Adapting the industrial statistical system to the needs of the internal market                 78
    N     General framework of services                                                                  83
          (N = r»w projact. R > restructurée) project, C = current activity)
I.B. Touards a Social and Economie Area
The Internal Market will change the European economy .                                 These changes ,
however,          will not be confined to the economic realm,                             instead the
Internal Market will have a strong impact on the different European
societies and will eventually support the creation of a truly European
society, if the social and economic problems that come with these
changes are addressed . This calls for a range of policies which
accompany the implementation of the Internal Market .
These policies as defined in the Single Act will :
– assure an increased social and economic cohesion;
- foster financial and monetary integration ;
- strengthen the technological position of the Community and thus its
   competitiveness ; and
– address increasing environmental concerns .
                                                                                                          36
 ---pagebreak---                               ,  - 18 -
The support of this wide range of policies calls for an equally wide
range of statistical information . This need is clearly reflected in the
Community 's statistical programme set up in support of the conduct of
these policies .
I.B.1 . Economie and Social Cohésion
The creation of the Internal Market will benefit from a balanced social
and economic development . The efforts of the Community to promote such
balanced development are reflected in :
- the Community 's intention to coordinate the economic policies of the
   Member States and to incorporate them into a common strategy for
   growth ;
-  the decision to reform and considerably increase the structural
   funds , thereby attaching greater importance to regional and social
   aspects of economic growth .
The coordination of the Member States' economic policies is an
important step towards creating a single European economic area .    This
coordination cannot be achieved, however, without accurate knowledge of
the economic situation in the individual Member States , and this poses
a challenge to the statistical system, which will have to provide
information for the following :
-  comparison of the economic situations in the Member States ;
-  evaluaton of the interdependence of Community countries ;
-  thorough analysis of economic changes ;
-  assessment of économie policy measures .
The European System of Integrated Economic Accounts ( ESA ) is very much
the cornerstone in the provision of this information .     It is a system
which , since its introduction in 1970, has provided a coherent
framework for a wide range of statistical information .          By being
brought together in the ESA, this information has acquired a new
quality .    The ESA has proved its usefulness in the planning and
implementation of Community policies not only generally in connection
with integration policy but also in such widely differing areas as
agricultural policy or industrial policy .
The Community is currently cooperating with the UN on the further
development of this system . Further improvements , are made in view of
meeting the Community 's new objectives , particularly the achievement of
the Internal Market . This development is indispensable for calculating
gross national product , which is now of major importance for fixing the
Community 's own resources .      It also applies , however ,      to the
input-output tables , which can help to assess the impact of Community
policies ,   and to the accounts of the institutional sectors ,
particularly the general government sector .
Efforts are also being made to increase the periodicity of the economic
accounts .   The achievement of the Internal Market is bound to mean an
increase in the mobility of capital as well as of goods and services .
Sound short-term economic analysis is only possible , however, if this
greater mobility is reflected in an increased periodicity of
statistics .     The development of quarterly accounts has met this
requirement . Finally, the further development of the Community has led
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 19 -
 to a situation in which the European institutions themselves have
 acquired such economic importance that they need to be introduced into
 the ESA as a unit in their own right .
 The comparability of information, not only from the ESA but also from
 other areas, is increased by a series of price statistics and
 particularly by the purchasing power parities derived from them . The
 further development of purchasing power parities is therefore
 particularly important , not only for making appropriate price
 adjustments but also for comparing levels between the Community
 countries in real terms .
 The objective is a comprehensive macroeconomic information system
 capable of meeting the demands of economic policy in a Community
 undergoing structural change . The further development of the ESA and
 the system of purchasing power parities is a step in this direction .
 The reform of the Community 's structural funds is a cornerstone of the
 efforts to achieve greater social and economic cohesion in the
 Community .      This reform is intended to achieve the following
objectives :
- to promote development and adjustment in the structurally weak
     regions of the Community;
- to assist in the conversion of industrial areas in decline;
- to combat long-term unemployment , which has increased for all age
    groups ;
- to help young people start a career;
- to adapt agricultural structures and develop rural areas .
This reform places additional demands , of both quantity and quality, on
the statistical information system .     Information is needed on Member
States and regions which is comparable and enables the progress of
structural programmes to be monitored and assessed .       In many cases
statistical indicators are important for the decision-making process
itself .
The system of regional statistics must therefore be expanded in the
next few years to cater for the increased importance of regional
policy . The main objectives will be :
- to work out the regional indicators necessary for implementing the
   Regulations on the structural funds ;
- to develop the whole range of information which will enable the
   Commission to analyse the social and economic situation and trends in
   the regions of the Community on the basis of statistics which are as
   comparable and up-to-date as possible .
 ---pagebreak---                                                            - 2U -
        Activity/Project
 type   title                                                                                                      page
   R    Development of balance sheets                                                                                 56
   R    The Community labour force survey                                                                             91
   R    Nomenclature of territorial units ( NUTS ) and localities (LOC)                                               98
   C    Social statistics at regional level                                                                           99
   C    Economic aggregates and quarterly accounts                                                                    53
   C    Sectoral accounts                                                                                             54
   C    Economie accounts at regional level                                                                           99
   C    Branch accounts and input-output tables                                                                       54
   C    Economic accounts of Community Institutions                                                                   54
   C    Consumer price indices                                                                                         57
   C    Survey of final consumption prices ( households and government)                                               57
   C    Price surveys on gross fixed capital formation                                                                 58
   C    Regional price surveys                                                                                         58
   C    Financial Accounts                                                                                             60
   C    Financial balance sheet                                                                                        60
   C    Balance of Payments of European Institutions                                                                   68
   C    Agricultural statistics at regional level                                                                      99
   N    Total income of agricultural households                                                                     107
 DG II  Business survey on enterprises and households                                                               116
DG XXII Mangement system for the Integrated Mediterranean Programmes                                                125
DGXXII  Impact evaluation system of structural interventions                                                         125
DG XXII IFC Database (Community Financial Instruments)                                                               1 25
        (N = new project R » restructured project C » current activity)
        (DG II = Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs in charge of the activity)
        (DG XXII = Directorate-General Coordination of Structural Instruments in charge of the activity)
    I.B.2 .         Towards a social area
    I.B.2.a .         Growth of eoployaent and coabatting unemployment
    When the Internal Market without borders and with complete freedom of
    movement has been achieved by 1992 , national economic policies should
    have beenbrought more into line with each other using the potential for
    growth in the Community to promote employment and combat unemployment .
     In the light of this objective , accompanying social measures will
    become increasingly important .                                  In addition to political actions , the
    observation and analysis of the changes in employment which occur in
    the various sectors as a result of the completion of the Internal
    Market and other structural changes should also be regarded as an
    accompanying measure .                             This observation will be the basis for
    determining the thrust of social policy measures .                                                   In many cases ,
    however , it will not be possible to distinguish between consequences
    which stem solely from the Internal Market and those which stem from
    other structural changes , e.g. technological progress , organizational
    changes etc ., so that observation must be extended to cover all forms
    of change .
    Particular attention should therefore be paid to unemployment , since it
    affects the individual regions of the Community differently, and
    certain population groups are also particularly affected, by long-term
    unemployment , youth unemployment or women 's unemployment .                                              All these
    groups will be covered by specific Community action programmes .
    This necessary and thorough observation of employment and the situation
    on the employment market requires appropriate statistical machinery to
    provide reliable and comparable statistics on employment with detailed
    breakdowns by sex , activity , economic sector , type of activity ,
    vocational training and qualifications etc ., without neglecting the
    aspects of non-employment in the form of unemployment , underemployment
    or inactivity .                This is provided by the Community labour force survey.
                                                                                                                          39
 ---pagebreak---                                                              - 21
which is , however , in need of revision to keep its content in line with
the changing conditions of employment and methodologically to ensure
maximum comparability and reliability of results for the regions of the
Community .
The results of this Community survey form the core of the employment
analysis and the basis for the optimum utilization of a whole range of
national indicators for Community purposes .
       Activfty/Project
type   tltle                                                                                            page
  N    Development of statistics on hours of work and volume of work                                       92
  N    Adaptation of statistics to new types and changing structures of employment                         93
  R    Active and inactive population in the Community                                                     91
  R    Community labour force survey                                                                       91
  C    Employment and unemployment : monitoring of trends and structures                                   91
  C    Social statistics at regional level                                                                 99
  C    Economic accounts at regional level                                                                 99
  C    Community investment grants                                                                         99
  C   Other regional statistics (transport, environment , energy ,...)                                   100
  C    REGIO data bank                                                                                    100
  C    Regional agricultural statistics                                                                    99
       (N = new project R = restructured project, C - current activity)
                                                                              жтжжтшт
I.B.2.b . Social Dialogue
The Single Act provides for the development of a dialogue between the
two sides of industry, and the European Council in Hannover on 27 and
 28 June 1988 asked the Commission to step up this dialogue
 considerably .
 The need for a social dialogue is seen because there is concern that
with the implementation of the Internal Market jobs might be lost in
 areas which are socially more advanced while new jobs would he created
 in others which are socially less advanced . It is feared in this
 connection that social progress will be impeded in the socially most
 advanced countries .
 Against this background, statistics on incomes and expenditures, wages
 and salaries, and employment costs are extremely important . It is
 therefore essential for existing surveys on earnings and employment
 costs
 such   asto that
               be continued,
                       on    wage      and    and
                                               salary  we should
                                                              structuresLookshould
                                                                             clos*ly&be resumed. er gJJ™eys
                                                                                                    Surveys
 of this kind are useful for clarifying connections which are
                                                                                                              40
 ---pagebreak---                                                                 г 22 -
  apparent from the examination of average figures alone ,                       e.g.    the
  effects of the composition of the workforce Cage ,                               sex   and
  quali fications ) .
  Cooperation between the two sides of industry is also indispensable for
  promoting training and the necessary adaptation of the workforce to
 meet the demand for certain qualifications .
  This requires adequate statistical documentation covering a much wider
  range than that available today , particularly with regard to education ,
 training,            the structure of the employment market ,                    available
 qualifications , and safety at work .
       Activity/Project
type   title                                                                            page
  N    Social statistic library                                                           96
  N    The social aspects of the Internal Market                                          97
  N    Social situation of "Target Groups"                                                98
       (N - new project Ft = revised project C = current activity
 I.B.2.C.        Economic and social integration of deprived groups and social
                 security
 A large number of people in the Community are excluded from economic
 and social progress .                           National social and economic policies and
 Community actions on employment help to prevent the marginalization of
 certain groups threatened by structural changes . However , the social
 and economic changes that accompany the completion of the Internal
 Market could well increase the already large number of marginalized
 people . Further Community actions will therefore be launched in order
 to increase            social and economic cohesion in the Community .
 A Community action programme for the economic and social integration of
 deprived groups calls for improved information on the nature of the
 phenomenon, the characteristics of the social groups most at risk , and
 the forces behind the new patterns of economic and social exclusion . We
 must therefore continue the regular collection of comparable data on
 the most deprived groups in the Community . What is also required is a
 system for identifying such groups . Account will have to be taken of
 the fact that many of these people are unable to take advantage of
 their rights or have no fixed abode and therefore slip through the
 statistical net . These data will be supplemented by information on the
 perception of poverty and differences in                                living standards .
 Administrative registers , structural household surveys and household
 panels will be the main instruments for analysing the forces which
 cause poverty and for measuring the effectiveness of social security
 systems .
 Social security , however , is relevant not only in the context of
 poverty but also in the context of mobility . Guaranteeing conditions
 for genuine freedom of movement of persons and a European area of
 occupational mobility is an important social dimension of the internal
                                                                                             41
 ---pagebreak---                                                               - 23 -
 market . Most countries operate social security schemes and similar
 arrangements which are responsible for paying out cash benefits to
 various groups on risk, in particular the aged, the sick and disabled,
 the unemployed and the monoparental families ; in addition schemes of
 public assistance have been introduced in many countries in which the
 grant made is , in part at least , dependent on the circumstances , which
 are kept under regular review of the individual or family . Furthermore ,
 many countries organise a range of welfare services which provide
 benefits in kind . Finally, private occupational pension and sick pay
 schemes are becoming increasingly important in most countries .
 The proliferation of schemes set up under collective agreements in some
 countries ,         the lack of accurate information on these schemes and their
 great complexity are such that Community comparisons are possible only
 in broad terms . Consideration of this range of problems suggests to
 improve statistics about                        the distribution of household incomes and the
various redistributions resulting mainly from government policy with
 respect to taxes , social services benefits and assistance .
The European Systea of Integrated Social Protection Statistics
 ( ESSPROSS ) and The Faaily Budgets Survey provide a framework for social
statistics . These instruments contain a variety of data ranging from
national data on social protection to consumption expenditure and other
information on households . It is intended to improve these instruments
through an in-depth harmonization and to complement them with data on
income and taxation . Only then it will be possible to monitor the
social consequences of provisions related to the completion of the
Internal Market .
        Activity/Project
 type   title                                                                              page
   N    Education and vocational training                                                    94
   N    Health and safety at work                                                            94
   N    Poverty                                                                              95
   N    Social protection and welfare services                                               96
   N    Cultural statistics                                                                  96
   R    Family budget surveys                                                                95
   C    Population and housing statistics                                                    93
   C    Wages, salaries and labour costs                                                     95
        (N = new project R = revised project C = current activity
I.B.3. Honey and Finance
The monetary union is considered to be an                                 important component
contributing to a truly unified European market . Community policies
pursued in order to pave the way toward monetary union are focused on
the highly interrelated and complementary financial and Monetary
integration .
The financial integration aims at the creation of a unified financial
area in which savings in on part of Europe could be mobilized easily to
finance investment projects and other economic activities in other
                                                                                                42
 ---pagebreak---                                                           - 24 -
parts . This free movement of capital would lower the costs of finance
contributing to growth and employment especially in the context of the
Internal Market .                 Community policies in financial integration are
focused on the step-wise removal of financial barriers most notably of
exchange controls . Competition in financial markets will thus increase
with Community principles concerning supervision and regulation of the
banking sector put in place .
The Monetary integration is pursued through joint monetary and exchange
rate policies gradually paving the way towards the creation of a common
currency . The cornerstone of community policy is the European Monetary
Systea ( EMS ) with the European Currency Unit ( ECU ).                                             Monetary
integration, however is reaching beyond the public sector due to the
expanding role of the ECU in the private sector .
Statistical information is of                           importance for the conduct of Community
policies in money and finance .                         An information system has been developed
in cooperation with Member                                States leading towards a harmonized
accounting system for the                                recording of financial and monetary
statistics .          Financial accounts show the flow of funds between the
sectors of an economy ( households , enterprises , government , etc .). They
are part of the European System of Accounts ( ESA ) and at the core of
the system of financial information . It is intended to complement the
system currently confined to financial accounts by financial
balance-sheets and statistics on the external position of Member
States . On top the very progress towards European financial integration
has led to a special effort in developing concepts (methods ,
classifications ) in order to cope with both the new European dimension
and recent financial innovations .
Short term information on                        the functioning of the EMS and the private
use of the ECU is provided                       regularly . This information is supplemented
by financial and Monetary                        indicators which are essential in order to
chart the developments in                       financial markets . They are of special use
for the    monitorina of monetary policies .
          Actìvtty/Prpject
   type   title
                                                                                                             page
     N    Capital market statistics for a European financial area                                              61
     R    EMS and ECU Statistics                                                                               59
    C     Financial and monetary indicators
    C
                                                                                                               60 1
         External Position of Member States                                                                    60 I
    C    Financial Accounts                                                                                    60 1
    C    Financial balance sheets                                                                              60 E
   DG II Harmonized data bank on company accounts (BACH)                                                      116 1
   DG II Exchange rates                                                                                       116 I
         (N * new project. R » revised project C * current activity
         (DG II « Directorate-General tor Economic and Financial Affairs in charge of the activity)
I.B.4 .  Research and Developnent
The Community is very active in the conduct of RSD policy in view of
the crucial importance of this area for the future of Europe . The basic
policy objectives are :
                                                                                                                  43
 ---pagebreak---                                                                 - 25 -
     the reinforcement of the Community 's international competitiveness;
  - the improvement of living conditions in Europe;
  - the proliferation of research work in Europe .
. The efficient pursuit of R&D policies requires adequate statistical
  information on research and technology developments . Special emphasis
  in the statistical work is thus put on on three projects : R&D
  expenditures in Member States of both the private and public sector are
  recorded .         Developments in High-Tech will be described by means of
  indicators thus helping to create a framework for reliable official
  statistics against which to calibrate the plethora of unofficial data .
  The need for an evaluation of Community programmes in R&D is widely
  acknowledged . Statistics designed for this purpose will be developed in
  cooperation between the concerned national and Commission services .
  Statistics in itself is also an area of research . The development of
  new statistical tools is therefore contained in Community R&D
  programmes with EUROSTAT being in charge of :
  - the development of statistical expert systems ( DOSES );
  - the usage of reaote sensing for agricultural statistics .
  Benefits        from          the        DOSES           projects        should            accrue      not only   to
  statisticians but also to users of statistical information .                                                  Remote
  sensing should improve statistics on land use and thus contribute to
  the conduct of the Community environmental policy .
          Activity/Project
   type   title                                                                                                     page
     N    High technology and technical indicators                                                                     81
     N    Statistics for the evaluation of Community R&D programmes                                                    79
     N    Development of statistical expert systems : DOSES                                                            79
     C    Public financing of R&D                                                                                      61
  DG XII  HERMES macro-economic model (forecasts)                                                                    123
          (N = new project, R = revised project, C = current activity
          (DG XII = Directorate-General (or Science, Research and Development in charge of the activity)
  I.B.5 . Environment
  Consideration of the environment is essential to the preservation and
  improvement of the quality of life . Increasing public awareness of
  environmental issues , reinforced by the year of the environment in
  1987 / 1988, has been reflected in Community policy initiatives . The
  Commission is giving additional precision to environmental policy
  through the priorities laid down in the fourth five-yearly action
  programme . The Single European Act has introduced a new Title into the
  EEC Treaty to deal with the environment .
  "An important need for environmental statistics is induced by the
  requirement stated by the Single Act that the protection of the
  environment is integrated in all Community policies . A further specific
  need arises in the context of the completion of the Internal Market
                                                                                                                          44
 ---pagebreak---                                  - 26 -
which will have to occur concurrently with the establishment of strict
environmental standards , the implementation of this policy orientation
requires statistics of the environment-economic relationships ".
The very wide range of environmental issues implies a vast need for
data , both detailed, often highly technical , information on specific
subjects and more general indicators . Some technical information needs
are already met by existing data sources . There are also requirements
for official statistics , often at a fine geographical level , on general
physical aspects and financial and employment implications . A
continuing flow of comparable data is required for identification of
problems , for diagnosis and for developing policies , for monitoring
their effects and for evaluation .
The present programme includes , for the first time, four specific
measures relating to the harmonisation of environmental data in the
Community .
- the state of the environment and pressures which may be harmful to
   the environment together with the associated responses will be
   described in terms of physical data ;
- information on financial and employment aspects will be built up in
   cooperation with other international organisations and the Member
   States .
- there is a specific project for the collection of existing data
   relating to municipalities probably involving a community survey;
- all the data relating to the environment , harmonised , checked and
   managed by the Statistical Office, will be stored in a specialised
   data bank and the statistical information will be accessible to users
   for analytical purposes . Particular attention  is being given to the
   spatial aspects of environmental information   in the development of
   this data bank . This work is closely linked    to and builds on the
   Commission 's experimental project Corine        ( 1985 - 1989 ) on
   environmental information .
Environmental statistics will also draw on existing and new statistics
in specific areas including population statistics ,            land use ,
agriculture and forestry statistics , industry and energy statistics and
transport . It would be desirable if environmental considerations were
taken into account in the future development of the statistical system
( e.g. classifications , nomenclatures ). Remote sensing is becoming
important for the establishment of spatial data - e.g. on land cover
and land use , and used for alerts and for monitoring preventive
measures etc .
 ---pagebreak---                                                                 - 27 -
                                                                                                                                        “L
                 Activity/Project
      type       title
                                                                                                                                 page
        N
                 Remote sensing for statistics - applications in agriculture                                                      113
        N        Economic data on the environment                                                                                 1 1 1
        N        Survey on municipalities                                                                                         112
        N        Data base CORINE-RESEAU                                                                                          1 12
        C        Forestry statistics                                                                                              105
       C        Physical data on the environment                                                                                  1 1 1
     DG XI      CORINE                                                                                                            122
                (N = new project, R = revised project, C = current activity
                (DG XI » Directorate-General for Environment, Consumer Protection and Nuclear Safety in charge of the activity)
   ådæsæasffiå»
I.C. International Affairs
I.C.1 . External Relations
Community external policy objectives are mostly in the economic realm,
and particularly in the trade domain in view of the special Community
competence in this area . The basic objectives are
    - advancing the integration of the European Community in the world
       economy whilst supporting the process of internal integration; and
      - developing rules for international economic relations and
        supporting their universal application .
