CELEX: 51996PC0319
Language: en
Date: 1996-07-08
Title: Amended proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on inter- administration telematic networks for statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States (Edicom)

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                          Brussels, 08.07.1996
                                          COM(96) 319 final
                                          96/0173 (SYN)
                        Amended proposal for a
                        COUNCIL DECISION
on inter-administration telematic networks for statistics relating to
      the trading of goods between Member States (Edicom)
      (presented by the Commission pursuant to Article 189 a (2)
                          of the EC-Treaty)
 ---pagebreak---  ---pagebreak---                       EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
1. Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91 of 7 November 1991 on the statistics
   relating to the trading of goods between Member States defined a new system
   (Intrastat) for collecting directly from the consignors and consignees of goods the
   data necessary for compiling these statistics. It provides for the use of methods
   and techniques (e.g. automatic data processing and electronic data transmission)
   which will ensure that data are exhaustive, reliable and up to date, .
2. It was therefore proposed to introduce a data processing and telematic
   infrastructure based on a trans-European telematic network - to which businesses
   would also have access - linking up the national and Community statistical
   systems.
3. This set of measures covers the design, development and introduction of the
   telematic network and promotion, support, monitoring and coordination relating
   to all the parties involved.
4. This programme, which draws on the general and multisectoral work carried out
   under the IDA (Interchange of Data between Administrations) multiannual
   programme, was the subject of Council Decision 94/445/EC of 11 July 1994 on
   inter-administration telematic networks for statistics relating to the trading of
   goods between Member States (Edicom).
5. Following the appeal lodged by the European Parliament and endorsed by the
    Commission, Council Decision 94/445/EC was annulled solely on the grounds
    that it had an inappropriate legal basis.
6.  The interim evaluation reports and the reports by experts drawn up after the first
    two years of the Edicom programme testify to its importance and usefulness and
    clearly state that it should be continued.
7.  The viability of the investments already made and the modernization of the
    collection and processing operations which are essential for compiling reliable
    and up-to-date statistics on the trading of goods between Member States depend
    on the continuation of the programme and the rapid adoption of this Decision in
    order to limit the effects of this interruption in the progress of work.
                                             a
 ---pagebreak---                                    Amended proposal for a
                                   COUNCIL DECISION
         on inter-administration telematic networks Tor statistics relating to
                 the trading of goods between Member States (Edicom)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular
Article 129d, third paragraph, thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
In cooperation with the European Parliament,
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee,
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions,
Whereas completing the internal market depends on the elimination of physical frontiers
between Member States; whereas a satisfactory level of information on the trading of
goods between Member States must therefore be ensured by means other than those
involving checks, even indirect ones, at internal frontiers;
Whereas it is necessary to collect directly from the consignors and consignees the data
necessary to compile statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States,
using methods and techniques which will ensure that they are exhaustive, reliable and up
to date, without giving rise for the parties concerned, in particular for small and
medium-sized businesses, to a burden out of proportion to the results which users of the
said statistics can reasonably expect;
Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91 of 7 November 1991 on the statistics
 relating to the trading of goods between Member States1 lays down that the conditions
 should be created for increased use of automatic data processing and electronic data
transmission for the purpose of facilitating the task of the parties responsible for
 providing information;
 Whereas it is necessary to ease the burden which statistical returns place on businesses,
 while at the same time improving the circulation of statistical information with a view
 to the creation of the European information market;
 Whereas an essential objective of Council Decision 95/468/EC of 6 November 1995 for
 a Community contribution for telematic interchange of data between administrations in
 the Community (IDA)2 is to carry out feasibility studies, including validation schemes;
 whereas that Decision should be supplemented by operational measures, particularly in
 the statistical sphere;
         OJL316, 16.11.1991, p. 1.
         OJL269, 11.11.1995, p. 23.
                                                  A9-
 ---pagebreak--- Whereas the compilation of harmonized statistics, in particular with a link between
statistics on trade and other economic statistics, should be ensured in order to contribute
to market transparency and to the evaluation of the competitiveness of businesses;
Whereas the promotion of the use of harmonized standards and concepts at European
level will ultimately lead to the elimination of duplication and to economies of scale,
while facilitating the emergence of new services in the field of statistical telematics;
Whereas standardization carried out at international level in the sphere of electronic
interchange (EDI) contributes to facilitating international trade and to simplifying
relations between undertakings and administrative authorities;
Whereas the establishment of common statistical standards for the production of
harmonized information is an activity which can be carried out effectively only at
Community level, in collaboration with the Member States; whereas such standards will
be implemented in each Member State under the authority of the bodies and institutions
responsible for the compilation and dissemination of official statistics;
Whereas the Court of Justice has annulled Council Decision 94/445/EC of 11 July 1994
on inter-administration telematic networks for statistics relating to the trading of goods
between Member States (Edicom)3 on the grounds of inappropriate legal basis and, so
that the programme can be continued, a new Decision must therefore be adopted on the
appropriate legal basis;
Whereas the interim evaluation reports and the reports by experts drawn up after the first
two years of the Edicom programme testify to its importance and usefulness and state
that it should be continued,
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:
                                         Article 1
 A set of measures, hereinafter referred to as "Edicom" (Electronic Data Interchange on
 Commerce), shall be implemented to facilitate the conversion of regional, national and
 Community systems towards interoperable systems at European level, as a first stage,
 for the collection of returns on the trading of goods between Member States from
 businesses, the validation and pre-processing of such returns and the dissemination of the
 statistics derived therefrom.