These basic objectives are pursued within the context of more specific
objectives , some of which are global in character , such as
    - increasing world macroeconomic stability through comprehensive
       economic policy coordination,
    - fostering Community and world economic growth through trade
       expansion and developing countries ( LOCs ) growth in particular by
       means of preferential trade
    - conciliating between measures taken in the Community internal
        interests and their external consequences ( e.g. CAP );
others are multilateral, regional, or bilateral such as
    - strengthening the GATT system through comprehensive negotiations
       - encompassing trade in goods and services and
       - considering other aspects linked to trade
    - fostering harmonious relations with various countries or regions
       - on the basis fo regular consultations , and
       - in the context of special agreements ;
others are sectoral , such as
    - advancing the orderly adjustment and restructuration of particular
       industries ( e.g. textile and clothing industry ),
    - protecting industries against unfair trade practices or dumping ,
    - enhancing                   the          opportunities                 of          particular                   industries
        ( e.g. aircraft )
                                                                                                                                         46
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 28 -
   - supporting stability in primary commodities
These objectives can only be pursued on the basis of comprehensive and
detailed  information .   The  relevant   Commission services   have  been
supplied with such information . This has greatly facilitated the
conduct of these policies , especially by means of information derived
from foreign trade statistics . Some objectives , however , have assumed a
greater role recently, most notably all those objectives pursued within
the context of
   - the Uruguay Round and
   - macroeconomic policy coordination .
Thus both the microeconomic and macroeconomic information services have
to take these changes into account .
The microeconomic system of foreign statistics has been improved
considerably in recent years as foreign trade statistics have become
   - more meaningful through increased harmonization, and
   - more reliable, timely, and accessible through improvements in
     organization and infrastructure .
This system has recently been subject to major changes as the Combined
Nomenclature was introduced in 1988 and imports will be treated within
TARIC at an unprecedented level of detail . Thus a potentially very rich
source of data is about to become available once the disruptions caused
by these major changes have been cleared . Currently a review of the
foreign trade statistics production system ( COHEXT AUDIT) is under way
with special emphasis put on stabilizing and adapting the system to
these changes .
While the recent changes will open up new opportunities they have
disrupted not only the production process but they have also affected
comparability . Stable time series, however , are much in demand by users
of foreign trade statistics . Thus correspondence tables and tools for
the calculation of minimum size stable aggregates will be introduced
into foreign trade data bases .
A uniform application of Community methods in all Member States is at
the core of the system and poses a permanent challenge in view of the
existing methodological differences between Member States .            The
Committee on Foreign Trade Statistics will
   - guarantee the application of Community methods in so far as they
     are already harmonised through various regulations , and
   - initiate the development of Community methods through propositions
     for regulations on confidentiality, statistical value, and bonded
     warehouse statistics
Comparability of trade statistics would obviously facilitate the
conduct of trade negotiations .         The chances for international
comparability of trade statistics will be greatly enhanced with the
imminent world-wide adoption of the Harmonized System . Methodological
differences, however, limit the comparison between Community statistics
and statistics of partner countries . Thus it is intended to investigate
these differences starting with the EFTA countries , the US , and Japan .
Joint expert groups will discuss proposals for agreements on
international harmonization .
                                                                           47
 ---pagebreak---                                     - 29 -
Another challenge is to establish the link between data and policy
variables . This calls for an expansion of the trade statistics system .
Only if this challenge can be met will the system be sufficiently
comprehensive for trade policy purposes . With the Uruguay Round
dominating the trade policy agenda for the next couple of years
EUROSTAT will respond to the extra information needs with the STARCOM
project . STARCOM is intended to link trade statistics in different
nomenclatures in the initial phase with tariff information and later on
with other relevant economic information . With STARCOM it will be
possible
    - to conduct appropriate économie analyses ,
    - to exploit data in a flexible manner , and
    - to prepare various reports
all of which is needed in course of trade negotiations . In view of both
importance and urgency of trade negotiations the STARCOM project will
be pursued with a high priority.
The introduction of TARIC has also major implications for trade
statistics used to design and monitor the Community 's System of
Generalized Preferences ( GSP).        In the past the quality of GSP
statistics has been adversely affected by methodological differences
which were almost impossible to overcome . While the current system will
be maintained in order to assure the necessary on-going support for the
Commission services concerned , the time has come to take a fresh look
at GSP statistics in the context of TARIC .       It is intended to link a
revised GSP system with the STARCOM system under development in order
to provide a comprehensive tool for the conduct of trade policies
encompassing multilateral and bilateral trade negotiations .
The microeconomic information system has , until now, focused on trade
in goods . In the long run the system will have to be complemented by
information on trade in services in view of its increasing importance .
The response to this challenge will be the development of an
independent survey of services trade based on transactions .
Methodological work will start soon in cooperation with OECD and other
interested bodies . Results , however , will not be available for some
time in view of the novelty of the undertaking .
Considerable efforts will be made in the development of extra and
intra-Community services trade statistics ( see chapter I ). While the
issues to be addressed by these statistics might differ they will be
quite close in terms of methodology although they might differ in terms
of coverage . Thus their development should be seen as one statistical
undertaking .
Macroeconomic statistics on international transactions are mainly
confined to Balance of Payments (BOP ) statistics . These statistics are
updated quarterly and have been refined by a partner break-down for the
main current operations . Special emphasis will be put on an improving
BOP statistics by the use of estimates in order to reconcile
methodological differences .     BOP statistics will also be consolidated
with the incorporation of the Community Institutions based on budgetary
data . Further improvements will be made along the lines set out by the
Balance of Payments manual which is about to be revised by the
International Monetary Fund . The classification of current operations
( goods , services , revenues, and transfers ) will be refined with special
emphasis on services .
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 30 -
In the short term a special effort will have to be made in order to
improve statistics on services trade . Services are high on the Uruguay
Round agenda , thus available sources have to be exploited as quickly as
possible in support of the on-going GATT negotiations . The latest study
on " The European Community 's external trade in services " fell short of
what was needed ( e.g. Community aggregates are missing ). A new study
will have to go further .   Member States will ,   however , have to provide
the basic information     which will  then  be   used  for estimations   and
corrections .
It is intended to supply data on international capital movements with
special emphasis on direct investment by branch and partner country .
Such statistics have been foreseen for quite a while ( Art . 72 of the
EEC Treaty ) but they were never completed as some Member States
supplied insufficient information . A new effort is thus under way .
Some new tools for macroeconomic analysis have become available
( external trade indices , world trade matrix ) and others have been
improved ( BOP ). While the improvement of these tools continues ( through
deseasonalization facilities ) more effort will go into the promotion of
adequate usage of these statistical tools through analyses and studies
supplemented wherever necessary by forecasts . Special emphasis has been
and continues to be on the analysis of Community-ACP trade , but other
regions have and will also been dealt with ( ASEAN, Latin America ,
Eastern Europe ). New sectoral studies have been launched covering
Community trade with LDCs in agriculture and High-Tech trade .
It is ultimately intended to integrate the existing tools into a
macroeconomic system of statistics about international transactions
thus going beyond trade . Such a macroeconomic system should be able to
provide adequate information for the conduct of
    international economic policy coordination , and
    management of international financial relations ,
which are areas with growing importance . Support will also be given to
specific projects of other Commission services , most notably to the
Commission 's "Report on International Trade of the European Community*.
                                                                             49
 ---pagebreak---                                                                     - 31
          Activity/Project
 type    title                                                                                         page
   N     Tariff and trade statistics (STARCOM)                                                           67
   N     World trade matrix                                                                              68
   N      Balance of payments of the European Institutions                                               68
   N     Survey on trade in services                                                                     69
   N      International trade in services                                                                69
   R     Balance of Payments methodology                                                                 68
   R     Balance of Payments statistics                                                                  68
   R     Seasonal adjustment                                                                             68
   C     Classification of goods for external trade                                                      65
   C     Classification of countries                                                                     65
   C     Management and development of a statistical methodology for foreign trade statistics            66
   C     Production of foreign trade statistics                                                          66
   C     Production of GSP statistics                                                                    67
  C      Treatment of foreign trade statistics nomenclatures                                             67
   C     COMEXT data bank                                                                                66
   C     Foreign trade indices                                                                           67
   C     International capital movements                                                                 68
DG VIII DAC Questionaire - disbursements and commitments of official and private flows                  121
         (N - new project, R = revised project, C * current activity
        (DG II s Directorate- General for Development in charge of the activity)
  I.C.2 . Technical Coopération
  The Community has concluded a large number of agreements with
  non-Community countries , in particular with developing countries . The
  following are of particular importance :
 - the Lome Convention, governing Community cooperation with some 60
     African, Carribean and Pacific countries , and
 - the agreements with the Mediterranean countries .
 However , more recently closer relations have also been developed with
 Latin American and Asian countries . All these Agreements essentially
 cover :
 - the promotion and development of trade ,
 - support for rural development and increasing food security,
 - the development of human ressources ,
       support in combatting social problems , and
 - regional cooperation and support for regional integration .
 Statistical data play an important part                                         in the implementation of
 foreign policy and development policy in the context of these
 Agreements .                  A considerable volume of statistical data on these
 countries is therefore compiled in close collaboration with the
 countries concerned .                          In addition the statistics has itself become a
 subject in recent years of technical cooperation, both in order to
 increase the quality of the statistical data required for assessing
 development policy measures ,                                        and to improve the statistical
 infrastructure of developing countries .
                                                                                                            50
 ---pagebreak---                                                                 - 32 -
                                                              t
 Technical cooperation in the field of statistics concentrates on the
 following :
- the training of statisticians in training centres which receive
     financial support from the Community ,
- harmonization of the external trade statistics of developing
     countries and their regional organizations , in order to facilitate
     rapid access to statistics and the elimination of any discrepancies ,
- improvement of technical resources for the compilation and
     processing of external trade statistics ,                                     particularly using
     micro-computers ,
- improvement of thes tatistical data needed for the formulation and
     management of food policy ( crop estimates , early warning systems ,
     market data , etc .)
- compilation and analysis of statistical data for assessing the
     social consequences of restructuring measures ( surveys of specific
     population groups on particular subjects , household budget and
     consumption surveys etc .).
The main focus of technical cooperation in statistics is naturally on
the ACP countries , but other countries , such as China and Yugoslavia ,
are becoming increasingly involved .                                   The statistical aspects of
technical cooperation are                                   determined in the light of Community
development policy .
       Activity/Project
type   title                                                                                       page
  N    Cooperation :      Statistics for social policies                                             70
  N    Cooperation :      Data-processing in the field of public finance in Africa                   71
  N    Cooperation :      Development of a system for agricultural surveys in Tunisia                70
  C    Cooperation :      National accounts                                                          56
  C    Cooperation :      Training of statisticians                                                  69
  C    Cooperation :      External trade statistics                                                  69
  C    Cooperation :      Statistics for food and rural development policies                         70
  C    Cooperation :      Statistical projects in other fields                                       70
  C    Cooperation :      Industrial statistics                                                      80
       (N * new project, R = revised project, C = current activity
                                                                                                        51
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 33 -
 II . OTHER COMMUNITY AREAS
 II . A. Agriculture
 The main community policy related to agriculture is the Common
 Agricultural Policy and its reform. There are important agricultural
 components also in trade policies , in environmental issues, in regional
 and social policies, in the development of the large single market , in
 third world aid, and in developments related to the rural world . These
policy areas have very considerable data needs . In large part these
needs are already covered by existing agricultural statistics or by
agricultural components of more general statistical systems e.g. on
 foreign trade . In some areas, new problems and new policies require
developments . Special efforts will be needed to help the agricultural
statistics system in some countries to meet the needs of the Community .
Adapting the large single market to internal and external constraints
necessitates measures aimed at both controlling production and
restoring balance to agricultural markets . These include monitoring
domestic supplies , improving the operation of world agricultural
markets in the short and medium term, and budgetary restrictions on
direct production aids . This means that regular information is
necessary on crop and animal production, together with supply balance
sheet statistics giving a picture of markets by product or group of
products . This is provided by the important regular surveys on
livestock , by the animal feed statistics , by the crop production and
balance sheets and by the animal products, production and balance sheet
statistics .
The use of agricultural stabilisers and the application of indicators
on the basis of recent production trends require reliable, accurate ,
permanent and rapid information on harvests , i.e. an agricultural
early-warning system linked to harvest forecasts , and the possible use
of remote sensing to supplement intra-Community forecasting information
and perhaps even, in due course, harvest (or production deficit )
forecasts for the major crop-growing areas of the world . Here, EUROSTAT
is furhter developing a harvest forecast and early warning system . The
production statistics of certain crops will be put on an improved and
more formal footing to better meet the needs of the Community
"stabiliser" policy . The potential of remote sensing for agricultural
land use statistics is being explored (with spin-off to other areas
e.g. environmental statistics ).
As far as measures aimed at guaranteeing farmers' income are concerned,
we need to know more about the incomes of agricultural households and
the increasing role of non-agricultural activities . This involves the
continuation and development of statistics on agricultural prices and
of the national economic accounts for agriculture . New statistics will
be developed       to cover the non farming       income of agricultural
households .    Part of the strategy to reform the CAP (adapting measures
to the special situation in certain regions ) reflects the aim of
econoaic and social cohesion,     (given that the socio-economic fabric of
many Community regions depends on agricultural activity ). An attempt
will be made to give a regional breakdown of the economic accounts for
agriculture . The statistics of volume of work in agriculture will be
made more detailed, deepening also the regional aspect . The further
development of a consistent set of price and quantity data feeding an
econometric model      will enable different types of analysis to be
 ---pagebreak---                                  - 34 -
undertaking , including the short-term simulation of policy measures in
respect of income , and to check the consistency of Community
agricultural statistics .
Socio-structural policies designed to help agriculture adapt to a new
market situation while taking account of consequences which are not
directly agricultural require regional data at least on population
( labour movements , population density ), on land use ( crops and grass ,
set-aside, woodland, other ) and the structure of holdings . Here key
information will continue to be provided by important Community surveys
on the structure of agricultural holdings where a new legal base has
been established including the EUROFARM database project , together with
the vineyard survey and the survey on orchard fruit . The existing
statistics on forestry will be continued and the implications for them
of the Community Forestry Action Programme examined . The two yearly
survey on the earnings of agricultural workers will be reviewed and a
statistical instrument proposed to provide more information on their
social situation .
The Council Regulations (or proposals for Regulations ) on incentives to
give up farming and on aid for farm incomes refer expressly to regional
statistical indicators : thus the proportion of Community funding will
be a function of regional GDP and the number of jobs in agriculture ,
while the maximum amount of aid will be calculated on the basis of the
regional agricultural accounts .
The more general considerations relating to the future of the rural
world raise issues on tourism, environment , use of space, transport
infrastructure and many others creating a complex of data needs and
flows of which the agricultural data are an important part . Attention
will be given to the interrelationship of the agricultural statistical
system and other data used in conjunction with it . Agriculture
interfaces with industry and trade both at the output end of
agriculture - agro-industry and agricultural exports and at the input
end - fertilisers and machinery . Trade in agricultural products has to
be looked at in a number of contexts such as trade negotiations ,
domestic supply, agricultural profitability, third world aid, and
community resources . Account has also to be taken of data collection
systems maintained in a more administrative context e.g. by the
European Commission 's Directorate General for Agriculture with such
important information activities as the Farm Accounts Data Network , the
Olive and Vineyard registers and work on remote sensing . It is intended
that an assessment of the Community agricultural statistics system as a
whole be undertaken at the initiative of EUROSTAT during the period
covered by the programme .
                                                                           53
 ---pagebreak---                                                             - 35 -
         Activity/Project
 type    title
                                                                                                         page
   N     Total income of agricultural households                                                          107
   N     Agro-food industry statistics                                                                    109
   N     Harvest forecasts and agricultural early warning system                                          106
   N     Remote sensing - applications in agriculture                                                     113
   R     EUROFARM                                                                                         104
   C     Assistance with plans for the restructuring of the system of agricultural statistics in MS       109
   C     Forestry statistics                                                                              105
   C     Surveys of vineyards                                                                             104
   C     Community survey on the structure of agricultural holdings                                       104
   C     Fruit tree surveys                                                                               105
   C     Agricultural price statistics                                                                    108
   C     Sectoral Income Index                                                                            107
   C     SPEL model                                                                                       108
   C     Economic accounts for agriculture                                                                106
   C    Agricultural land use                                                                             104
  C      Livestock surveys                                                                                105
  c     Animal feed                                                                                       105
  c     Crop products , production and banance sheets                                                     106
  c     Animal products , production and balance sheets                                                   106
  c     Regional agricultural statistics                                                                    99
DG VI   Market prices of farm products                                                                    117
DG VI   Farm accountancy data network (FADN )                                                             117
DG VI   External trade in certain agricultural products                                                   117
DG VI   Vineyard register                                                                                 117
DG VI   Register of olive cultivation                                                                     117
        (N = new project. R * revised project. C = current activity
        (DG VI * Directorate-General for Agriculture in charge of the activity)
II . B. Fisheries
The Community fishery policy aims include the Iona term ,iWUM
the fishing sector, both as regards the fishing fleet and fish stocks
and continuity of appropriate supplies to consumers . This involves
- negotiation with non-member countries in international fishing
    organisations or bilaterally
- regulation of the Community fishing fleet (tonnage and gear).
- access rules to fishing areas in Community waters for Community and
    non community vessels in order to preserve fish stocks
 - management of markets in order to guarantee supply in the interests
     of both fishermen and consumers .
 The data repultemepts £ these                                                          FilTZS**
 dH^en: fisher teg one a'te concerned, they lately coincide with
 different Tisnery a ^ Member states to provide figures to
 existing obll 9*t orities A key aspect of                                       EUROSTAT 'S programme of
 international au^or.tie^.                                                   ^     Qf existing data f
 different Durposes For the common management                                    of markets the data used
 d flte to the Quantities of fish landed in all
  relate to the                                                                  Community ports, broken
                                                      ^ ^ ownersMp of the vessels .               As far as
 down according to h                               9              are concerned, EUROSTAT plans to obtain
  iZTiVrVt a ape'al extraction from a Community admin,stta„ve
                                                                                                               54
 ---pagebreak---                                                                    - 36 -
  register of fishing vessels .                                 This is currently being developed by the
  Directorate General for Fisheries .                                  Member States will be released from
  their commitments to the statistical register once the administrator
  register is operational .
        Activity/Project
type    title                                                                                          page
  C     Statistics about catches of fish                                                                110
  C     Statistics about landing of fishery products                                                    110 i
  C     Fishing fleet statistics                                                                        no I
        (N = new project, R = revised project, C = current activity
  II . C. Industry
  The European Community conducts a wide range of policies of relevance
  for the European industry :
     - general fraaework policies such as the macroeconomic cooperative
        growth strategy with its employment aspect , the Internal Market ,
        competition , and the social dialogue ;
     - policies with an important industrial coaponent such as commercial
        policy ; regional policy, or environment policy ;
     - specific industrial policies in areas such as public investment ,
        public aid to private investment , price control , public purchasing ,
        , Research and Development , High-Tech and telecommunications ,
        sector crisis management , or Small and Medium Enterprises ( SME );
        and
     - the steel policy which has a particularly long tradition as a
        Community policy .
 The pursued objectives are manifold and interrelated : Some objectives
 are general in nature ,                                        such as the increase in European
 competitiveness ,                    or the maintenance of a healthy mix and the
 achievement of a more even spread of industrial activities in Europe .
 Some objectives are highly special , such as the advancement an orderly
 adjustment and restructuration in a particular industry, most notably
 in the steel industry , or the support for the take-off of a particular
 industry . Some objectives are related to the siqiply side such as the
 support for SMEs or the cut in shipyard capacity , others to the deaand
 side , such as open government procurement , some are related to economic
 aspects with others related to social aspects .
 The conduct of these policies requires statistical information
 collected from industrial enterprises . The current general system in
 industrial statistics rests on three pillars :
                                                                                                              55
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 37 -
     - short term trends ,
     - production statistics , and
     “ statistics on the structure and activity of industrial
       enterprises .
 The special steel statistics system, however, goes beyond the general
 system with details about production, trade, and consumption, market
 trends , and the link of the steel industry to other industries .
 The general industrial statistics system will have to change
 significantly because of several important changes in the political and
economic environment to which these statistics are related :
    “ The création of the Internai Market;
    “ The rise of industrial policy with a strong emphasis on
       international competitiveness;
    “ The increase in the mobility of resources and thus the
       globalisation of industrial production;
    “ The erosion of the border between industry and services .
A successful restructuration of the system is of vital importance in
order to provide the statistics required not only by policy makers but
also by the social and business community . The main emphasis will be
put on :
    - a more comprehensive , flexible and rapid service;
    - overcoming the limits set by confidentiality;
    - reducing the burden for enterprises .
For this purpose several projects which have the potential to reshape
the entire system have been put in hand most prominently :
    - work on registers ;
    - exploitation of administrative and professional sources .
These projects will serve as the basis for the development of new
statistical tools which will provide information on enterprises
necessary for the efficient functioning of the Internal Market , ( see
I. A. ) They are supplemented by other projects which address areas of
specific importance :
    - High Technology (see I.B.4 .);
    - Small and Medium Size Enterprises .
All these new projects have a strong bearing on services statistics as
well thus leading to a more comprehensive system of enterprise
statistics .
Finally the conduct of industrial policies will be enhanced with the
provision of comparable statistics for the US and Japan, the major
competitors of the Community . This statistical service will be extended
to certain newly industrialised countries .
The steel statistics system will also have to change as the ultimate
objective of the Community steel policy is to phase the quota system
out and return to a eore open market .    The strict surveillance is being
phased out and replaced by statistical monitoring . The steel statistics
 ---pagebreak---                                                                  - 38 -
system is thus loosing its exceptional character in line with both the
decrease of the importance of the steel industry and the mastery of the
current crisis .
The raw material supply and recycling policy is an integral part of the
 industrial policy which has increased in importance with the emergence
of environmental issues . Commodity raw material balances provide the
statistical instrument to measure the degree of Community
self-sufficiency . These balances are supplemented by statistics about
the recycling of certain metals .
        Activity/Project
type    title                                                                                      page
  N     Adapting the industrial statistical system to the needs of the internal market               73 1
                                                                                                    109 I
  N     Agro-food industry statistics
  R     SME statistics                                                                               80
  R      Raw material balance sheets                                                                 81
  C      Current industrial statistics : collection , management, analysis , dissemination of data   79
  C      Steel statistics                                                                            81
  C      "Steel” Input-Output table                                                                  82
  C      Steel Input by branch                                                                       82
  C      Raw material input                                                                          81
  C      Market statistics                                                                           81
         (N = new project, R = revised project, C = current activity
 II . 0 . Energy
 The energy policy objectives for the Community as set by the Council
 for 1995 are aiming at a restructuration of the energy sector in order
 to :
      - improve energy efficiency ;
      - increase security of supply .
  These objectives are supplemented by a range of detailed quantitative
 objectives , such as reducing the share of oil to only 40% of energy
  supply, restricting electricity production from oil or gas to 15%, and
  complemented by qualitative objectives : pollution control , energy price
  stability, or mutually beneficial international relations in energy .
  In view of these objectives the system of energy statistics has to
  capture the essence of the energy sector in terms of values, volumes,
  tariffs and prices , as well as in terms of sources and destinations ,
  production and consumption, etc for various types of energy . For this
  purpose the following information is provided :
      - statistics for coal , hydrocarbons, electricity, gas , and nuclear
           energy to be supplemented by statistics on new and renewable
           energy ;
      - statistics which summarize the evolution of the energy sector as a
           whole in energy balance-sheets and in input-output tables;
      - surveys on household and industrial energy consumption;
                                                                                                          57
 ---pagebreak---                                                                  - 39 -
      - statistics on investment in the energy sector :
  Thus currently available statistics help to improve market transparency
  ( prices and tariffs ) and monitor resources adequately .
  Suitable indicators are developed to monitor the Community energy
  policy . They are supplemented by statistical information for an
  integrated macro- and microeconomic analysis of the energy sector as
  all the different energy sources have to be analysed jointly within a
  common framework .
  The energy statistics system draws on a variety of information sources
  and is now well established .                                 The time since the first oil shock has
  been used to set up an adequate system which can easily be adjusted in
  order to incorporate new energy policy concerns ( e.g. environment ). In
  view of the fact that energy policy issues have shifted somewhat
  towards the back stage the time has come for a consolidation of the
  system . This has led to the development of the SIRENE data base which
  brings together all information related to energy .
         Activity/Project
 type    title                                                                                    page
   N     Energy related investment and indicators                                                    77
   N     Survey energy consumption in households                                                     77
   N     Survey on industrial energy consumption                                                     77
   R     Energy information system ( EIS)                                                            77  1
                                                                                                         :ÿ;5
   C     Statistics on energy production                                                             75
                                                                                                     76
                                                                                                         I
   C     Global energy balance sheets
   C     Energy input-output tables                                                                  76
   C     Energy prices                                                                               76
DG XVII  Imports of crude oil                                                                      124
DG XVII  Emergency oil stocks                                                                      124
DG XVII  Solid fuels in the Community                                                               124
DG XVII  Investment in the electricity sector                                                       124
DG XVII  Electricity data base                                                                     124
         (N = new project R » revised project, C = current activity
         (DG XVII = Directorate-General for Energy in charge of the activity)
  II . E. Services
  II.E.1 . Services in 6eneral
  The European Community conducts also a wide range of policies of
  relevance for the European Service Industries :
       - general framework policies such as the macroeconomic growth
           strategy with its employment aspect, competition policy and the
           social dialogue ;
       - policies with an important services * component such as commercial
          policy, policy towards small and medium size enterprises (SMEs ),
           training and the provision of infrastructure;
       - specific policies directed towards services particularly in the
           fields of financial services , telecommunication,                                 transport ,
           tourism and professional services ;
       - public procurement .
                                                                                                           58
 ---pagebreak---                                                            - 40 -
With regard to services , policies are intended to provide a framework
within which enterprises can operate efficiently .                This framework
requires general policies to enhance the international coapetitiveness
of European suppliers of services, or to maintain a minimum level of
provision throughout the Community . It also requires highly specific
policies , notably those linked with the realization of the internal
market for services , for which regulatory barriers represent the major
impediment . Since most SMEs are active in the services sector , policies
to promote them also have a disproportionate effect on services as do
services policies on SMEs . Public procurement for services affects not
only providers of services , but also those for goods through technical
specif iciations provided . In view of the prevalence of part-time and
irregular working patterns, social policy is of particular importance
for services .
The conduct of these policies requires statistical information
collected from enterprises . A common system wi ll , therefore , need to be
created to supply this information based on statistics on the structure
and activity of services enterprises .
For this purpose , work has been set in hand on defining the overall
shape and direction of the future system for gathering statistics on
services . Adjustments and additions will be necessary to take into
account the specific aspects of the different major services
industries . Subsequently, it will be necessary to set in hand work on
registers and the exploitation of administrative and professional
sources prior to undertaking surveys . At this stage , it is intended to
restrict the scope of data coverage to market services .
These projects will serve as a basis for the development of new
statistical tools which provide information on enterprises necessary
for the efficient functioning of the Internal Market . This information
is of particular importance in view of the fact that much of the
existing information collected by national regulatory authorities will
no longer be available or replaced by corresponding Community data
after the completion of the Internal Market .
       Actfvtty/Project
 type  title
                                                                               page
   N   General framework of services                                             83
   N   Data bank on services                                                     83
   N   Distributive trade                                                        84 I
   N   HORECA (Hotels, Catering ) and travel agencies                            84
  N   Transport activities                                                       84
   R  Financial services (including insurance)                                   84
  N   Communications, data-processing services                                   85
  N   Business services                                                          85
      (N - new project R = revised project, C = current activity
                                                                                 59
 ---pagebreak---                                                               - 41
II . E. 2 . Transport
Transport policy has received a new push in the context of the Internal
Market .        Market transparency in a market as large as the European
transport market is of particular importance . On top new Community
actions have been launched in air and maritime transport . The
liberalization of international passenger transport is pursued . Finally
new supervision and negotiation tasks have been assigned to the
Commission .
These initiatives have greatly increased the demand for information
about enterprises which supply transport services . While information
about transport services will be enhanced also within the context of
information about services in general a special effort will be made in
transport statistics . Existing Council directives on transport by road,
inland waterways and railway will be extended and supplemented by
directives about air and maritime transport .
           Activity/Project
   type    title                                                                                             page
     N     Transport activites                                                                                 85
     R     Transport methodology                                                                               85
     C     Transport - production and development                                                              85
  DG VII   Transport market observation system                                                                119
  DG VII   Road haulage with certain non-Member States                                                        119
  DG VII   Community quota statistics                                                                         119
  DG VII   Activities of carriers in cargo liner traffic                                                      119
  DG VII Transport infrastructure costing                                                                     120
  DG VII Railway economic situation                                                                           120
           (N = new project, R = revised project C « current activity
           (DG VII . Directorate-General for Transport in charge of the activity)
II . E. 3 . Tourism
Community actions in the domain of tourism have recently been stepped
up . The main objectives pursued in the context of a- Community policy on
tourism are :
     - to promote tourism throughout the Community;
     - to improve the staggering of tourism both in time and space ;
     - to improve the operation of financial services relevant for
        tourism;
     - to improve both the information and protection of tourists ;
     - to enhance the understanding of the various professions in
        tourism .
The conduct of the Community policy on tourism requires a wide range of
 information             cutting            across            several             statistical domains . While
 information about tourism services ( travel agents , hotels, restaurants ,
etc ) will be improved also within the larger framework of information
about the services sector a special effort will be made in tourism
statistics .
                                                                                                                60
                                                                                                                I»
 ---pagebreak---                                                            - 42 -
         Activtty/Pnoject
  type   titte                                                                               page
    N    Tourism statistics                                                                    86
    N    HORECA (Hotels, Catering) and travel agencies                                         84
    N    Transport methodology                                                                 85
    N    Survey on trade in services                                                           69
    N    International trade in services                                                       69
    R    Balance of Payments methodology                                                       68
         (N = new project R = revised project C » current activity
II . F. Information
All the Community institutions are well aware that information will
play a major role in the European society now being created .
Information has to be produced and circulated, its existence has to be
made known, and it must be accessible to all who might need it :
government departments , companies and the man in the street .
The response to this development must be geared to :
- all strata of society : information about the Community is needed not
   only by large government departments and major companies , but must
   also get through to small and medium-sized firms and the citizens of
   Europe as a whole, for whom it provides tangible evidence of Europe
   as a living reality and of European identity;
- the information market :                         information is a service with a commercial
   element , and this market needs to be organized within the framework
   of a Europe without frontiers ;
- the technical side : modern technology provides the tools to produce,
   manage , store and circulate information; considerable efforts are
   being devoted to the research and organizatonal programmes covering
    informatics and telematics technology ( see Chapter III B ).
Statistics are a type of information and are part of the whole range of
information covered by information policies .
A policy for dissemination of statistics must be based on two main
considerations :
- the "user " dimension :                       statistical information must be disseminated
   within the Commission and the European institutions , but it must also
   be channelled back to those contributing to its production (national
   administrations , companies , etc .) and passed on to ordinary European
   citizens . The nature of demand varies a lot : from very detailed
   statistics about a specific topic , to a general digest covering the
   whole field of statistical activity;
- the "purpose of use" dimension, which involves the creation of
   traditional "products " (publications ,                          statistical reports ) and
   electronic "products " ( databases , magnetic and optical media ),
   depending on the use to be made of the information - some users
 ---pagebreak---                                                - 43 -
   simply wanting to consult information in a publication or database,
   whereas others wish to download varying quantities of information to
   their own data-processing equipment .
Creation of a complete range of coherent products should make it
possible to respond to the growing demand for statistical information
from political , social and economic circles , with Eurostat 's
dissemination policy contributing to demonstrating the existence ,
identity, vitality and economic dimension of the Community in all
fields .
Information , and statistical information in particular , is not a
product to be had free of charge . Its compilation and all the services
connected with processing it have to be paid for . Some of the cost is
borne by the providers of primary information and by the public
authority processing it . Therefore, any dissemination policy must take
into account the problems of distribution networks and what rates to
charge ,      dovetail with the European market for information and
information services , and call , where appropriate, on the services of
private bodies in this market .
For statistical information to be utilized,           its existence,  possible
uses and access channels need to be made known .         This is the aim of PR
and publicity campaigns to promote Eurostat 's image and draw attention
to the quality of its products . This communication policy will have to
make full use of all multipliers (private and institutional ), thus
ensuring that the various types of user are reached .
What is more , statistical information needs to be enhanced . The
information provided by statistics is tenfold if subjected to analysis ,
whether by using statistical techniques or by bringing out the
statistical and economic significance of the recorded data . General
digests will contribute to this enchancement of European statistics by
comparing findings from the various statistical fields . This will ,
among other things , help quantify Europe as a living reality and make
Europeans more aware of what they have in common .
 However , a dissemination policy of the type described above requires a
major management effort .
 The management work involved will be rationalized by introducing a new
 database architecture keeping public databases separate from production
 bases, while public databases will, for their part , be divided into
 mass-dissemination and reference bases depending upon the user and the
 type of use made of data . Statistical information does not consist
 solely of numerical data, but also of "metadata", i.e. documentation on
 what the data signify and how they are compiled . The documentation on
 Eurostat data will have to be expanded and revised to match the new
 structure of Eurostat bases , which is itself integrated with that of
 the Commission under the INSIS programme .
        ActMty/Project
  type title                                                                 page
                                                                             P{
    N   Installation of new dissémination products                             131
    N   Wide Dissémination databases ("EUROCRON”)                              131
    N   Access to Statistica! Databases (ABIS)                                 131
    R   Documentation of Public Databases                                      130
                                                                               129
    C   Dissemination policy for statistical data                              130
    C   Public reations
                                                                               130
    C   General digest
    C   Data Dissemination Management                                          131
                                                                               132
    C   Data shop in Brussels
 ---pagebreak---                                                                - 44 -
III . FUNCTIONING OF THE COMMUNITY
III . A. Own Resources
The Community 's budget is financed through "own resources ", which are
made up of various contributions which the Community collects from the
Member States or has collected by the Member States .                                   Until 1987 these
contributions were agricultural levies , customs duties and a percentage
of the amount yielded by value added tax .                                          1988 has seen the
introduction of a fourth contribution , which is payable to the
Community on the basis of gross national product at market prices ( GNP )
while making allowance for the amount of the other contributions . GNP
has thus become a central feature of the new Community system of
contributions .
When the Community budget is drawn up ,                                 statistical information is used
to forecast and check the contributions of the Member States .                                      Data
from the System of Integrated Economic Accounts are used to estimate
and verify what the Member States contribute on the basis of VAT
revenue .           Revenue from customs duties is estimated on the basis of
import statistics . As the statistical machinery for trade negotiations
is improved, it will be possible to improve estimates of revenue from
customs duties .
However , the introduction of GNP as a major reference figure for
calculating own resources means that a lasting improvement of
statistical information is needed .                                 The Council has therefore adopted a
Directive on GNP which provides for greater comparability of GNP
statistics .             The Commission will take account of these demands through
work ensuring that the ESA rules on preparing GNP estimates and its
main aggregates are properly applied by the Member States .                                          The
statistical systems of some Member States will have to be improved in
the light of these demands .                                     The Community will give the National
Statistical Institutes concerned every assistance in completing this
task .
       Activity/Project
type   title                                                                                           page
  N    Verification and checks of GNP estimates : own ressources                                         53
  N    Assessment of resources accruing from customs duties                                              67
  C    Control of VAT own ressources                                                                     61
       (N = new project, R = revised project, C = current activity
                                                                                                            63
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 45 -
III.B. Infrastructure
III.B.1 Informatics
Information-processing and telecommunications technologies are of
cardinal importance to the Community 's research and development ,
industrial and information policies . Being able to make optimum use of
techniques for processing , storing and transporting information will be
a major factor for progress , if not growth , in the next few decades .
Since a development strategy in these fields is only possible in a
market of European dimensions , it is clear that Community action is
called for .
Basically numerical in nature, statistics has always been, and must
continue to be, a pioneering force in the use of leading-edge
data-processing techniques . The first computers were " invented" to
process population censuses !
The Commission considers the creation, promotion and utilization of
norms and standards at European level to be vital for the success of
its policies in the data-processing field . Eurostat plays itsa part by
helping to draw up standards in the field of remote data transmission
and by integrating its own informatics infrastructure with that chosen
by the Commission following negotiations with European producers of
hardware and software .
If limited to Eurostat 's internal workings alone, such measures would
have only a restricted impact . Eurostat wishes to extend these measures
to the European level by building up its relations with the Member
States - especially in the field of remote transmission of statistics -
within the framework of more general programmes involving relations
between the Commission and national departments ( CADDIA ).
Eurostat 's projects cover remote transmission proper ( STATED , the
infrastructure for gathering at Eurostat information passed on by the
Member States ( STADIUM ) and the redissemination of this information
following processing and analysis ( STRINGS ). Development of these tools
will require much closer relations with the Member States and
international organizations , especially at the technical level .
As the programme unfolds, data-processing applications for statistical
purposes will not be limited to those around today. Interesting
possibilities are already emerging in electronic , the exchange of trade
data ( cf . the Commission 's TEDIS programme ), use of expert systems ( cf .
the DOSES project ), remote sensing, development of statistical analysis
techniques, etc . Eurostat remains on the lookout for such developments
so as to benefit from them once they are operational .
 Finally, optimizing the use made of informatics (hardware and software)
will help boost Eurostat 's performance in its tasks of collecting,
processing and disseminating statistical information .
 The new general services and the advances in hardware/ software are not
the sole preserve of data-processing experts, but must be used in all
 sectors to facilitate or rationalize the work of statisticians .
 Spin-off from technical advances in sector applications is essential to
maintain this high level of performance .
 ---pagebreak---                                                                   - 46 -
                                                                                                               S
        Activity/Project                                                                                       I
  type title                                                                                           page
    N   Collection infrastructure , STADIUM                                                             127
    N   Dissémination infrastructure , STRINGS                                                          128
    N   Exploring new computer methods for statistics                                                   128
    C   Development of general services                                                                 127
    C   Relations with Member States and international organizations in informatics                     129
    C  Assistance and development for sectoral applications                                             129
    C  Operation of data-processsing infrastructure                                                     129
    C   Public Data Base Administration                                                                 130
    G   Data Collection Management                                                                      130
    C   Development and implementation of new tools for statistical analysis                             75
    C   SData analysis assistance                                                                        75
        (N = new project, R = revised project, C = current activity
   III.B.2 Support of and cooperation between the Statistical Offices of
               the Member States
   The implementation of the Statistical Programme is an important step
   towards a Community statistical information system .                                          It places
   particularly heavy demands on the statistical services of the smaller
   and less developed Member States and special efforts will therefore be
   made to provide them with technical and financial support . In the past ,
   support has centred on agricultural statistics . This support will
   continue ,         but must be extended to other areas in order that all
   national Statistical Offices may meet the challenges of the 1990s .
   Greater cooperation between national Statistical Offices is of
   particular importance in this context . A true Community statistical
   information system can come to fruition only if integration of national
   systems is given impetus through greater cooperation . EUROSTAT has a
   vital r6le to play here as coordinator .
        Activity/Project
  type  title                                                                                            page
N       Assistance to the systems of enterprise statistics of certain Member States                         80
C       Assistance with plans for the restructuring of the system of agricultural statistics in the MS    109
        (N = new project, R = revised project, C = current activity
                                                                                                           65
 ---pagebreak---                                                              - 47 -
III . C. Staff Hanageaent
According to articles 64 and 65 of the Staff Regulation and to the
Council Decisions in 1981 and 1987 it is necessary to draw up a system
of indicators for the differences in the cost of living at various
locations where Community staff is working . This work entails also a
regular updating of the correction coefficients and the establishment
of an annual report in which the Commission proposes the adaption of
salaries for Community staff in Brussels and all other locations .                            The
system is regularly revised and will be extended to cover Community
staff working outside the Community .
        Activity/Project
 type   title                                                                                    page j
   N    Price surveys and consumption pattern surveys of staff in non-Community countries          59
   C    Price surveys and consumption pattern surveys of staff in the Member States                58
        (N = new project, R = revised project, C = current activity
                                                                                          ...mu.uuumjuuuuuuJ
                                                                                                             66
 ---pagebreak--- PART III
         68
 ---pagebreak--- STATISTICS UNDER EUROSTAT RESPONSIBILITY ---pagebreak---                                   - 49 -
Part III of this document assigns the work envisaged in the Programme
to the various Community services in charge . These are on the one hand
EUROSTAT services and on the other hand services in other Directorates-
general . This part gives a description not only of the work which will
be undertaken in view of Community policies as presented in part II of
the Programme but also of the work which is done by the statistical
services of the Community for the public at large .
Part III is subdivided as follows
1 . Statistics under EUROSTAT responsibility
    - general economic statistics, National Accounts and prices
    - international trade statistics , Third countries and ACP
      countries
    - enterprise statistics
    - social and regional statistics
    - agricultural , fisheries and environmental statistics
2. Statistics under the responsibility of other Coeaission Services
3 . Informât ics and Dissémination
                                                                        70
 ---pagebreak---           51
  ECONOMIC STATISTICS
        NATIONAL ACCOUNTS
                      PRICES
(
                             72
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 53 -
 Verifications and checks of estimates of GNP :
 own resources
 Work to be developed under the "Verification and checking" project is
 implied by the decision of the European Council to fix the own
 resources as a function of GNP .
 First of all , the statistical sources will have to be critically
 assessed with particular reference to their reliability as a means of
 estimating GNP .
 At the same time, an effort will be made to determie the margins of
 error associated with inadequate coverage (e.g. the unrecorded or
 "hidden" economy). In the light of the these analyses, together with
 those which the Member States themselves regard as valuable, a model
will be devised for verification of the process by which GNP is
established . Since this involves assessment of the reliability of GNP -
and in more general terms the national accounts drawn up by the
national statistical institutes - it is essential , if this project is
to succeed, that experts from the Member States should be actively
 involved .
The fact that GNP is to be used for administrative purposes explains
the adoption of a Community directive to ensure that the ESA rules for
calculating GNP and the main aggregates are correctly applied . This
directive also determines the resources ( financial and other ) needed to
implement the project , especially to improve the statistical systems of
certain countries .
Classifications of activities and products
The objective of the project is to draw up an integrated, harmonized
system of classifications of activities and products at world.
Community and national levels , in an attempt to improve the
comparability of data and make it possible to use every possible source
of information .
The timetable for the project , which will be developed together with
the United Nations , envisages the adoption of both the SITC Rev. 3
( classification of activities ) and the CPC ( classification of products
linked to the SITC ).
This implies that the Community has to adopt the revised NACE and the
CPC-COM and that Member States have to introduce new classifications
identical to or totally compatible with the European classifications .
A Regulation will be needed to introduce the NACE as a compulsory basis
for national classifications for the collection and transmission of
data .
ESA économie aggregates and quarterly accounts
Over the next few years, EUROSTAT will continue to collect from the
national statistical institutes information on national accounts
aggregates, in order to reduce the time taken to publish the accounts
and improve their comparability .
 ---pagebreak---                                       54 -
  This objective also ties in with the decision of the Heads of State and
  Government to institute a fourth resource based on GNP for each Member
  State 's contribution to the Community budget . A Community directive
  constituting the basis for verification was adopted by the Council on
• 24 June 1988 .
  Quarterly accounts are at an in-between stage . In their current form,
  they provide only data on flows of goods and services . In order to
  make them more useful for the analysis of short-term economic trends ,
  data on revenue and financial flows will have to be incorporated and
  the accounts will have to be produced more quickly . The fact that
  quarterly accounts are not incorporated into the ESA poses difficult
  problems ( the available data are not homogeneous , the techniques used
  for seasonal adjustment vary etc ). These difficulties will be analysed
  in 1989 and a programme to harmonize quarterly accounts will be
  proposed in 1990 .
  ESA sectoral accounts
  Detailed accounts by institutional sector as a basis for the study and
  analysis of the behaviour of the various economic agents are a matter
  of priority .
  EUROSTAT will continue to collect - from the national statistical
  institutes and , in some cases, other bodies - national accounts data
  relating to the institutional sectors : households , enterprises , general
  government . In the medium term, the information obtained should be
  considerably improved by the more widespread use of data processing and
  by ensuring that the methodological rules of the ESA and the deadlines
  imposed are complied with .
  ESA branch accounts and input-output tables
  As a basis for the study of the structures of production and how the
  factors of production are economically interdependent as regards
  productivity, the ESA breaks the economy down into branches which group
  together "units of homogeneous production" exercising an activity
  geared solely to one product or group of products . A more detailed
  breakdown of trade between branches leads to input-output tables .
  Over the next few years, EUROSTAT will continue to collect (on an
  annual basis ) data for branch accounts and for input-output tables
  ( 5-yearly ) and to check internal consistency and adherence to the
  methodology defined in the ESA .
  Accounts of the Community Institutions
  In view of the economic and financial importance of the European
  Institutions , it is essential to treat them as countries of a
  particular kind and provide a coherent , quantitative description of
  their economies .
  Economic and financial accounts have therefore to be drawn up for the
  Community Institutions in the same way as they are at national level .
  This current project should enable the Member States to provide better
                                                                             75
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 55 -
  coverage in their own national accounts of the nature ( in economic
   erms an scale of all transactions between the Institutionns and the
  various Community countries .
  This project also ties in with work on the balance of payments of the
   uropean Institutions, and thus a common classification can be drawn up
  for the budgetary provisions of these Institutions and for balance of
 payments and national accounts transactions .
 Coordination of statistics and accounts - general
 The "Coordination of statistics and accounts " imposes a new dimension,
 one which can guarantee that statistics and accounts will be coherent
 from the outset . This coordination must not be purely mechanical ,
 superimposed on projects which are already under way : it must be an
 essential feature of them .
 In the first instance , the current situation must be analysed in depth
 so that proposals can be put forward to ensure coherence between the
 various macro-economic statistics , between macro- and micro-economic
 statistics and between micro-economic statistics . The coordination of
 statistics and accounts will have to become one of the main elements in
 the drawing up of new projects . This coordination aims both to
 rationalize statistical work in all fields ( statistical units ,
definition of variables , classifications, base years , aggregation
 formulae etc .) and to improve use of the information when it is
presented in a coherent way .
Community system of accounts (ESA) - Methodology
The aim of this project is to work in close cooperation with
international organizations (OECD , UN, IMF , World Bank ) to make
corrections and improvements to the systems of national accounts in
current use , in order to take into account changes in economic
structures , progress in methodology and the new, and in some cases
different , data which are needed today . The changes and extensions
cover basically the introduction of extended consumption, a new method
of dealing with financial leasing and closer , easier links with
bbalance-of-payments statistics and statistics on public finance . The
extension involves the development of balance sheet and the linking
together of accounts showing flows ( current ESA ) and those covering
stocks .
Work on drafting the new ESA will begin in 1989 . Discussions on the
revised version of the ESA will be held in 1990 and 1991 and the final
version will be prepared in the various Community languages in 1992 .
Coordination of macro-economic statistical systems
Work on harmonizing methodologies aims to align various macro–economic
statistical systems : national accounts , balance of payments , social
protection statistics, agricultural accounts, input-output tables for
energy, steel , agriculture etc .
 ---pagebreak---                                  /
                                   - 56 -
 Coordinnation of statistics and accounts : micro-macro
 This methodological harmonization project aims to improve the
 integration of micro- and macro-economic statistics . Bringing these two
 systems closer together should lead to compatibile micro- and
 macro-economic data , so that detailed analyses can be made of survey
 data and national accounts aggregates and data from different surveys
 can be compared .
Statistical coordination for the large internal market
All this work must be coordinated in order to adapt the Community
statistical system to the requirements of the internal market , due for
completion in 1992 . In principle , the coordination work is internal .
The aim is to make available to the decision-makers ( in Community
 institutions , national governments , businesses world etc .) comparable,
comprehensive, up-to-date and pertinent information .
Typical problems concerning national accounts methodology
Ways must be found in the short term of adapting the methodology of
national accounts to deal with recent developments in the economy .
Solutions to current problems should be defined as they arise in
meetings of the Community group of experts before the new ESA is
introduced, in order to ensure that all transactions effected in the
economy are suitably classified and dealt with .
Development of balance sheets
Whereas accounts covering economic flows have developed relatively
satisfactorily at Community level , for some years there has been very
little progress in drawing up and developing balance sheets . The
availability of harmonized data on assets and changes in those assets
is extremely important for any analysis of economic behaviour,
especially that of households . This project aims to set up a system of
balance sheets incorporated into national accounts . To this end, after
methodological studies have been carried out , EUROSTAT 'S first task
will be the standardized collection of the data available in the Member
States , followed by the analysis, comparison and adjustment of the
figures . The next stage will be to develop balance sheets for other
countries .
Technical cooperation on national accounts
This project is concerned with technical cooperation with non-Community
countries, with the aim of continuing EUROSTAT 'S cooperation projects ,
providing technical assistance with national accounts and improving the
local capacity of the countries concerned . The main project is in
Tanzania .
Methodology of purchasing power parities
The logic behind purchasinng power parities is a comparison in real
terms of the aggregates of the ESA between the European Community
countries .
 ---pagebreak---                                       57 -
  Real per capita GDP can be used as an instrument for analysis and
 economic policies or as a criterion for sharinng out Community receipts
 and expenditure (Social Fund, Regional Fund, Community financing ).
 The SOEC cooperates with other international organizations (OECD, UN,
 UN-Geneva ) also working on international comparisons .
 Future work on methodology will concentrate on three main points :
 - improving the existing methodology for drawing up basic parities ;
 “ giving further consideration to the adoption of an aaggregation
    procedure consistent with the overall philosophy;
 - the setting up of an annual system for calculating purchasing power
    parities and producing volume comparisons on the basis of annual
    price surveys ( for approximately one third of the GDP basket ) and
    updates using time indices ( for the remaining two thirds ). The first
    stage of this new system is already being implemented ( 1988).
Consumer price indices
Price indices , available in harmonized form very soon after the
 referennce period , are an important instrument for the analysis of
short-term economic trends in the Community .
The base data ( series of individual indices ) are transmitted regularly
by the Member States .
For the annual calculation of purchasing power parities , the consumer
price indices will have to be developed considerably in the short term ,
especially the detailed series , which should be available for the same
level of classification as that used for the calculation of the
parities .
Survey of final consumption prices (households
and government )
These are price surveys carried out for the purposes of calculating
purchasing power parities and GDP in real values .
Up to now , exhaustive surveys have been conducted for five separate
years (base years ), but in the next few years EUROSTAT is going to
switch to a system of ongoing surveys, which will have the advantage of
providing "fresh" data on an annual basis and ensuring a more
appropriate allocation over time of both human and financial resources .
Every year, price surveys will be organized and parities will be
calculated for a different sub-sample of products . The parities for
products not included in the sub-sample will be extrapolated using
price indices .
The Member States and other international organizations play a major
part in this project . In particular, the Member States carry out the
extensive price surveys , for which they receive a financial
contribution from the Community .
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 58 -
Some of the data obtained are used for the "Weightings" project .
Price surveys on gross fixed capital formation
These are price surveys carried out for the calculation of purchasing
power parities and GDP in real values .
Although EUROSTAT can rely on the national statistical institutes for
assistance with the final consumption of households , it cannot do so at
present for gross fixed capital formation . In this field, there are
often no national price surveys or, if there are , they cover only
certain groups of products or the methodological concepts vary from
country to country . Moreover, a price survey of fixed capital goods ,
where definitions have to be worked out and prices obtained for plant
or structures which are in many cases very complex , requires specific
technical knowledge and the use of highly qualified staff .
EUROSTAT therefore carries out fixed capital goods surveys in
cooperation with architects ( for structures ) or engineers ( for capital
goods ) .
As for the consumption of households , prices are assessed every year
for approximately one third of the total sample . When it comes to
investments , since national prices are not comparable , EUROSTAT derives
price indices on the basis of the data collected annually, and these
are used to extrapolate the total sample .
Regional price surveys
Price surveys are carried out at regional level in order to provide
figures on differences in price levels within particular countries .
They are conducted periodically in order to update the geographical
coefficients vis-a-vis the capital cities of the Member States .
The regular price surveys for the calculation of purchasing power
parities are carried out only in capital cities , whereas the parities
applied to national accounts values must refer to national average
prices . Priority is given to surveys in the larger Community countries
and countries for which few data are available on regional price
differences . Initially, they are expected to be held in Italy and Spain
in 1988 and in France and the Federal Republic of Germany in 1989 .
The cooperation of the Member States which carry out these surveys is
essential . The Community makes a financial contribution to survey
costs .
Price surveys and consumption pattern surveys of staff
in the Member States
a ) Price surveys . The main requirement in the capitals of the Member
    States is to carry out a simplified survey to complement the data
    obtained from the major , annual purchasing power parity surveys .
    Full-scale surveys will be necessary at the research centres for
    which a specific weighting is requested .
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 59 -
 b) Expenditure surveys . In addition to the annual rent surveys, family
    budget surveys of Community officials are to be carried out in
     1989/ 1990 in Brussels and at the research centres to derive
    weighting structures to be used in calculating the purchasing power
    parities incorporated in the salary weightings and joint indices .
 The Member States are directly involved in the price surveys , whereas
 for the expenditure pattern surveys they have a monitoring r6le within
 the Working Party on Article 64 of the Staff Regulations and Joint
 Indices . The Inter-Organizations Study Section of the OECD is
 associated with the work with a view to harmonizing the method and data
 employed .
 The results of the price surveys carried out in 1988, 1989 and 1990
 will  have to be analysed and updated in mid-1990 using specific price
 indices .
 The Member States will receive payment from the Community for the price
 surveys, which to a large extent are carried out as part of the
purchasing power parity project .
Price surveys and consumption pattern surveys of
staff in non-Coaaunity countries
The Council Decision of October 1987 on the the new arrangements for
 remuneration of staff employed outside the Community forms the legal
basis for this project .
a ) Price surveys . Price surveys have to be carried out in the capitals
    of the non-Member countries to which Community officials are posted .
    About 25 countries per year are covered so that the purchasing power
    parities for all the countries can be updated every three to four
    years .
b ) Households expenditure surveys will also be carried out to provide a
    picture of both the consumption patterns at these places and the
    types of article purchased .
The surveys are to be carried out in close cooperation with other
international bodies ( UN International Civil Service Commission and
OECD Inter-Organizations Study Section ).
Payments will be made to non-Member countries for conducting the price
surveys .
EUS and ECU Statistics
Collection and publication of data and other relevant information on
the functioning of the EMS and the private use of the ECU . The data
collected include : issues of bonds in ECU , interest rates on ECU
deposits , yields of ECU bonds , price indices in ECU and ECU exchange
rates .
An important feature of these statistics is their short periodicity and
thus their reliance on a number of different sources of information
e.g. national official and private publications , the financial press
and other Commission publications .
                                                                          80
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Financial Accounts
The system of financial accounts , based on the European System of
Accounts ( ESA ), provides comparable statistics on the flow of funds
between the institutionnal sectors of an economy and with the rest of
the world .
EUROSTAT 'S main task consists in the collection of data , harmonization
and the analysis of these financial flows . Methodological work in order
to keep up with the developments in the financial markets - regarding
both institutions and financial instruments - is needed on a constant
basis . In most countries financial accounts are produced by the central
banks , who have better access to information of a financial nature . The
data are collected annually .
Financial balance sheet
The financial balance sheets show the outstanding amount of financial
assets and liabilities of the sectors ( households, government etc ) of
an economy . They can be seen as an indispensable complement to the
project on financial accounts ( flows ), whose analysis would be
extremely difficult and incomplete without information on balance
sheets ( stocks ).
Two types of developments are thus envisaged : ( a ) financial balance
sheets by sectors and (b ) accounts reconciling flows and stocks . The
project also includes the development of a harmonized methodology which
will be in line with the revised system of National Accounts of the
United Nations .
Financial and monetary indicators
Collection, processing and dissemination of time series of monetary and
financial indicators . A wide range of indicators are covered, both
prices ( interest rates , exchanges rates , share price indices etc ) and
stocks (money supply, foreign reserves etc ).
These statistics provide essential information to the monetary
authorities on developments in the financial markets and the monitoring
of monetary policy . They provide also a measure of the inter-country
trends in the monetary variables and of the degree of integration of
the financial markets in the Community .
In order to allow comparison between Member States , EUROSTAT has
harmonized financial indicators and developed a Community scheme for
the balance sheet of credit institutions , the money supply, and
central government debt . These harmonized financial indicators will be
further developed .
External Position of Member States
Collection and harmonization of data from various national (mainly
central banks ) and international sources covering the financial
position of each member country vis-a-vis the rest of the world . The
external position of the whole economy is covered as well as that of
the main sectors (government , banking sector etc ).
An important methodological characteristic of these statistics is their
compliance with the rules - regarding both sectors and transactions -
of the ESA .
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 61
These statistics , which at present provide data without a geographical
breakdown , are to be refined in order to show the consolidated position
of the Community as a whole vis-a-vis the rest of the world .
Capital Market statistics for a European
Financial Area
The main areas of statistical research refer to the integration of the
national capital markets into a European market . EUROSTAT 'S principal
task in this domain concerns the development of methods , sources and
techniques for the collection of data on the supply of and demand for
capital in this unified market .
The problems of nomenclature, financial innovation , institutional
changes and other items linked to the functioning of the capital
markets are also subjects that should be explicity covered . Cooperation
is envisaged with central banks and other international financial
institutions , as well as with professional organizations representing
market participants .
Control of VAT own resources
Management of the system of own resources based on VAT under Council
Regulations 2891 / 77 and 2892 / 77 involves a number of decisions and
checks .
Article 7 of Regulation No 2892 / 77 explicitly mentions the use of
national accounts data drawn up in accordance with the European System
of Integrated Economic Accounts ( ESA).
These national accounts data are used when calculating the average
weighted rate referred to in these regulations .
EUROSTAT is represented at the meetings of the Advisory Committee on
the Community 's Own Resources , whose purpose is to decide how the
directives should be implemented and to assess requests by the Member
 States , at the beginning of each financial year, for permission to use
 simplified methods of calculating the value of certain transactions for
 which they have to make positive or negative adjustments .
 EUROSTAT is associated with DG XX ( Financial Control ) in the
 preparatory checks and with OG XIX (Budgets ) in checking the statements
 drawn up by the Member States .
 Public financing of R&D
 Statistical data on R&D are needed for meetings of the Council . To this
 end, EUROSTAT makes use of national figures on public R&D expenditure,
 using the definitions adopted by the Scientific and Technical Research
 Committee ( CREST ). After harmonization, this expenditure is categorized
 on the basis of a classification by socio-economic purpose (NABS ).
 ---pagebreak---              - 63 -
 INTERNATIONAL TRADE STATISTICS
NON-COmUNITY AND ACP COUNTRIES
 ---pagebreak---                                  - 65 -
Statistics on trade in goods between Member States
after 1992
As a result of the introduction of the Single Market , from 1993 onwards
there will be no administrative or customs checks at the Community 's
internal frontiers . The SOEC has been working for some time already to
set up a data collection system adapted to the requirements of the
Single Market , with a view to drawing up statistics on trade between
Member States which will provide the information required by the
Community and the individual Member States .
A basic Regulation is currently in preparation . After this has been
examined by the relevant committees , it will be presented to the
Council in 1988 . After this basic Regulation , an implementing
Regulation will be put to the Council , or adopted directly by the
Commission, during the following twelve months .
In 1991 and 1992 the new system will be tested throughout the Member
States , and the Commission will make a financial contribution to this
experimental phase . Once it has been tested and any modifications made ,
the new system will be implemented in 1993 .
Statistics on international trade in services
The Community needs information on the free movement of services ,
especially in the context of the Single Market . EUROSTAT is currently
examining the statistical implications of these requirements with
regard both to methods and sources of information . Proposals for
drawing up these statistics will be submitted to the Member States in
due course .
Classifications of goods for external trade
This work aims to adapt the statistical part of the Combined
Nomenclature to the requirements of the Community 's external trade, in
particular to technological developments, whilst ensuring that it is
consistent with other Community or international classifications .
Classification rules, proposals for amendments and explanatory notes
have to be drawn up or made more specific so that the classifications
decided upon by the Council can be correctly interpreted and uniformly
applied .
The legal basis for this activity is Council Regulation 2658/ 87 EEC on
the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the common customs
tariff .
Classification of countries
This activity covers the updating of the Community geonomenclature on
the basis of Council Regulation 1736/ 75 on the external trade
statistics of the Community and statistics of trade between Member
States .
                                                                          85
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Management and development of the methodology of
external trade statistics
Uniform application of the methodology of external trade statistics in
all Member States is essential for reliable and meaningful trade
statistics .
This uniformity is , however, very difficult to achieve in view of the
remaining differences , considerably reduced though they may be, between
Member States in their national methodologies . The main objectives of
the "Methods " working party are thus to ensure the application of
Community methods insofar as they are already harmonized through
various Regulations (No 1736/ 75 , No 200/ 83 and No 2954 / 85 ) and to
develop Community methods through new Regulations .
The correct application of the Community Regulations is being monitored
on agreed bases, and new methodological developments are planned on a
realistic timetable . Proposals for Council Regulations on
confidentiality, statistical value and bonded warehouse statistics are
being prepared .
Methodological differences also restrict the comparability of Community
statistics and the statistics of partner countries . A project is
therefore on the drawing board to rectify these differences , starting
with the EFTA countries, the United States and Japan . Expert groups
will meet to examine proposals which should lead to agreements on
international harmonization ( either within the United Nations or in the
OECD ) even if Community methods have to be adapted to a certain extent .
Production of external trade statistics
The regular production of comprehensive , detailed and harmonized
figures on the external trade of the Community countries requires
considerable data processing resources in both EUROSTAT and the Member
States . EUROSTAT 'S COMEXT informatics system has been set up to process
the mass of data (approximately 2 million items per month), analyse
them rationally and disseminate the information widely, both internally
and externally .
The programme is intended to improve the system used for retroactive
data correction and the handling of confidential data at collection
level , adapt and extend the system so that it will accept the new
harmonized classifications ( HS, CN and TARIC ) and draw up new
statistics by mode of transport . These new requirements mean that the
system must be reformed . The programme will also be reviewed to make a
clearer distinction between external trade with non-Community countries
and trade between Member States following proposals to be made with
1992 in mind .
COMEXT database
All Community statistics are made available to Commission users in the
COMEXT database, where time series may be accessed both on-line and
off-line, with facilities for tabulation, aggregation, graphics,
calculation and combination with other sources . A major programme for
consolidation and improvement in line with user requirements and the
creation of satellite databanks to meet specific requirements , together
with alterations to cope with changes in production, will require
considerable further data processing resources in future years .
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 67 -
 The COMEXT system will also be extended so that direct comparisons may
 be made with the statistics of the major partner countries .
 Processing of external trade statistics classifications
 Linked with the COMEXT system is an important sub-project for
 processing texts , codes and footnotes connected with the various
 classifications , updating them and drawing up correlation tables for
 the different classifications . This project became even more important
 when the previous systems lapsed following the introduction of new
 international classifications . Major changes are also being
 introduced , to exploit the new possibilities for processing statistics
at the level of the detailed TARIC classification , for which an
 interface with DG XXI 's TARIC database has to be developed .
Tariff and trade statistics ( STARCOM)
The introduction of the Combined Nomenclature for tariff and
statistical purposes has made it possible to set up a new
data-processing tool to link the tariff and trade data bases , in order
to carry out analyses and simulations of tariff statistics to be used
mainly in preparation for the Uruguay round GATT negotiations .
In view of the importance and urgency of these negotiations , the
STARCOM project has been granted top priority .
GSP statistics and the calculation of resources from customs duties are
sub-systems which will use this system .
Production of 6SP statistics
The system of GSP statistics will undergo a radical reorganization on
the basis of studies presently being carried out , in order to eliminate
the differences between economic statistics and administrative records
by improving coordination between appropriate departments in the Member
States . The introduction of the single administrative document and the
TARIC hold out hope for progress in this field .
Assessaent of resources accruing froa custoas duties
The highly complex calculations involved, based on very detailed ,
differing classifications , require special efforts to analyse customs
regulations and draw up rules governing the calculations which can be
followed by the various users .
This project will use the STARCOM infrastructure to carry out the
estimates required . The initial work will be done in 1989 in
cooperation with DG XIX and the Court of Auditors .
External trade indices
External trade indices have recently become available . They are now
published regularly and can also be extracted from a data bank ( TREND ).
The changeover from NIMEXE to CN has been a drawback , but work is now
under way to ensure a smooth transition . A special index for
high-technology products is now planned .
                                                                          87
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 68 -
 World trade Matrix
 It is extremely difficult to set up a matrix of world-level trade in
 sufficient detail , since too many data are regularly missing . EUROSTAT
 intends to develop a prototype , to be completed with the help of an
 expert system, and to start regular production of such a matrix . An
 extension to certain groups of products is envisaged .
 Seasonal adjustment
 Trade data often show marked seasonal variations which may impede
 analysis . The intention is , therefore, to study methods used for the
 seasonal adjustment of external trade data and, on the basis of this
 study , to develop an appropriate instrument .
Balance of payaents methodology
The IMF manual is due to be revised shortly in order to take account of
the need for more detailed data on services . Furthermore, the
classification of current transactions ( goods , services , income and
transfers ) will be broken down in greater detail . EUROSTAT will draw up
proposals which will be examined with representatives of the national
statistical offices in the appropriate working party .
Balance of payments statistics
Balance of payments statistics are updated quarterly and will now be
more detailed , since a breakdown by partner country wilt be given for
the main current transactions , at least on an annual basis . This
extension has long been requested by DG I , but will only be possible if
the Member States provide the data required .
Balance of payments of the European Institutions
In order to obtain appropriately consolidated balance of payments
statistics for both the European Community and for individual Member
States , the Community Institutions must be incorporated into the
system . It is therefore intended to develop a suitable system based on
budgetary data .
International capital Movements
EUROSTAT intends to draw up data on international capital movements ,
broken down by branch and partner country . Although there has for a
long time been an intention to draw up these statistics ( Article 72 of
the EEC Treaty ), it has never been possible to draw them up since
certain Member States could not supply the necessary data . Improvements
may now be expected and, if they materialize , the project should
concentrate on analysing and publishing the data .
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 69 -
Survey on trade in services
EUROSTAT must improve statistics on trade in services since services
are high on the agenda of the Uruguay Round negotiations .
The data currently available on trade in services , based on balance of
payments statistics , are inadequate ( about a dozen headings for trade
in services as compared to 9 500 for trade in goods ). On top of this ,
the quality of services data is inferior to that of trade data ( lack of
harmonization, differences between gross and net flows etc ).
The survey on trade in services is intended to create a new source of
data for use by both the Commission and the Member States . The latter
are therefore involved in the project , not only through taking part in
the activities of the relevant working parties but also by being
directly involved in carrying out the survey .
International trade in services
This project consists of analysing data on international trade in
services . In view of the quality of the available information ,
estimates will have to be made and there will have to be concessions on
flows , mainly in order to reduce asymmetries . A database ( Symphony ) is
to be set up as a result of this project and a statistical analysis
will be published of the Community 's position in international trade
in services - in line with the requirements of the various Commission
departments engaged in multilateral trade negotiations ( Article 113 of
the EEC Treaty ).
The latest publication in this field, "The European Community 's
External Trade in Services ", did not include any EUR 12 aggregate . The
next publication should fill this gap, giving more detailed information
on the various types of service and providing higher-quality
information .
For this to be successful , the Member States will have to provide
information in as much detail as possible , in line with the new
                        questionnaire on services .
Coopération : Training of statisticians
Coordination of training projects for statisticians from developing
countries supported and financed by the Community ( helping to manage
and run the CESD and the Munich Centre ; coordination and follow-up work
on the second project providing backup for the STPA; support for the
establishment of new training centres ).
Cooperation : External trade statistics
Studying, improving and harmonizing the external trade statistics of
the developing countries and their regional organizations
(methodological support , implementation of the Harmonized System ,
introduction of the SYDONIA / ASYCUDA and TRACE / CADET software ).
 ---pagebreak---                                       - 70 -
   Cooperation : Statistics for food and rural
   development policies
   Improvement of the data needed for the design and management of food
. policies ( forecasts and harvests, early warning system, monitoring of
   the consumption, production and marketing of food products,
   coordinationn in the field, survey development ).
   Cooperation: Statistical projects in other fields
   - Yugoslavia : Improvement of statistics under the EEC-FSRY agreement .
      Algeria : Development of regional, external trade and agricultural
      statistics .
  - Trinidad and Tobago : EOF project for statistical backup for planning .
  ” China : Action in the field of external trade and industrial
      statistics .
  - Tunisia : EOF project to provide support for agricultural statistics .
  - Latin America : Support for Andean Pact agriculture, industry and
      services ) and SIECA ( external trade ) projects .
  - PIAF ( integrated financial applications programme ): Computerization
     of data processing by financial administrations .
  Cooperation : Statistics needed in the social sphere
  The production of ( and improvement of the countries' own ability to
  produce ) statistical data which can be used to measure and monitor the
  social consequences of the structural adjustment programmes .
  In particular, statistical backup for the "Social dimension of
  Structural Adjustment " programme, representation on the project 's
  steering committee and technical backup and monitoring for the work
  ( household surveys etc ) to be carried out in the participating
  countries . The project is expected to run for 5 years .
  Cooperation : Development of a system of
  agricultural surveys in Tunisia
  Project for improving agricultural statistics in Tunisia, geared to
  three main themes :
  1 ) survey processing, on the basis of technical support and the supply
       of micro-economic equipment ;
  2 ) testing an alternative methodology for processing the results;
  3 ) préparation of new spécifie surveys .
 ---pagebreak---                                      71
Coopération : data-processing
in the field of public finance in Africa
Taking part in the project to computerize public administration in
Af r ica , with the aim of improving the management of public finance via
the use of data processing tools appropriate for the various situations
encountered on the African continent .
 ---pagebreak---       - 73 -
ENTERPRISE STATISTICS
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 75 -
 Statistical confidentiality and security
 Implementation of the large internal market will inevitably lead to a
 greater need for harmonized and detailed statistical data .
 The present system of statistics, particularly industrial statistics ,
 is handicapped by the inability of Member States to send to EUROSTAT
 data regarded according to national rules or customs as confidential .
 EUROSTAT is preparing a legal instrument which will allow Member States
 to supply it with such data .
 It is hoped that the regulation will be adopted in first half of 1989
 and that the necessary implementing decisions will be taken before the
 end of 1989 so that data can be delivered without missing elements
 from 1990 onwards .
 The objective of the "security and confidentiality" project is to
ensure that all the necessary measures are taken to guarantee that
 confidential data are protected within EUROSTAT . This is a prerequisit
 for the transmission of disaggregated data from Member States to
 EUROSTAT . This can only be achieved through discussions and cooperation
with the national statistical    institutes .
Development and implementation of new
data analysis systems
The nature and volume of statistics currently available mean that
sophisticated data analysis techniques have to be used . Analysis is a
necessary part of the data processing chain, from plausibility checks
on the material supplied to the retrieval of relevant information . The
"Development and implementation of new data analysis systems " project
enables new data analysis tools to be utilized, thus improving the
quality of the input and the readability of the published results .
Specific methods are being developed and data analysis seminars
organized .
Data analysis assistance
If the European Institutions are to function efficiently, available
statistics must be exploited to the full , which often involves the use
of complex analysis techniques . The aims of this project are first of
all to help EUROSTAT and the Commission to use these techniques and
then to profit from the technical developments achieved in the various
Member States by providing maximum follow-up and support .
Statistics of energy production
Monthly and annual supply and demand data for solid fuels , oil , gas and
electricity form the backbone of the energy statistics system . Apart
from allowing supply and demand for an important Community resource to
be monitored, coal statistics also provide information on employment
and productivity within the coal industry .
Hydrocarbons statistics permit , in particular , an assessment of
security of supply and the diversification process .
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 76 -
  In the case of electricity, the basic statistics are used to prepare
  annual balance sheets for power stations and to assess fuel
  substitution possibilities .
  Nuclear energy statistics are based on a monthly survey of nuclear
  power plants covering various aspects of nuclear energy production
  (capacity, available energy, thermal energy, utilization, hours on
  line, etc ). A profile for each power plant is sketched, and the
  evolution of the structure of the nuclear power industry as a whole is
  described . Nuclear energy statistics are supplemented by information on
  the causes, duration and frequency of unavailability .
  Dramatic changes have taken place in the energy sector since the first
 oil crisis . The rise of the nuclear industry is already reflected in
 the system of energy statistics . But with rising environmental concerns
 new and renewable sources of energy are likely to gain in importance,
 and the system needs to be extended to cover these . A project is
 already under way to assess information readily available and
 methodological issues are being studied . A system of data collection
 has to be developed, and the results incorporated into aggregate energy
 statistics .
 6lobal Energy Balance Sheet
 Quarterly and annual energy balance sheets are compiled from the basic
 energy statistics and used to study commercial cycles and energy
utilization in different sectors of the European economy in general and
 the efficiency of energy utilization in particular . They are equally
valuable as tools for developing models and making forecasts .
Energy Input-Output Tables
Energy input-output tables cover the intermediate exchange of energy
between 43 branches , 10 of which are energy branches . These tables are
supplemented by import matrices , a table of resources , and tables of
energy flows in values and quantities .
The input-output tables provide an excellent tool for analysing the
energy sector and studying the interdependence between trends in the
economy at large and the use of energy . They also establish a valuable
link between national accounts and energy balance sheets .
Energy Price
Energy price statistics are prepared on the basis of surveys and with
the help of chambers of commerce and university institutes . The surveys
are supplemented by foreign trade statistics .
These statistics contribute to market transparency, a particularly
important aspect for the single large market . They also assist the
analytical work undertaken by the Commission, research institutes and
business .
                                                                           96
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 77 -
 Energy Related Investment and Indicators
 Energy Related Investment
 In view of the importance of energy-related investment , information has
 to be collected from various sources , adequately processed and
 sufficiently harmonized in order to supplement the system of energy
 statistics .
Energy Indicators
The current system of energy statistics is fairly well developed and
thus provides ample possibilities for the construction of indicators
 for energy efficiency . These have to be developed in the context of
energy balance sheets , national accounts and econometric models used by
the Commission .
Survey on Energy Consumption in Households
Households are important consumers of energy with a share of about 25%
of final energy consumption , or some 100 bn ECU . Thus it is very
important to know more about household energy consumption ; information
is currently obtained only as a spin-off from other data . A household
survey can further a policy aiming at energy efficiency and to provide
a valuable insight into the complex process of energy substitution .
The project is already under way, as budget resources for a survey were
made available by six Member States in 1987 . The others will follow in
1988 . The survey will be completed in 1989, and the first results
should be available from 1990 onwards .
Surveys on Industrial Energy Consumption
Community- level harmonization of methods , in the same way as for a
survey , is a vital point which poses problems in the analysis of
consumption by branch . Technical and financial aid to those countries
not having ad hoc surveys ( Portugal , Greece and Ireland ) can also
improve comparability at Community level .
Energy Information System (E.I.S )
Energy data bank
The current status of the system of energy statistics allows movement
towards an integrated data bank for the whole system, supplemented by
information prepared elsewhere, in particular by DG XVII .
This data bank is intended to become the backbone of the system and
will be integrated into the new architecture of EUROSTAT data bases .
Graphie représentation of energy flous
Software permitting description of energy flows from production to
useful energy .
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 78 -
 Adapting the industrial statistics systea to the needs
of the large internal narket
 Existing tools for industrial statistics are not completely
 satisfactory for the purposes they are intended to meet and do not
 fulfil all information needs . New avenues must be explored to find
other possibi lities : use of industrial registers and panels, upgrading
of existing tools (short term indicators, annual survey, product
statistics ), seminars in particular with Member States in order to
exchange experience on these questions , and specific studies .
Panels and registers
Work on panels will extend over several years (methodological studies ,
discussions with parties concerned - especially the Member States - on
the appropriateness of different approaches , practical
experimentation ).
Member States will be closely associated with this project , and will
subsequently be involved in the direct management of panels . Another
avenue being explored is registers , which are not only useful but even
essential for the whole project . They also generate information which
is valuable in its own right , in particular on industrial demography .
Extending statistics covering short-term industrial indicators
i)    Faster transmission of existing indicators ;
ii )  Preparation and publication of an index of industrial producer
      prices;
iii ) Enhanced level of detail for the 12 indicators ;
iv )  Distinction between the domestic market , the rest of the Community
      and      non-Community countries .
Industrial product statistics
Proposal for a new approach in which Member States furnish product
statistics based on an external trade classification .
Industrial enterprise statistics
- More rapid supply of information .
- Use of estimâtes to update figures .
- Better coverage of small enterprises .
Seminars and studies
- Exchange of information betweeen statisticians, public authorities
   and users .
- Studies and reflexion on the possibilities and methods for the
   development of the statistical system (methods, approaches, feedback
   of information to business ).
                                                                          98
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 79 -
                                    !
 Current industrial statistics : collection, Management ,
 analysis, dissemination of data .
 Short term industral indicators
 Regular and rapid provision of comprehensible indicators on the
 industrial situation in each Member State at the most detailed level
possible . Production of a monthly publication , storage of data in a
 consultation database and contributions to EUROSTAT 'S general
publications on the economy .
 Industrial production statistics
Regular and rapid provision of detailed figures on output ( sales ) of
 representative industrial products .
Statistics on the structure of industrial enterprises
Provision of harmonized data on the structure of industrial enterprises
employing at least 20 persons , and five-yearly figures for all
enterprises . Production of an annual publication and special
publications , e.g. on a regional or size class basis .
Statistical analyses and synopses
Improved provision of all variables for a given sector , including data
on external trade in goods produced in that sector .
Synopses also include compilations of comparative data from our two
major competitors , the USA and Japan .
Development of statistical expert systems : DOSES
The project aims at improving the potential for producing and
exploiting statistical information by using advanced data processing
and other techniques .
The DOSES project ( Development of Statistical Expert Systems ) covers
research into and development of advanced techniques for data
manipulation and compiling of statistics . A budget spread over five
years will be used to provide a certain amount of aid for several joint
projects , consultations and dissemination of results .
This programme should benefit both statisticians , through enhanced
productivity, and users of statistics , through a better service .
Statistics for the evaluation of Community Research and
Development Programmes
The Commission has stressed the need for statistical information to
play an important role in the systems for evaluating Community research
and development programmes .
It is therefore necessary, in cooperation with the Commission and the
national authorities concerned to develop a harmonized statistical
system for the specific purpose of evaluating the major Community
programmes in this field .
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 80 -
The following stages are envisaged :
1988       - Consultation with the Commission to define concepts and
             inputs for       évaluation
1989       - Feasibility study together with the Member States and first
             collection of non-ha rmoni zed data
1989-1992 - Harmonization of concepts and development of processing and
             analysis systems .
Statistics on Small and Medium-sized enterprises
The "Task Force on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises " is undertaking
two projects of a statistical nature involving the collection of
macrodata and microdata on businesses . EUROSTAT is working closely with
the TFSME to ensure that wherever possible use is made of existing
official statistics . However, in some cases the urgent need for data ,
combined with the inability of national statistical institutes to
provide the same, (particularly individual data, where problems of
confidentiality arise ) mean that it is necessary to turn to private
institutes . EUROSTAT has been involved in negotiations with the Member
States and will also be involved in data manipulation to ensure maximum
efficiency through the use of existing infrastructure and expertise .
Most national statistical institutes will supply tabular data on an
annual basis . Will also serve as pilot work for the panel project . This
project , however, will be discussed at the Committee for the Industrial
Statistics .
Assistance to the Enterprise Statistics Systems of
certain Member States
Certain new or small Member States have particular difficulties in
meeting the Community requirements for industrial and services
statistics .
Each Member State concerned will therefore draw up and implement a
restructuring plan in collaboration with EUROSTAT .
Enterprise activity and product classifications
Contributions to the development of existing classifications such as
NACE or the CPC ( Com) by bringing to bear the detailed knowledge and
requirements of the producers and users of official and other
enterprise statistics .
Cooperation : Industrial statistics
Collaboration by EUROSTAT in the form of technical assistance in
accordance with needs and resources, evaluation of programmes,
recruitment of experts, practical contributions, staff training and
organization of meetings .
                                                                          100
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                                 f
High technology and technical indicators
The rapid changes in the high technology sector mean that traditional
 information flows on industry , services and trade in this sector are
 inadequate .
The sector is of particular importance and there is great interest in
having at least a framework of reliable official statistics against
which to calibrate the plethora of unofficial data . There are technical
aspects to be resolved, as well as data supply problems . Different
approaches are being adopted in different countries . This project aims
to set up a general system following a study of methods and sources .
Raw materials balance sheets
The policy governing the supply and recyclng of raw materials is an
integral part of industrial strategy which has become more important as
a result of environmental problems .
Supply balance sheets for 27 raw materials considered to be important
by the Commission and governments of the Member States constitute the
statistical instrument which enables the Community 's degree of
self-sufficiency to be measured . These balance sheets are prepared
annually and are supplemented by studies covering the recycling of
certain metals .
Steel statistics
These activities involve the organization of a statistical survey and
the checking and storage of data, and provide data on a monthly,
quarterly, and annual basis which are disseminated through several
monthly publications and CRONOS .
The national statistical offices are not involved, except in the case
of voluntary centralisation of the survey . The main partners for
EUROSTAT are EUROFER in Bruxelles and the Commission .
The main objective of these and all other activities concerning steel
is to set up an integrated data base on steel over the next few years .
Raw Material Input
Statistics on raw material input (principally energy , iron ore and
scrap ) in the steel industry are important for Community supply policy .
The informaton is based primarily on a survey of the extractive and
scrap industries ; figures are published on a monthly, quarterly and
annual basis and disseminated through CRONOS .
Market Statistics
A steel industry survey is carried out , covering order books ,
deliveries , supplies and stocks . The results are supplemented by
statistics on direct and indirect external trade in steel , enabling
apparent steel consumption to be calculated .
                                                                          101
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   Steel Input by Branch
   r^tL3Lby tT - nCh     cStatistics Provide very important indicators for
        S ^ c*P?llCy:    EUR0STAT therefore compiles an annual table for
   ^nn!T         f
   Sectoral analyses are
                         a statistical synopsis for the Community.
                         also prepared .
   These statistics attract considerable interest throughout the steel
   industry and among decision-makers . They are especially important for
  the compiling of input-output tables for the steel industry (EUROSTAT)
  and for medium and long term steel consumption forecasts .
  "Steel" Input-Output Table
  The steel input-output table allows the steel industry to be placed in
  a more general economic context . The project launched by EUROSTAT for
  this reason will become fully operational in 1988 . A 1980 table for
 most Member States has been completed and tables for the remaining
 Member States and the Community as a whole will be available soon . A
  1985 table is already planned .
 The Member States are involved in this work as the tables are based on
 a harmonized scheme . It is intended to speed up the process and to
 supplement the system with an extrapolation tool .
 SERVICE ENTERPRISES
 Community work in this domain covers the following two aspects , which
 are closely interlinked :
 a ) data collection and analysis, on the basis of sources already
     avai lable;
b) development of methodologies and legal bases for the establishment
     of a system of statistics covering services .
The first phase of the programme aims to complete the inventory of
official and non-official information available at both national and
international levels , to set up a database on services , and to continue
and speed up the methodological work on the concepts to be used .
A second phase, due to begin in 1990, will be devoted to the
utilization of administrative sources and registers .
Subsequently, an assessment will be carried out of the feasibility of
Community surveys on certain aspects of services as a whole and/or on
sectoral aspects covering certain priority areas .
The implementation of the survey programme in the second phase will
require Community Directives providing for financial contributions to
the Member States .
In the light of the need for overall information on services and the
disparate nature of the various service sectors , the creation of the
statistical information system must adopt a dual approach :
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 83 -
- definition of an overall conceptual framework for services ,
- division of that framework into separate areas to take account of the
  particular features of the various service sectors ,
while ensuring maximum synergy between the two components .
The " Services statistics " project has therefore been divided into the
following sub-projects :
Horizontal sub-projects
General framework of services
The sub-project is aimed at establishing a common set of variables for
all service sectors and will lay down the methodology for measuring
these variables in entities which produce services . The initial phase
of the project will define the framework for data collection in the
Member States ( surveys , registers , panels etc ). The data available will
then be collected and analysed, data available will then be dealt with,
in order to assess harmonization requirements and determine the
appropriate legal framework .
The sub-project will have to coordinate all this work at Community
level and with international organizations, as wel as coordinating all
statistics in downstream sectors . It will have to include special
measures to meet any requests for information not covered by the
sectoral sub-projects in the programme, notably in the field of
community services and leisure and personal services .
Services database
The data collected in the various projects on services will need to be
assembled and structured in a horizontal services database . Initially,
the database will be structured in three major data categories :
- official data collected in the Member States , using national concepts
  which have not been harmonized ;
- data drawn from other EUROSTAT projects covering services ;
- non-official data collected in conjunction with other Commission
  departments .
In a second phase, the methodological work on the various services
sub-projects in the programme should allow the creation of a set of
data harmonized at Community level
Sectoral sub-projects
For each sectoral sub-project it will be necessary to :
- assess in each Member State the feasibility of applying the data
  collection methods and systems laid down for all services ;
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 - determine the variables and detailed nomenclatures relating to
    particular sectors which are needed to meet the data requirements
    resulting from the disparate nature of all the various service
    sectors .
 Distributive trade
 The aims of this sub-project are :
 - to finalize and implement the "General reference programme for
    statistics on enterprises in wholesale and retail distribution in the
    countries of the European Economic Community" already drawn up by
    EUROSTAT;
 - to monitor changes in the sector caused by the economic crisis and
    the application of new technologies .
Horeca (hotels and catering) and travel agencies
 Special indicators will have to be prepared for this sector, which is
characterized by a very large number of small and medium-sized
enterprises ( SMEs ), a high percentage of independent operators and by
seasonal work .
In the case of travel agencies , particular attention will have to be
paid to the ancillary activities of certain large enterprises ( banks,
insurance companies and large stores ), which have a very large impact
on the activity of the sector as a whole . In view of the similarities
in the problems involved , these two sectors will be developed in
conjunction with tourism statistics .
Transport activities
This sub-project will supplement existing statistics on transport flows
by adding financial and economic data on enterprises .
Financial services ( including insurance)
Work will cover credit institutions , insurance companies, stock
exchanges and securities, leasing, etc .
The sector will be analysed from three standpoints :
1 ) structural, which means institutional;
2 ) financial operations ( creation of financial services );
3) measurement of the value added of financial services .
Given the importance accorded to these sectors in national accounts,
particular attention will be paid to the micro/macro-economic aspect of
the statistics obtained .
                                                                          104
 ---pagebreak--- Communications, data processing Services
The project objectives are as follows :
- to compile statistics on firms offering communications and computer
   services ;
- to compile statistics on the infrastructure of the sector ;
- to supply the statistical data needed to create a European
   observatory of the information market ;
- to study the impact of information on the services offered in the
   various service sectors . This study should take the form of a
   functional analysis .
Business services
Community work in this domain is directed at the compilation of the
statistical data needed to monitor the evolution of the sector as a
result of changes stemming from the application of new technologies
( advanced service industries ).
The project will analyse , jointly with the industry projects , the
buying-in of services by businesses .
TRANSPORT
EUROSTAT 's work in this field had been based on a sub-project covering
the activities of transport enterprises and two projects relating to
transport flows and infrastructure , which themselves are divided into
sub-projects .
The transport activities sub-project comes under the broader framework
of service enterprises statistics and is designed to provide financial
and economic data on those enterprises .
- The transport methodology project is designed to meet the information
requirements created by recent developments in transport policy . It has
been divided into the following five sub-projects / activities :
1 ) Seaport and maritime transport statistics .
2 ) Airport and air transport statistics .
3 ) Transit statistics ( Austria , Yugoslavia and Switzerland ).
A ) Impact of 1992 on existing and future transport statistics .
5 ) Passenger transport statistics .
Transport - production and development
This project has been divided into the following
sub-projects / activities :
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1 ) TRAINS database and publications .
2 ) Extension of the Directives covering goods transport by road, rail
    and inland waterway .
3 ) External trade by mode of transport .
4 ) Road safety .
The Commission 's Directorate-General VII "Transport " is undertaking
other work with a large statistics component .
The work covers :
   the system for monitoring the internal market in transport by road,
   rail and inland waterway;
   the activities of road hauliers operating to and from certain
   non-Community countries ;
- the monitoring of Community quotas ( tonnes transported ,
   tonne-kilometres ) for road transport ;
- the monitoring of competition between Community and non-Community
   maritime transporters ;
- infrastructure costs ;
- the economic situation of the railways ( accounts and operational
   data ) .
TOURISM
Because of their horizontal nature , tourism statistics require an
approach involving several statistical domains . Given the similarities
with services , EUROSTAT is endeavouring to integrate work on tourism
statistics into the broader framework of the design and implementation
of a statistical system for service enterprises .
In order to avoid a proliferation of projects and given the
similarities mentioned, work on hotels and catering ( HORECA services )
and travel agencies has been included in the tourism project .
Passenger transport statistics form part of the transport methodology
project .
Revenue from and expenditure on international tourism come under of the
ba lance-of -payments and international trade in services projects .
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The data are contained in structured form in the TOUR database
( tour i sm ) .
                                                               107
 ---pagebreak---           - 89 -
 SOCIAL STATISTICS
REGIONAL STATISTICS
                    109
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 92 -
The results of the labour force survey will also meet statistical requirements
in the following main socio-economic fields :
- education and vocational training ( level , duration , type , object , relation
   with present and former activity , further training and work / training
   programmes ),
- working conditions (amount of work desired , forms and procedures , duration
   of contracts, size of enterprise ),
- occupational and geographical mobility (number of employers , reasons for
   mobility, duration of jobs, place of work in relation to place of residence,
   urban or rural district , etc .),
-marginal employment (under-employed or discouraged workers , etc .).
It will also provide comprehensive data on économie activities and
professions .
Some Member States already include information of this sort in their national
surveys . EUROSTAT will take account of their experiences when deciding which
elements to include in the new series of labour force surveys .
The revision of the labour force survey for the 1990s will also affect the
methodology, mainly by improving the quality of certain regional estimates at
NUTS-2 level (e.g. long-term unemployment ), so that they can be used as a
basis for a more detailed breakdown at NUTS-3 level . This could be achieved by
appropriate modifications to national sampling plans and by increasing the
size of the samples .
The first survey in the new series should take place in 1992 .
The present financial contribution of the EEC , which covers only a small part
of the Member States' total costs , might not be sufficient for the new series
of surveys . This problem will be investigated in the light of the changes
required to meet the needs of the Community .
Development of statistics on hours of work and
volume of work
In view of the reduction in weekly, monthly and annual working hours and the
emergence of new forms of employment , in particular part-time work , a more
detailed analysis of employment is required than that supplied by the
conventional method of counting the number of physical persons .
An estimation methodology is therefore needed to calculate the volume of work ,
taking into account the needs of both economic and social analysis .
This will entail the reexamination of existing data on hours of work and the
revision of certain series, if necessary, to enable them to be used in the
estimates .   The examination and collection of data will not be limited to
statistics relating directly to hours of work , but will extend to data on all
forms of absenteeism ( leave, sickness , industrial disputes , etc .).
 i
                                                                              111
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  Active and non-active population in the Coaaunity
 .The assessment of the economic and social situation needs a coherent
  statistical basis which will provide an overall picture of the active and
 non-active populations and bring out the specific characteristics of the
 different categories of population (active/non-active, young/older,
 male / female, etc .) and Member States .
 To produce this statistical basis , as much information as possible must be
 collected on the different aspects of activity (employment , unemployment ,
 training, working conditions , etc .) and the degree of integration into the
 labour market (activity rate, unemployment rate, volume of work , etc .).
 This means developing a presentation system in collaboration with the user
 DGs , carrying out more analyses and collecting additional data .
Employment and unemployment : monitoring of trends
and structures
Regular monitoring of the trends and structures of employment and unemployment
at Community , national and regional levels is necessary to achieve one of the
main aims of the Single European Act - economic and social cohesion .
The collection of national annual estimates on the active population and
employment will be continued .
- In the coming years methodological work will be stepped up to improve both
    familiarity with the methods and definitions used in the national series and
    the consistency of the data in relation to the same kind of information
    within a country and from one country to another .
- Where employment is concerned, more frequent estimates will be made to
    improve the short-term assessment of employment . The transmission of
    quarterly data will have to be made general . The annual data on trends in
    employment and unemployment will be supplemented - mainly for Community
   purposes - by the results obtained from the labour force surveys .
- The greater need for reliable unemployment statistics as a back-up to the
    European Funds , in particular the Social Fund, is already apparent . This
   will place extra demands on the Member States, particularly as regards
    long-term unemployment (plans have been made for the harmonization of
   administrative data on this subject ).
The Community labour force survey
The labour force survey has become a fundamental statistical instrument for
the collection of coherent and comparable data on the population, employment
and unemployment in the Community .
After ten years of stability with respect to methods and definitions, however,
this survey needs to be modernized and adapted to meet the statistical
requirements arising from the Single Act and its aims . A revision of the
labour force survey is therefore planned, but as far as possible continuity
will be maintained without overloading the survey .
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Adaptation of employment statistics to the new
forms of employment and to the changing structure of employment
At a time of rapid innovation and change , without constant adaptation of the
employment statistics to keep pace with the new developments , it will be
impossible to obtain a clear picture of the changing structures and forms of
employment and the impact of employment policies .
It is particularly important :
- to understand and monitor the measures taken at national level to combat
  unemployment and promote employment , to assess the number of persons
  affected and ensure the uniform treatment of these groups in the different
  national and Community statistics ;
- to understand the new forms of employment and non-standard jobs ;
- to define the persons with only marginal links with the labour market , due
  to discouragement , under-employment , etc .
For this reason , a major methodological study is to be carried out in close
collaboration with the ILO and the OECD . The results of this study will be
introduced into the various statistics at a later date .
Population and housing statistics
In the same way as the national censuses of the population provide essential
background information for many aspects of national administration , so the
data on population trends at Community level are essential to the work of the
Commission departments . In the past , however , the wide divergence of census
data between the Member States and the very different methods of presenting
the results have made it difficult to extract full value , for Community
purposes , from the wealth of statistics available from the national censuses .
A Community programme has been decided upon for the next round of population
censuses , to take place in 1990 ( in France ) and 1991 ( in the other countries )
and is covered by a Council Directive ( 87/ 287/ EEC ). This Directive is more
flexible than that for the 1981 round of censuses, as regards both the dates
of the surveys and the manner in which the data are collected . In particular,
it permits those Member States which are unable to carry out exhaustive
censuses to provide the programme material on the basis of alternative
methods , such as registers or sample surveys .
The principal series of population statistics (births , deaths , marriages,
divorces , infant mortality, migration, current population estimates,
population projections , life expectancy, etc .) provide essential background
information for the Commission 's work . The general outline of the work has
been decided upon, and is regularly discussed with the Member States , mainly
with a view to improving the availability of population projections at
Community level .
Other statistical sources , such as household surveys carried out by Member
States and more particularly the labour force sample surveys , will be examined
systematically to determine how reliable they are as a statistical source for
households and families .
Research will be carried out , on the basis of panel surveys , into social
stratification and the mobility of successive generations within individual
socio-economic categories .
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 As regards housing, statistical data are needed to draw up a programme of
 social action and prepare a European social budget .
 The work schedule is as follows :
 .-tabulation of the 1981 housing census results
 -study of public housing schemes
 -systematic study of national housing statistics .
 Education and vocational training
 The SOEC intends to maintain and improve the existing education statistics
 system . At present , data on the education system are transmitted on joint
questionnaires to UNESCO, the OECD and the SOEC . Data on the ordinary and
 higher education systems are collected from official sources in the Member
 States and harmonized in accordance with the ISCED ( International Standard
 Classification of Education ).
As the national education systems are very diverse, there seems no likelihood
of the statistics being made wholly comparable . Nevertheless, the SOEC, UNESCO
and the OECD will cooperate to try to improve comparability.
The SOEC will also reexamine the objectives of its programme in order to
satisfy demands for more regular dissemination by publishing statistics from
sources other than the joint questionnaires , such as the Community labour
force survey .
Vocational training systems vary considerably from one Member State to the
next and even within individual Member States . There are no global statistics
at present , even at national level . In collaboration with CEDEFOP ( Centre for
the Development of Vocational Training ), the SOEC will draw up questionnaires
to obtain administrative data on numbers, diplomas and expenditure by
government department .
As regards training in enterprises , including the costs of such training , the
SOEC intends to carry out sample surveys and /or to add questions to existing
questionnaires . The first usable statistics are not expected to be available
before 1990 .
Health and safety at work
In response to concern about the social aspects of the Internal Market , the
SOEC intends to supply harmonized statistics on health and safety .
Data on health will have to be taken initially from existing sources , in
particular the World Health Organization publications , and will concentrate on
two main aspects : evaluation of government expenditure on health, and study of
regional variations in mortality and the causes of death .
As regards safety at work , EUROSTAT is continuing to collect comparable
statistics on occupational accidents in the European Community, in
collaboration with the competent institutions of Member States . EUROSTAT has
been consulted on the methodological aspects and should be involved in the
processing of the data .
                                                                                 114
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  As regards safety at home and at leisure, DG XI has developed a European Home
  and Leisure Surveillance System based on administrative registers supplied by
  samples of hospitals . The system is to be improved , in collaboration with
  EUROSTAT, by introducing new household surveys or adding new questions to
• existing ones .
  Poverty
  In the wake of the Council Decision of 19 December 1984 concerning a specific
  Community action to fight poverty, the SOEC , in collaboration with the Member
  States' national statistical institutes , has launched a work programme aiming
  to establish a harmonized system of statistics on poverty in the Community .
  The work programme has the following objectives :
  - to study the possibility of obtaining statistics on poverty from ESSPROS
   ( European system of integrated social protection statistics )
  - to harmonize and develop family budgets surveys
  - to carry out statistical analyses to identify the structural causes of
     poverty
  - to analyse the feasibility of a poverty monitoring system on the basis of
     administrative registers
  - to search for new data sources on the population not covered by conventional
     sources ( the homeless , residents in institutions , etc .)
  In addition, the SOEC is studying the possibility of using household panel
  surveys to analyse fluctuations in poverty . These surveys are intended to
  supply long-term time series of social indicators and to permit the continuous
  evaluation of the effectiveness of social security systems .
  Family budget surveys
  Family budget surveys are an extremely valuable source of information on
  households' income and consumption . As well as being useful for determining
  the consumption structures necessary to calculate price indices and purchasing
  power parities , they constitute an invaluable source of data for analyses of
  poverty and income distribution, improving household accounts in national
  accounts and , in certain cases, improving understanding of the global income
  of agricultural households .
  To achieve these objectives , greater harmonization of the following aspects of
  the surveys is needed : concepts , classification of variables and data
  collection and processing methods . The Member States will be asked to
  introduce Community questions into their national questionnaires and to send
  EUROSTAT cross- tabulations drawn up according to a Community plan .
  Mages, salaries and labour costs
  EUROSTAT 'S aim is to supply the Commission departments and the two sides of
  industry with structural and economic information on earnings and labour
  costs .
  The work will consist basically of continuing data collection and improvement
 of these data and continuing and improving the existing statistical surveys .
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The survey of labour costs in industry and services will provide a structural
analysis of labour costs every four years . The 1988 survey, which follows on
from the 1984 survey, is covered by a draft Council Regulation . The data will
be collected by the national offices , which will receive financial aid under
the Regulation .
The harmonized earnings statistics provide six-monthly data on the earnings of
manual and non-manual workers and labour costs in 65 industrial and 21
services branches . The national institutes collect the data from enterprises
and process them; the possibility of extending them to non-manual workers'
monthly earnings is being investigated .
The survey of earnings in agriculture is a biennial survey based on Council
Directive 82 / 606 / EEC , which will be continued at least until 1990 . The
national institutes are responsible for collecting data and receive financial
aid under the Directive . Changes are now being examined by the Council . The
SOEC will present a detailed report by 1990 at the latest on the surveys
provided for under this Directive . This report will be accompanied by
proposals on any measures which may have to be implemented after 1990 . A new
survey of earnings in agriculture could then replace the present one from
1990 . The basis will be a large-scale survey every 5-10 years and smaller
surveys every year .
Work on the reintroduction of a revised version of the survey on the structure
and breakdown of earnings in industry and services , which was interrupted in
1978 , will be recommenced if the Member States are interested .
Social protection and welfare services
The structural problems created by the social security system for all Member
States, as regards the elderly and the family, as well as the problems of
financing unemployment , in particular long-term unemployment , make social
protection data particularly important .
The aim of this work, the methodology of which was developed for ESSPR0S , is
to collect , harmonize and publish data on the expenditure and receipts of the
social protection system, broken down by function, and to provide comparable
data describing the situation of the recipients .
 In addition, harmonized definitions and statistical data relating to the
health services, education and subsidized housing budgets need to be
 introduced into the European System of Integrated Social Protection
 Statistics, with a view to the preparation of a European social budget .
 Cultural statistics
 The aim of this project is to establish cultural statistics . In the initial
 stages, the work will involve collecting existing data on cultural heritage
 and activities . Harmonization of the statistics may be considered if the data
 collected permit it .
 Social statistics library
 The aim of this project is three-fold : to observe the salient features of the
 social climate, to analyse them and to establish a "pool" of information for
 the social partners and the policy makers .
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The new social statistics yearbook , which will be produced from 1989, will
cover the entire gamut of social statistics . In addition to the conventional
presentation of data , it will identify the databases and specialised
publications where the reader may obtain further information . Diskettes will
accompany the text from 1990 .
Work on a social data base , containing all the social statistics available to
the SOEC , will begin in 1989 . The data base is scheduled to come into
operation in 1991 . Four access levels , of varying complexity and detail , will
enable all users to obtain the information they require .
Depending on the level , on-line consultation and for the analyses themselves ,
down-loading on PC will be possible .
Finally, the possibility of reexamining the concept of social indicators as a
means of gaining advance warning of emerging social phenomena will be
considered . Indicators of this sort could, for example , warn some countries
of the problems occurring in others . The data may, therefore , be incomplete
and would certainly be Less harmonized than the conventional statistics .
Special attention will be given to the problems of safety, health, education
and vocational training and equal treatment of men and women .
Dissemination of data is a particular objective of this project and special
attention will be given to the demands of policy-makers and the social
partners and to dissemination to preferential users .
The Social Indicators working group will have chief responsibility for this
work , and the other social statistics working groups will be consulted on
their specific fields .
The social aspects of the internal aarket
The aim of this project is to complement and reinforce the work started by the
Commission on the analysis of the social implications of the realization of
the internal market by the end of 1992 .
The conclusions of the interdepartmental group appointed by the Commission to
study this question showed that work needs to concentrate on two main points :
- the freedom of movement and of residence of individuals , one of the most
  important aspects of the single market . There have been many proposals for
  revised or new Regulations or Directives . Some of the most important are :
  right of residence not only for workers and their families , but also for
  those who are not yet or who are no longer employed; extension of social
  security systems to all workers, students and the non-active population ;
  opening up of public service posts , etc . It is therefore essential to know
  the numbers and characteristics of the persons concerned in order to be able
  to assess the value of the measures proposed .
These data must be collected without delay on all migrants , not only on
foreign "workers ". The collection of existing (probably incomplete ) data is
scheduled for 1989 . The ad hoc working group will be consulted on which
statistics should be collected annually from 1990 / 1991 .
In addition , the Commission of the European Communities hopes to be able to
anticipate and quantify the impact of the realization of the internal market
on, for example, employment and the competitiveness of enterprises and the
monitoring and analysis of the effects of migrations and the more or less
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permanent installation of the migrants - men and women - and refugees in the
host country . Observation is the more necessary since the nature of these
migrations has changed considerably in recent years; in the 'sixties there
were large numbers of migrants , mainly from outside the Community . Now, the
movement of workers is more "qualitative" than "quantitative" and tends to be
within the Community, so that the impact on employment , social security
systems and social conditions in general is very different . This second
aspect of the project will have a considerable impact on the SOEC 's work load
but should only occasionally place extra demands on the national institutes .
Work will begin in 1989 and continue until 1992, though follow-up may continue
after that date . It will be carried out in close cooperation with the
Commission departments , in particular 06 V.
Social situation of "target groups"
The aim of this project is to supply the Commission and, in addition, the two
social partners and the policy-makers with figures on the social situation of
special populations for which the Commission has a specific action policy . It
covers , in particular, equal treatment of men and women, migrants , young
people, handicapped people and the elderly .
It also covers problems specific to European society which are sufficiently
important for the Community to want to study them and be in a position to act
if necessary : one example is ageing and its repercussions on the equilibrium
of the social protection system, employment and the labour market as well as
on the social , economic and political situation in general . Furthermore ,
changes in the structure of households and in the setting up and dissolution
of families affect , and are affected by, the labour market , women 's employment
and the social structure for chi Idminding , etc .
This project is therefore a framework whose application will develop as the
social situation in the European Community and the policies it decides to
introduce change .
The work will be in . the form of pitot studies carried out by the SOEC . The
data will be drawn primarily from EUROSTAT 's existing statistics and will be
supplemented by existing data from the national institutes .
The work will be carried out , in close collaboration with the Commission DGs ,
particularly DG V, by the Social Indicators working group and, for specific
requirements , other social statistics working groups .
Classification of territorial units (NUTS) and
localities ( loc )
In the field of regional statistics, EUROSTAT 's first task was to promote the
standard definition and application, in all Community work relating to
regional statistics , of a single classification of territorial units (NUTS ).
The NUTS classification is the focal point for coordination of the Community
system of regional statistics and is the basis for most regional analyses and
activities in the Community .
Over the last few years, the need to extend the classification to localities
(LOC project ) has become increasingly apparent :
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- so that the most detailed administrative units can be pinpointed within the
   NUTS regions ;
- so that regional statistics can be drawn up on international movements of
   persons ( migrations ) or goods ( transport );
r so that basic information can be organized for the purposes of examining
   sub-regional phenomena such as the environment or rural life .
Econoaic accounts at regional level
The regional accounts by branch ( breakdown into 17 branches , at NUTS-2 level ,
of value added , employment and gross fixed capital formation ; breakdown into 3
groups of branches , at NUTS-3 level , of value added and employment ) provide an
aggregative measurement of the production structure in the regions and permit
the calculation of regional GDPs . A special effort will have to be made in
order to have the data timely available .
The regional accounts by sector ( households and general government ) should
provide, at least , at NUTS-2 level , the disposable income of households and
the breakdown of public investment by function . The breakdown of public
investment by function should allow to estimate infrastructure investments by
regions . The complete regionalization of central government accounts could
also help to calculate regional income , which would complement the " regional
product " figures supplied by the accounts by branch .
Social statistics at regional level
The annual calculation of the harmonized unemployment rates at NUTS-3 level
( including long-term unemployment ) is based on the combined results of the
Community labour force survey, the data on the registered unemployed and the
national estimates of the active population at NUTS-3 Level .
The unemployment data , together with the demographic statistics , the regional
results of the labour force surveys and the employment data ( by NACE classes
and NACE-CLIO branches ) provide a sizeable flow of annual data from very
different sources . The integration of these data into a coherent system of
regional labour statistics should point the way for the future development of
social statistics at regional level , improve the quality of data and assist
the analysis of flows ( interregional migrations , intersectoral mobility,
transition between non-activity / employment / unemployment ) .
Community investment grants
The statistical work consists of establishing , on the basis of internal
Commission and EI8 documents , a regional and functional breakdown of all the
grants made each year by the Community, whether direct action in the form of
grants made by the ERDF or the EAGGF Guidance Section, or loans granted by the
ECSC , Euratom , the EIB or the NCI .
Regional agricultural statistics
The current statistics on land use and crop production , and the regional
results of Community surveys on livestock numbers ( cattle , pigs , sheep ) and
the structure of agricultural holdings , together with the regional
agricultural accounts , constitute a coherent body of information providing an
overall view of agriculture in each region .
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 The regional agricultural accounts provide the data needed to evaluate
 regional agricultural income (values added, depreciation, wages, rents,
 interest ) and in addition, thanks to a detailed breakdown of final production,
 enable the concentration of products and specializations in each region to be
.measured . The regional indicators of agricultural income can only be of use if
 data can be made available more quickly and certain regionalization methods
 are improved . This includes indicators at NUTS III level which are essential
 to pursue the rural development objective in the context of the reform of the
 structural funds .
 Other regional statistics (transport, environment,
 energy, etc .
 The three main sets of Community regional statistics are the regional economic
 accounts and regional social and agricultural statistics . However, the
 regional dimension of other statistical fields, already in existence or being
 developed, is also of importance, if not essential , e.g. transport ( Community
 surveys on road, rail and inland waterways transport measure the interregional
 flow of goods ), or the environment , energy or tourism .
 In these fields , it will be important to ensure that the regional
 classification used is compatible with the NUTS .
 REGIO data bank
 For the Commission departments responsible for the management or coordination
 of the structural funds, REGIO is the main pool of comparable regional
 statistics for all the regions of the Community .
 Work will have to be continued . In the future efforts have to be made in the
 cooperation with the users of the data base, to improve consultation
 procedures . This includes statistical processing . All the regional data from
 the Community surveys ( labour force, structure of agricultural holdings,
 transport ) should be available on the same medium as the regional data bank.
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STATISTICS ON AGRICULTURE
               FISHERIES AND
               THE ENVIRONMENT
                               121
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Background
The Community system of agricultural statistics is better developed
than many areas due to the particular developments of CAP within the
various common policies . A large part of the statistical programme for
the next 4 years is the continued running of already well functioning
systems . There are , however , new policy needs to be met and new
technical opportunities to be taken advantage of . Agricultural
statistics will more and more be affected by statistical developments
in other areas and its role and methods need to be reviewed . The
contribution of the agricultural statistics system to problems outside
those traditionally regarded as agricultural will grow .
To mee the needs for data on the physical and economic production
structure of agriculture , on agricultural outputs and their use and on
the relationship of the agricultural sector with the rest of the
economy, special systems of agricultural statistics have been set up .
This is for technical reasons or on grounds of efficient data
collection . These " specialist " agricultural statistics have of course
to be compatible with agricultural aspects of other data sources and to
contribute to a general system of economic statistics .
Development
The main body of Community agricultural statistics consists of 5 broad
blocks of work . The main developments planned for each of these blocks
of work are as follows :
(i)     on agricultural structures the implementation of the EUROFARM
        project and the follow up of recent Council Decisions ( e.g. set
        aside );
( ii )  on eeans of production to explore the potential of remote sensing
        for assessing land use ;
( iii ) on production to improve the harvest forecast and early warning
        system and to cover the crop estimates by legal instruments ;
( iv )  on prices and accounts to extend the economic accounts of
        agriculture in particular to cover the income of agricultural
        households from outside agriculture and to get regional figures ;
Cv )    on the use of agricultural production to try to develop useful
        statistics on the agro-food industry .
A. Main areas of work
The various activities and development projects in each of these 5
headings are described below :
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1 . A6RI CULTURAL STRUCTURES
Coaaunity surveys on the structure of agricultural
holdings
The objective is to obtain information at regular intervals on the
structural characteristics of agricultural holdings in the Community,
in order to study trends .   Data are stored in the FSSRS data bank .
Surveys will be carried out by the Member States in 1989-90, 1993, 1995
and 1997 . They will be governed by a binding legal framework, and the
Community will make a financial contribution towards the work .   Member
States will transmit individual data in compliance with Community
legislation . These data will then be put to use in the framework of
the EUROFARM project .
EUR0FARM
EUROSTAT has to prepare a new data base under the name " EUROFARM ", the
purpose of which is to achieve more flexibility for ad-hoc analysis
purposes and to reduce significantly the time needed to process data
and make them available to users .   EUROFARM will contain a data bank
for individual data ( BDI ) covered by confidentiality and a data bank
for tabulations ( BDT ) which is public . The individual data by
agricultural holding which are held in the BDI will permit more
detailed analysis as well as a more flexible presentation of results in
response to requests . The sources of data for EUROFARM will be
Community surveys of agricultural holdings , general surveys and
specific surveys as those on orchards and wine growing .
Surveys of vineyards
For the purpose of the wine market regulation, the general arrangements
are large-scale surveys with 10-year intervals and yearly assessments
on modification of areas invested in vineyards for wine production .
The second large-scale survey is scheduled for 1989 . Supplementary
information will be assessed by the vineyard register to be compiled by
Member States , under the auspices of D6 VI "Agriculture" and with a
financial contribution from the Commission .
2 . MEANS OF PRODUCTION
Agri cultural Land Use
The data are the responsibility of the Member States and originate from
their programmes of work . Methods and definitions are harmonised by
EUROSTAT . In due course new sources of information could be added by
using remote sensing .
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Forestry statistics
EUROSTAT has a minimum number of harmonised data on wooded areas in the
Community . To a certain degree , this information can be progressively
supplemented by applying remote sensing to land use statistics -
alerts , protection , estimates . As far as economic aspects of forestry
are concerned , EUROSTAT considers that it is necessary to continue
collecting from national sources harmonised forestry statistics which
are comparable at Community level and which may serve as a basis for
the coordination of the forestry policies of the Member States as well
as for the implementation of Community actions and forestry programmes .
As done in the past , EUROSTAT will carry out this work in close
cooperation with the appropriate Working Party of the Agricultural
Statistics Committee and with the Joint FAO / ECE Working Party on
Forestry Economics and Statistics in Geneva . However , EUROSTAT 'S
activity in this area will not be increased unless new priorities are
set by the Commission and the Council .
Fruit tree surveys
Harmonised and synchronised surveys provide the Commission with
detailed information on the production potential of certain fruit tree
species and allow it to forecast trends . Surveys are carried out every
five years ( the next ones will be in 1992 ) by the Member States under
the terms of a Council Directive . The information is updated regularly
on the basis of annual data on plantations and clearings .
Livestock surveys
A programme of regular Community surveys provides information on
numbers of live animals , and so renewal potential and meat /milk
production potential : two surveys of bovine animals ( June, December ),
three pig surveys ( April , August , December ), one survey of sheep and
goats ( December ). EUROSTAT collects these data on the basis of
legislation which is fully binding on the national authorities , which
are also required to prepare forecasts .
Animal feed
EUROSTAT regularly compiles a balance sheet of resources and uses of
animal feed , in order to have available an accurate analysis of market
in particular of manioc and cereal substitutes .
The Member States provide additional data to complement the current
statistics available elsewhere . The complete information is accessible
through a data bank ; the results are presented and discussed with the
organisations concerned and the members of the Commission 's Advisory
Committee on Feedingstuffs .
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 3 . AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
Crop products , production and balance sheets
This activity involves the management of current crop production
statistics (areas , yields and harvested production ). EUROSTAT collects
data according to harmonised concepts and organises processing and
dissemination . Legal instruments will be prepared covering the
provision of crop estimates starting with cereals .   Production
statistics are supplemented by supply balance sheet statistics showing
the situation of agricultural markets in the Community of Twelve , in
the context of the large market .   The national statistical institutes
are responsible for collecting and transmitting data . Improved data
may in due course become available as a result of the possibilities
offered by remote sensing .
Animal products, production and balance sheets
Current statistics on animal production are plentiful : weekly for
butter and milk powder production , monthly for meat , milk and milk
products , eggs placed in hatcheries and broilers and laying hens
placed, annual for all types of animal production , three-yearly for the
structure and activities of dairies . Furthermore , supply balance
sheets by product or group of products provide information on the
balance of the main markets by calendar year .
Harvest forecasts and agricultural early warning system
EUROSTAT administers a system for the analysis of meteorological data
as crop yield indicators , combined with a rapid estimate of land sown
in the Member States . Each month a multi-variable analysis allows
exceptional meteorological conditions to be detected and their probable
effects on yields assessed . The raw data from this process are
submitted every month to national experts for their comments and
observations , which are then taken into account in the harvest
forecasts for DG VI "Agriculture". This exercise could eventually
require data processing links to be developed between the various
partners , at major crop-growing area level , national level and
Community level , so that synopses can be compiled .
Economic accounts for agriculture
The objective is to provide harmonised macro-economic data on
production (broken down by products ), intermediate consumption, value
added, agricultural income and fixed capital formation in agriculture
as well as an analysis of the development of productivity in
agriculture .
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  The main efforts will be directed at :
  - collecting annual data from the 12 Member States ;
  - accelerating the updating of results as well as improving the
     harmonisation of data ;
  - integrating Spain and Portugal into the Economic Accounts for
     agriculture;
  - developing instructions for the automatic calculation of data in
     CRONOS ( ECU and PPS );
  - storing data in CR0N0S for monitoring additional income indicators ;
  - producing calculations related to the development of productivity in
     agriculture and division of the productivity gains among the various
     agents ( farmers, customers , suppliers , State , banks and paid
     workers );
  - preparing an annual publication " Economic Accounts for Agriculture"
     containing updated data and graphics .
  Sectoral Incoae Index
  Annually EUROSTAT provides forecasts of changes in agricultural income
  in the Member States and in the Community as a whole for the current
  year . The figures are based on updated estimates produced by the
  national agencies on the price, volume and value changes in the factors
  which determine agricultural income, taking as a basis the Economic
  Accounts for Agriculture . The evolution of income is analysed by
  EUROSTAT and the results , including tables and graphics, are published
  regularly for the annual price fixing exercise .
  The activities are concentrated on improving the income indicators
  system ( development of a cash flow indicator ), income analysis methods
  used and the annual income report .
  Total income of agricultural households
  In the context of the changing statistical requirements of the Common
  Agricultural Policy, the intention is to develop a macro-economic
  income indicator for the total income of agricultural households
  ( TIAH ), using a harmonised methodology, in order to : ( i ) monitor the
  year-to-year changes in the TIAH in Member States , ( ii ) monitor the
  changing composition of income, ( iii ) enable comparisons to be made in
i the development of TIAH with those of other socio-professional groups
  and ( iv ) enable comparisons to be made between the absolute incomes of
  farmers and other socio-professional groups .
  The work is concentrated on :
                                                                            127
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 108 -
 – Working out the methodology and preparing a manual ;
                                           «
 - financial assistance in the launch phase of the project ;
 ” collecting figures, storing them in CRONOS and analysing the results .
 SPEL model
 This model ( Sectoral production and income model for agriculture in the
 Community ) is based on a systematically structured data matrix for the
 Community agricultural sector as a whole, with comparable data for
 individual Member States . It was developed for the following tasks :
 - ex-post analysis of sectoral developments ;
- short-term and medium-term forecasts of agricultural income
   development ;
- simulation of the effect of alternative agricultural policies;
- verification of the consistency of EUROSTAT 's agricultural
   statistics .
The main effort will be directed at :
- integrating Spain and Portugal ;
- implementing the model on the Community 's computer ;
- developing an improved version of the whole SPEL system (version B );
- developing a medium-term forecasting and simulation system (MFSS ).
The model has to be regularly updated and used in collaboration with
DG   VI .
Agricultural price statistics
The Community 's agricultural price statistics are based on voluntary
agreements with the Member States . They comprise two groups of time
series which are stored in the PRAG domain of the CRONOS data bank : ( i )
absolute agricultural prices and ( ii ) EC agricultural price indices
( output and input ).
The absolute agricultural prices cover monthly and annual selling
prices of crop and animal products and purchase prices of the means of
agricultural production . They are expressed in national currency, ECU
and PPS . The EC agricultural price indices are divided into : ( i ) the
EC index of producer prices of agricultural products and ( ii ) the EC
index of purchase prices of the means of agricultural production . They
are provided in nominal and real (deflated ) series .
This activity comprises : the collection and making available of
harmonised time series , the integration of Spain and Portugal into the
Community system, the ongoing development of the methodology, the
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 rebasing of the indices every 5 years , the production of forecasts of
the price indices to be used for the Commission 's annual price fixing
exercise .
4 . UTILISATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
Agro-food industry statistics
The objective is to establish a coherent system of statistics covering
the agro-food industry production chain for agricultural products .
Using , as far as possible , sources which exist at present targets in
this sector are as follows :
- statistics on the structure of production systems in the
   agro-industrial sector
- quantity data on agro-industrial products , in the form of balance
   sheets
- preparation of production chains with figures showing the various
   uses of agricultural products
- development of statistics in terms of value , to be used mainly for
   preparing detailed input-output tables by sector
The following stages are planned :
- development , with the help of studies and cooperation with the Member
   States ( working parties ), of definitions , fields to be covered ,
   nomenclatures , statistical tables and production sequences for the
   purposes of quantity and structure statistics ( 1989)
- compilation of regular statistics with the help of the authorities in
   the Member States ( 1990-91 )
- development of a dissemination system, e.g. a data bank ( 1989-91 )
- study of value statistics ( towards 1992 ).
Other aspects of the programme
A further activity of a more general nature which forms part of the
work on agricultural statistics is
Assistance with plans for the restructuring of the
system of agricultural statistics in the Member States
The objective is to help certain Member States to set up a permanent
system of agricultural statistics to provide at least the compulsory
data required by the Commission . A regional technical and
administrative infrastructure will be created or replaced as necessary .
This will allow the harmonised programme of statistical surveys at
agricultural holdings level to be carried out , using the sampling
frame . A specific plan for each Member State concerned being assisted
in this way sets out the action to be taken , at the national level .
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Atimetable has been established in each case, and the way the Community
and the correspondent national contribution is spent is regularly
monitored by the Commission .
Other activities contributing information directly on agriculture are
volume of work in agriculture and the two yearly survey of the
earnings of agricultural workers and its possible successor . These are
discussed under social statistics .
EUROSTAT 's work in fishery statistics involves close collaboration with
Member States' statistical services in the Working Group on Fishery
Statistics and is set in an existing framework of international
agreements . The programme of fishery statistics involves 3 projects
covering catches , landings and the fishing fleet .
Statistics about catches of fish
For figures of the catches of fish broken down by variety of fish and
by fishing region, EUROSTAT will continue the collection and processing
of data on STATLANT questionnaires , updating of the relevent database
and publication of Yearbook of Fishery Statistics . These STATLANT
questionnaires , coordinated through the Coordinating Working Party on
Atlantic Fishery Statistics , are completed by Member States annually
within 6 months of the end of the calendar year covered and a copy
provided to EUROSTAT . The work programme also includes collaboration
with international agencies on harmonised definitions and concepts
( including an EC nomenclature) and development of the questionnaires .
Numerous agencies are involved : FAO, ICES , NAFO, ICSEAF , ICCAT, YCFM,
CCAMLR .
Statistics about landings of fishery products
For landings of fishery products, new Community legislation is being
developed under which regular monthly data will be provided by Member
States .
 Fishing fleet statistics
 For fishing fleet statistics EUROSTAT will develop a system to extract
annual data from an administrative register being built up by the
 Commission 's Directorate General for Fisheries . As soon as this system
 is functioning, EUROSTAT will cease to request statistical returns from
 Member States to keep up-to-date the currently existing statistical
database .
 Envi ronaent
 The Community programme of environmental statistics is new . A first
 phase has been the assembly of existing statistics available at
 EUROSTAT . This work will continue but will be subsumed in new specific
 projects :
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Physical data on the environnent
The establishment of a logical system of statistics on the
physical aspects of the environment has been launched . The plan
of action provides for :
   - an inventory of sources at Community, national and
     international level ,
   - the addition of new sources required for environmental policy
     and the harmonisation of relevant data .
Attention will be given to ( a ) the possible advantages of using
new technologies such as remote sensing for the provision of
environmental data (b ) the re-use for statistics of data provided
in compliance with Community directives , (c ) matching data for
regions of environmental significance to the usual statistical
regions .
There will be a significant work load for the Member States ,
involving , in some cases the development of new statistical
sources . The main development phase is envisaged for 1989 - 1991
with a continuing maintenance ( and further developments )
thereafter .
This project involve collaboration with international
organisations : in particular , ECE ( Geneva ) and OECD . Community
legislation is envisaged as is a financial contribution to Member
States .
Economie data on the environment
The object is to pinpoint the economic data which are linked to
Community environmental policies , harmonising them and ensuring
their accuracy .
The project will ensure that financial and employment data
required for the Community environmental policies are available,
statistically valid and comparable and that the data collection
techniques required are the most efficient and cost effective .
Studies of a framework for economic statistics (" environmental
accounts ") are in hand and will lead to proposals for data
collection .
This work which is relatively new to the majority of Member
States is being built up in such a way that developments , while
being carried out in a long term, will take place in an effective
and harmonised fashion and will yield useful results at an early
stage .    The main development phase is envisaged for 1989 - 1992
with continuing maintenance ( and further developments )
thereafter . The work programme involves
(i )    completion of a framework within which a Community
        programme of economic statistics related to the environment
        may be installed progressively ( 1989 onwards );
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 ( ii ) Identification and development of new sources of data for
        economic statistics related to the environment .
 Ciii ) Continuation of work, in collaboration with international
        bodies ( ECE , OECD, World Bank , UNEP ), on definitions and
        classifications with particular reference to economic data .
        ( 1989 - 1992) throughout the four years covered by the
        programme .
 ( iv) Data collection : first phase 1989, extension and
        development 1989 - 1992
There will be a significant work load for the Member States,
involving, in most cases the development of new statistical
sources . The fact that few Member States have developed systems
in this area but most have plans for work on these topics
provides an ideal climate for harmonised progress . During the
period covered by the statistical programme it may be necessary
to establish a legal basis and fix the level of a Community
contribution for the collection of data .
Survey of ■unicipalities
This project will establish a data base of environmental data
relating to small local government areas . This level of detail
is needed because of the diversity of conditions within Community
countries .     Many data are compiled in the Member States at the
" commune " ( NUTS 5 ) level ( e.g. population size and composition ).
Other data are produced in the course of local administration ;
some are already centralised by statistical services or
ministries , others not .    It is proposed to commence with a study
of the data available and relevant at this level and to
coordinate data collection with the parallel development of the
CORINE-RESEAU data base . This presupposes identification by
EUROSTAT of the variables useful to the Commission and the Member
States and a decision on the best way to obtain the data .       This
will probably involve a Community survey and so decisions on the
units to be surveyed, the legal basis and on the EC 's financial
contribution . Preparatory work is expected to last 3 years with
the reference period for data collection only towards the end of
the programme period .
Data base CORINE-RESEAU
Execution of the Commission 's CORINE programme requires a data
base with statistical and geographic capabilities . EUROSTAT is
co-leader of this major computing project . The project will
ensure that data ( statistical and non-statistical ) relating to
the environment are stored in an efficient fashion permitting
ready access to users together with appropriate tools for
analysis . This project will have little direct impact on Member
States so far as development is concerned . When running , the
data base will allow access by Member States to statistical and
geographic information on the environment .
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The programme of environmental statistics is being developed in close
collaboration with Member States' statistical services in the EUROSTAT
working group on environment statistics .
Reaote sensing and statistics - Applications in
agriculture
The Commission has submitted to the Council a ten-year research and
development programme on the uses of remote sensing for agricultural
statistics . This work should also benefit statistics on land use and
land ( and sea ) coverage throughout the Community, compiled as part of
Community environmental policy . The 1989-92 statistical programme will
include studies of semi-operational projects covering all aspects of
combining remote sensing with conventional sources and information .
The Member States will participate in "ground-truth" surveys , and the
division of responsibilities for compiling statistics ( decentralization
towards the Member States or centralization within the Commission ) will
be decided in the light of the research programme results . In due
course a legal basis and a Community contribution may be necessary ,
with far-reaching implications on the data-processing side .
                                                                         133
 ---pagebreak--- STATISTICS UNDER THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OTHER COMMISSION SERVICES
                                                                 135
 ---pagebreak---                                     115 -
             Activities and projects of a statistical nature
                 in other Commission Directorates-General
Some tasks of a statistical nature are the resonsabi lity of Commission
departments other than EUROSTAT .
EUROSTAT is regularly consulted on how these tasks fit in with its own
work . Almost exclusively thes>j are activities or projects for which the
Commission departments turn to bodies (government departments or
private bodies ) outside the national statistics system for collecting
data in the Member States .
These activities are classed below by Directorate-General . EUROSTAT
considers that while this inventory is perhaps not exhaustive is
constitutes a first step towards incorporating all the Commission 's
work of a statistical nature in a coherent programme .
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           Directorate-General for Econoaic and Financial Affairs
Business survey on enterprises and households
The purpose of this survey is to collect information quickly on the
opinions of companies and households on the economic situation and
prospects . Data are collected monthly, Sent to the Directorate-General
for Economic and Financial Affairs , discussed by the Group of Experts
on "Business surveys " and published monthly .
Harmonized databank on company accounts (BACH)
This involves the collecting, standardizing and structuring of approved
companies accounts , by sector and size , for eight Member States ( D , F ,
I , UK , B, NL , P and E ) plus the US and Japan . These data meet a
specific need of the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial
Affairs for detailed and comparable economic and financial information
on business . These data are stored in a databank and cover the period
1971 - 1986 . Data are supplied by the company accounts departments of
the Central Banks of the Member States . They are discussed in the
" Comite Europeen de Concertation des Centrales de Bilan" (a committee
for the coordination of company accounts departments ).
Exchange rates
This activity comprises the daily calculation and immediate publication
of the ECU exchange rates and of variations in exchange rates . The
purpose is to make available to users a set of data on the ECU exchange
rate, which it is the responsabi lity of the Commission to calculate,
and on exchange rates and forward rates , ECU-CIRR , stock market indices
etc . These data are stored in a databank and disseminated daily .
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                      Di rectorate-General for Agriculture
Market prices of farm products
This involves the rapid collection of prices of products and given
qualities of products from representative markets in the Member States .
This information is used for the automatic triggering of measures
relating to the common organization of the markets . The data are
compiled for daily, weekly and monthly periods and are collected by
bodies outside the statistical system .
Farm accountancy data network ( FADN )
This involves the collection of micro-economic data from a sample of
44 000 holdings representing farm business in the Community . The aim is
to provide a source of detailed information on the economic situation
of farms from which various analyses can be made . FADN is used
regularly in the preparation of decisions relating to new measures and
also for the day-to-day management of the CAP . For operating this
project each Member State receives a contribution of 95 ECU per farm
return . The data are examined by the FADN Committee and disseminated in
summary form in the FADN data base . The legal basis for this activity
is Council Regulation ( EEC ) No 79 / 65 and two Commission Regulations ,
( EEC ) Nos 1859 / 82 and 1915 / 83 .
External trade in certain agricultural products
This involves the rapide communication of data on external trade in
certain sensitive agricultural products for day-to-day management of
the common organization of the markets . The data , covering ten-day and
monthly periods , are stored in a database operated jointly by the SOEC
and DG VI . The legal basis is Commission Regulation ( EEC ) No 3601 /82 .
Vineyard register
This involves the collection of data on wine-growing by holding or
grape processor as appropriate (data on areas under vines, returns on
production and oenological practices, gremiums and aid received etc .).
The aim is to permit sound management of the wine-growing sector and to
collect reliable data for statistical purposes . This project was begun
in 1987 and will extend over a maximum period of six years except in
the case of Portugal , for which there is provision for an extension .
There is provision for aid to the Member States of the order of 50% of
the costs of setting up the register, including the necessary ,
investment in data-processing installations . The legal basis is Council
Regulations ( EEC ) Nos 2392 /86 and 649/87 . .
Register of olive cultivation
This involves collecting data on the areas under olives, the total
number of olive trees, the identity of the farmers and details of the
trees such as age, variety and system of cultivation. The aim of this
project is to provide better information on the production potential of
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 118 -
olives and olive oil in the Community and to improve the operation of
the Community aid arrangements . This project has been completed for
France ; it is nearing completion for Italy , should begin in 1989 in
Spain and still has to be specified for Greece and Portugal . Provision
has been made for indirect funding in the form of a deduction from the
aid given to producers by the Member States concerned . The legal basis
is Council Regulation ( EEC ) 154 / 75 .
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                     Direetorate-General fsr Transport
 Transport earket observation System
 The development of a community transport policy, and more specifically
 the creation of a Single Market for 1992, requires a monitoring of the
 goods transport market by road, rail and inland waterways between the
 Member States . The objective of this project is to analyse data on
 goods movements by road, rail and inland waterways relative to tonnage
 flows , capacity, prices , cost , financial situation and opinions on
 these subjects and to publish the results as soon as possible .
 Forecasts with horizons of 1 to 5 years are also undertaken . The
tonnage data are collected from statistical directives ( 78 / 546, 80/ 1177
and 80/ 1119 ); the trade statistics are broken down by mode of
transports from regulations 2954/ 85 . The legal base is the Council
Resolution 1986 /...
Road haulage with certain non-Keaber States
The objectif of this project is to monitor the flow of goods ( and if
possible the prices charges for the transport of goods by road) between
the Community and certain non-Member States . Reports concerning data
for 1981 to 1984 covered eastern bloc . Report for 1985 and for 1986
extended to Switzerland, Austria and Yugoslavia . Data are gathered from
miscellaneous national statistical publications and disseminated in a
annual report to the Council ( CONFIDENTIAL).
Comunity quota ststistics
The objectif of this project is to monitor the use ( tonnes carried,
tonne-kilometres achieved ) of Community quota permits acoording to the
nationality of haulier . These permits allow hauliers to make
'cross-trade' journeys between two other Member States as well as
bilateral journeys with another Member State . The purpose is also to
assess the share of road haulier permformed under community quota . The
information is supplied by road hauliers and compiled by Member States
into quarterly returns . This project will terminate with completion of
internal market in 1993 . The legal base is the Council Regulation
3164 / 76 .
Activities of carriers in cargo liner traffic
The objective of this project is to monitor the competition between
Member States liner companies and third country companies in the liner
trades . The objective is to monitor the competitive position of member
States liner companies ( information about services operated, tonnage
transported, freight rates ). The first 3 reports (confidential ) covered
only east africa and central amercia trades for the period 1979 to
1981 . The period 1982-1985 is covered by fourth and fifth report and
also covers the far-east area of operation . Information is provided on
liner services operated, goods transported, freigth rates by Member
States on an irregular basis and supplemented with data from various
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other sources and supported by documentary evidence . Every two years c
confidential report is transmitted to the Council . Several Council
decisions support this project .
Transport infrastructure costing
The statistical objectif is the collection of annual expenditure and
utilisation data by type of road etc ., type of vehicle etc . Information
is supplied by the Member States with annual returns based on
administrative information for expenditure and national surveys for
utilisation . The legal base is the Council Regulation 1108 / 70 / EEC .
Railway économie situation
The objectif of this activity is to present the accounts and other
operating characteristics of the railways in a standard form so as to
permit economic comparisons to record the state aids given to railway
companies . Data are collected through railway companies and Member
State administrations and analysed for the preparation of a biennial
report to Council on progress in the field of railway accounting and
economic situation . The legal base is the Council Decision 75 / 327 / EEC .
                                                                             Λ
 ---pagebreak---                   Directorate-General for Development
DAC Questionnaire - disbursement and comitments
of official and private flows
The objective of this activity is to inform DAC-Development Assistance
Committee - of the OECD of the financing decisions and disbursements
concerning development aid to developing countries managed by the
Commission of the EEC and by the European Investment Bank . A report is
delivered mid-may of each year to OECD .
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        Directorate-6eneral for Environnent , Consuaer Protection
                           and Nuclear Safety
CORINE
CORINE is an experimental project for collecting , coordinating , and
harmonizing information on the state of the environment in and the
natural resources of the Community . The information provided by CORINE
is used directly for purposes of Community environmental policy and
lays the foundation for an information system on the state of the
environment of the Community . The project will be completed in 1989 but
a follow-on project is likely .
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        Directorate-General for Science, Research and Development
HERMES macro-economic aodel ( forecasts )
The aim of this project is the systematic collection of data in an
acceptable format for the HERMES model . It involves obtaining inputs
concerning the following sectors : agriculture , energy , intermediate
goods , consumer goods , investment goods , construction and public
buildings , transport and telecommunications , market and non-market
services .
                                                                       144
 ---pagebreak---                        Directorate-General of Energy
Iaports of crude oil
The statistical objective is to provide an early report on imports of
crude oil by Member States . The most important details are the prices
paid ( CIF and FOB ) per barrel of crude oil , the quantities and the
source of the crude . A monthly report on imports of crude oil by Member
States by sources is sent by the Commission to the Member States and is
discussed with them on a regular base .
Eaergency oil stocks
The purpose of this project is to monitor levels of oil stocks in the
Member States of the Community, in view of the obligation to hold 90
days' stocks at the consumption rate for the previous year imposed by
the Council Directive . The Member States provide the basic monthly
statistical information on oil stock levels at the end of the month .
Solid fuel in the Community
The purpose of this project is to collect the most up-to-date
statistical data on the solid fuels market and estimates for the
following year . The Member States ( the Ministries concerned ) are
required to draw up summary returns containing this information . Three
reports per annum, in March , September and December , are drawn up by
the Directorate-General for Energy and sent to the Member States .
Investaent in the electricity sector
The statistical objective is to obtain information on electricity
production plants ( categories included thermal plant of 200 mW unit
size and over , hydro plant of 50 mW and over and, high voltage lines
and cables ) planned over the next 5 years and beyong, in construction,
and commissioned in the past year . Information relates to type, size
and relevent dates of investment projects in electricity production
plant . Data will be stored in a new data base - PISE expected to be in
the Commission in 1989 . Information will be used for forecasting and
modelling activation . Special aspect is the receipt of the maximum
foreword indication, even if not currently well defined . Information is
forwarded by the Member States by February 15 each year . The legal
bases are Council Regulation 72 / 1056 / EEC and 76/ 1215 / EEC .
Electricity data base
The objective of this activity is to list the existing power stations ,
in construction and in project , in the EEC countries .
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                     Directorate-General for Coordination of
                               Structural Instruments
Management System for the Integrated Mediterranean Programmes
The objective of this activity is to monitor the implementation of the
 Integrated Mediterranean Programmes form a financial point of view
 ( comm i tment s-payments /est i mat i on-ac tua l ) . Data are represented by the
financial informations at the IMP measure level .
Impact evaluation system of structural interventions
The objective of this project, for which the pilot study is currently
finished, is the creation of an information and statistical analysis
system for the structural interventions, in connection with the
management system of the Funds : monitoring of Community support
frameworks , evaluation of structural interventions .
IFC Database ( Instruments Financiers
Coamunautai res )
IFC Database is a documentary data base providing a description for
projects and programmes benefitting from the participation of EC funds
since 1981 . The statistical objective of this project is
- to centralize and standardize information, diverse in format and from
    a variety of sources .
- to enable the analysis of funding activities by project /programmes,
    Member State , region (NUTS ), activity sector ( NACE ) and period .
- to provide a source for : 1 ) monitoring and evaluation applications in
    the context of the reform of the Structural Funds ; 2 ) More
    sophisticated reporting applications enabling greater manipulation of
    data and the production of diagrams and thematic maps . Other
    important objectives exist (non-statistical ) .
- Briefings to interested parties (MEPs , Commissioners , Regional
    Authorities, Non-Governmental organizations, Journalists ) regarding a
    given region or other geographical area or topic : Reports, listings .
The first phase of development of this project is scheduled to be put
into production in October 1988 . The 2nd phase is scheduled for mid
1989 .
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                         /
 ---pagebreak--- INFQRKATICS AND DISSENINA7I0N ---pagebreak---                                  - 127 -
Development of general computer services
The general computer services are based on a coordinated set of
projects designed to cover the needs which are commonly observed in the
fields of the processing and dissemination of statistical information .
Among the various developments which are taking place , particular
priority will be given to implementing the STATEL ( STAtistiques
TELetransmissions ), STANORM ( STAtistiques NORMalisation ) and ADMDOC
( ADMinistration des Documents ) programmes .
STATEL is designed to construct the architecture for electronic data
exchange between the SOEC and the institutions it works with in the
Member States , mainly the national statistical offices .
STANORM is for studying the standardization of data exchange between
various types of data-processing environments . It benefits from
spin-offs of the standardization work carried out by the various
working parties , such as the EDIFACT Board , and uses the standards
based on markup techniques ( S6ML , FORMEX etc ) for the exchange of data
to be published or disseminated .
As part of the general provisions adopted by the Commission on document
administration , ADMDOC offers a system for the automatic management of
documents based on the most up-to-date office-automation technology,
using scanners , digital optical disks and software for optical
character recognition .
Automated transmission procedures , standardization and better access to
information make for greater efficiency and reliability in the
collection and dissemination of information and, consequently,
increased productivity in the statistical systems in the different
sectors .
A general tool for validating and checking statistical data , at present
under study, will enable us to make some progress on rationalization at
the processing stage .
Computerized collection infrastructure project
The purpose of the STADIUM project ( STAtistical Data Interchange
Universal Monitor ) is to provide a centre for the collection of
statistical data at the SOEC .
The SOEC receives statistical data from a large number of statistical
offices in the member countries . At present these data are transmitted
mainly on magnetic tape ( approximately 10 000 consignments per year ).
The volume of data received is approximately 3 000 million characters
per year , of which 20 million are on hard copy .
At present , each domain in the SOEC has its own administrative and
technical procedures for collecting data . These procedures are
supported by various computer environments and, in most cases, the SOEC
is not responsible for operating them .
                                                                         149
 ---pagebreak---   By rationalizing ths information flows and providing a specialist
  lu ra «TJ,r*ure *or tne       the STADIUM project considerably increases
  the efficiency of the collecting operations while qivirtg greater
  flexibility in accommodating the statistical applications requirements
 and the needs of the providers of data .
  For some of the above objectives the STADIUM project will benefit from
 the results obtained in the standardization and remote transmission of
 statistical information .
 The first prototype should be ready at. the end of 1938. The system
 will be set up in stages for completion by aid-1990 .
 Computerized dissemination infrastructure, STRINGS
 The aim of the STRINGS project (STatistical Report integrated
 Generation Service) is to construct an architecture for the production
 and dissemination of statistical information throuah statistical
 reports .
 The statistical reports may take such different forms as regular or
 occasional publications, pages in the electronic distribution services,
or structured extracts of information from dissemination databases .
The content of the statistical report is made up of a structured set of
textual components (analysis, comments, methodological notes ), tables
 ( numerical information ) and graphics .
The aim of the STRINGS project is to make it easier to incorporate
these different components into a variegated and wide-spread computer
environment such as that of the SOEC .
The project therefore has three main aims - increased efficiency,
improved quality and more dissemination facilities .
Work on this project falls into two categories - a general analysis of
how the statistical reports are drawn up and disseminated, and trials
of different electronic publishing systems which are already on the
market . Through systematic analysis a methodology has been established
for producing the SOEC’s publications , and for drawing up guidelines
for the choice of data-processing and organizational architecture for
the project . Initially, the trial phase will permit the production of
regular publications . At a later stage these •'electronic” reports can
be exchanged at different stages of preparation with other specialist
units concerned, such as the Publications Office, printers , and
database hosts .
Exploring new computer eethods for statistics
The very rapid pace of development in computer systems will have
several repercussions on the collection, analysis and dissemination of
statistical data . The prospects opened up by the development of expert
systems - particularly for statistical analysis - the use of remote
sensing for collecting data , the more general use of new media, such as
optical disks , for storing and disseminating information and the work
on standardizing statistical messages for electronic transmission call
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for an experimental environment for testing the new products and
adapting them to the requirements of EUROSTAT , as well as permanent
monitoring .
This work calls for close collaboration with research organizations ,
i.e. universities , specialist firms and other bodies - and active
participation in the Commission 's programmes ( INSIS and TEDIS ), while
meetings between specialist working parties and the Member States will
ensure cooperation with the national statistical offices , which is
essential for integrating the systems .
Relations with Member States and international
organizations on computerization
The Statistical Office would like to cooperate more closely with the
national statistical offices with a view to rationalizing developments
and integrating the various services .
The SOEC will take an active part in work of a general nature in the
fields of computerized statistics research , and communications with the
other international bodies will be stepped up .
Aid and development of sectoral computer applications
Local computer applications are on the increase . This more general use
of computers , together with the diversity of the hardware and software
used calls for methodological rules and standards and calls for a high
 level of technical assistance and consultancy services .
Operation of the computer infrastructure
The computer environment , both hardware and software , for the work of
 collecting , processing and disseminating statistical information, calls
 for short-, medium- and long-term management which , besides providing a
high level of efficiency, must ensure integration with both the EEC 's
architecture and existing infrastructures in the Member States .
Disseaination policy for statistical data
 EUROSTAT will analyse in more detail the statistical needs of the
different users with a view to devising and implementing a more
targeted dissemination policy .
The major thrusts will be to construct a new architecture for
 statistical databases as a function of the types of bases (production,
 reference and dissemination ), to rationalize the programme and content
of publications , to use modern media and dissemination systems for
them, and to step up promotion, publicity and information on data ..
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 130 -
 Public relations
 JHLCTTJ 8 -° m?int?in effective links and active cooperation with
 EUROSTAT s institutional partners, in order to set up a communication
 network between EUROSTAT and . ts users so that information can be
 exchanged on products and requirements .
 Digests
 The aim is to provide information with a high value-added content on
 all EUROSTAT 'S fields of activity, in particular by:
 ” devising and producing general publications on short- and long-term
   statistics;
- considering the possibility of producing general studies tailored to
   the general objectives of the Commission Cad hoc " studies);
- selecting the content of databases for wide dissemination .
Public Data Base administration
Day to day operational management of EUROSTAT reference database
infrastructure and of the update of dissemination database
environments . This work is gradually being adapted to accomodate the
revised database architecture for EUROSTAT .
Documentation of Public Databases
The management and update on an ongoing basis of the documentation of
the contents of EUROSTAT publicly available data on both electronic and
paper media .
This activity is being restructured to extend the coverage of data
being documented, orientate such documentation more and more towards
electronic data as a primary vehicle and create specific links between
data and its documentation . In addition the requirements of the
reference databases under the revised EUROSTAT database architecture
are being evaluated .
The documentation extensions for existing databases should be complete
by mid-89 . In addition a global schema for the description of EUROSTAT
reference environments will be complete by start '89 . The information
will then proceed progressively with the transfer of reference data
into the new informatic product environments .
Data Collection Management
Operational management of data capture activities for EUROSTAT
production systems . This currently covers machine data capture
organisation and reception of certain data on magnetic media .
                                                                    1 12
 ---pagebreak---                                   - 131
The activities in this area are Linked to the progressive delivery of
the facilities envisaged within the EUROSTAT " STADIUM" project ( ref .
A117510 ). A survey and anlysis of incoming data flow for EUROSTAT
should be completed by end '88 .
Data Dissémination Management
Ongoing activities in relation to the distribution of EUROSTAT data on
a variety of support media in the form of standard products . These
activities cover the printing of publications ( including the
implementation of desk-top publishing facilities ) the generation of
data for servers and the provision of diskettes for internal and
external use . The use of CD-ROM is currently under review . The areas of
dissemination content and financial control are also covered .
Installation of new dissemination products
Implementation of a new architecture for EUROSTAT data dissemination
together with its associate organisational infrastructure . This
includes the definition of targeted client profiles (on the basis of a
user needs survey already completed ), user requirements definition,
organisational and infrastructure constraints evaluation and general
project management by EUROSTAT . The specific project planning is
included for each subproject under the appropriate activity sheet .
Wide Dissémination databases ("EUROCRON")
Within the overall project this activity concerns the specification and
management of facilities for easy access to specific soio-economic
indicators chosen by EUROSTAT as presenting an overview of European
Community activities and interests . Both videotex and interactive
environments are envisaged with appropriate provision of user-friendly
interfaces and data descriptions .
A prototype system for internal evaluation is currently working .
Subsequent to decisions on technical options a first version production
system should be available end * 88 .
Access to Statistical Databases (ABIS )
The objectives are to provide a set of homogeneous interfaces and
procedures to enable users to find , extract and recover detailed data
from the mass available in EUROSTAT databases . The primary activities
are one of description and indexing (what data and where ) and retrieval
( how ). A first definition of the detailed requirements is currently
under technical evaluation ; descriptive and index work is currently
underwayn in liaison with A207060 .
 ---pagebreak---                                    - 132 -
Brussels data shop
The Brussels data shop assists the staff of the Commission and other
Community institutions and also external bodies in Brussels
( universities , embassies , businesses , the press , etc .) in locating
statistical information , interpreting it at the methodological level
and , if necessary, reprocessing it as required .
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