 These systems shall be based on distributed information systems at regional, national and
 Community levels, the interoperability of which shall be guaranteed by the development
 and use of harmonized standards and communication procedures.
 These systems shall be based in particular on the use of electronic data interchange (EDI)
 for the transmission of statistical returns. Computerized procedures may be made
 available to the competent national and Community authorities and to the parties
          OJ L 183, 19.7.1994. p. 42.
                                               C
 ---pagebreak--- responsible for providing statistical information by agreement with the competent national
authorities.
These systems shall be developed in a way which takes account of the requirements
associated with compiling statistics on internal trade.
                                           Article 2
1.      Edicom shall run for five years from 1 September 1996.
2.      The Commission shall, in the framework of the interim report referred to in the
        first indent of Article 8, and on the basis of a report by experts, evaluate the
        application of Edicom and, if appropriate, propose amendments to this Decision.
                                           Article 3
Measures shall be undertaken only where a clear need for Community action has been
established, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity. Edicom may, by agreement
with the competent authorities in the Member States and bearing in mind the preferential
use of existing technologies and products, comprise in particular:
        the design, development and promotion of software for the collection, validation
        and transmission of statistical information, and assistance to Member States in
        making that software available to businesses;
        the design, development and promotion of software for the acceptance, validation,
        processing and dissemination of data, providing assistance for, and making that
        software available to, the regional, national and Community bodies responsible
        for collecting statistical information, and where necessary the upgrading of
        equipment;
        the design, development and promotion of formats for the exchange of
        information, on the basis of European and international standards, and making
         them available;
         the design, documentation and promotion of the methods, procedures and
         agreements to be used in the exchange of information;
         making software and services suppliers aware of the requirements of national and
         Community statistics.
                                            Article 4
 In implementing the measures, the following general aims shall be taken into account:
                                                ÇL
 ---pagebreak---     to facilitate the introduction and use of these systems, by means of promotion and
    awareness campaigns aimed mainly at businesses and users and conducted by the
    competent Community bodies by agreement with national and regional bodies,
    to undertake special measures for the benefit of less-developed regional and
    national bodies to enable them to take part in these systems,
    to promote the use of the most appropriate telematic technologies and tools to
    meet the needs of the statistical system, and their incorporation into the various
    computer environments of the authorities concerned.
                                       Article 5
1.  The Commission shall be responsible for the implementation of Edicom. It shall
    be assisted by:
(a)  the Committee on the Statistical Programme of the European Communities,
     established by Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom4, in drawing up,
     quantifying and approving the annual work programme, in accordance with the
     procedure laid down in Article 6;
(b)  the Committee on statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member
     States, set up by Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91:
              for the approval of calls for tenders and the evaluation of projects and
              measures of a total value of more than ECU 200 000, in accordance with
              the procedure laid down in Article 6,
              for measures to implement Edicom other than those referred to in point
              (a) above and in the first indent of this point, in accordance with the
              procedure laid down in Article 7.
2.   The Commission shall keep the Committee set up under the Council Decision for
      a Community contribution for telematic interchange of data between
      administrations in the Community (IDA) regularly informed of the progress of
      the measures.
                                        Article 6
      The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a draft of
      the measures to be taken. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft
      within a time limit which the chairman may lay down according to the urgency
      of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in
      Article 148(2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required
      to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of
      O I L 181,23.6.1989, p. 47.
                                              e
 ---pagebreak---         the Member States within the Committee shall be weighted in the manner set out
        in that Article. The chairman shall not vote.
        (a)     The Commission shall adopt the measures envisaged if they are in
                accordance with the opinion of the Committee.
        (b)     If the measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the Committee,
                or if no opinion is delivered, the Commission shall, without delay, submit
                to the Council a proposal relating to the measures to be taken. The
                Council shall act by a qualified majority.
If, on the expiry of a period of three months from the date of referral to the Council, the
Council has not acted, the proposed measures shall be adopted by the Commission.
                                           Article 1
The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee a draft of the
measures to be taken. The Committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time
limit which the chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter, if
necessary by taking a vote.
The opinion shall be recorded in the minutes; each Member State shall have the right
to ask to have its position recorded in the minutes.
The Commission shall take the utmost account of the opinion delivered by the
Committee. It shall inform the Committee of the manner in which its opinion has been
taken into account.
                                           Article 8
The Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and the Council:
        by 31 December 1998, an interim report on the progress of Edicom,
        on the conclusion of Edicom, a report on its implementation together, where
        appropriate, with proposals for further measures.
                                           Article 9
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
 Done at Brussels,
                                                                            For the Council
                                                                              The President
                                                 ?
 ---pagebreak---          Report on EDICOM actions in 1994 and 1995
                               by the Experts* Group
Contents
          Preface                                                 p. 2
          1. Summary                                              p. 3
          2. Background                                           p. 3
          3. The aim of the report                                p. 4
          4. About EDICOM                                         p. 4
          5. EDICOM actions in 1994 and 1995                      p. 6
          6. Experiences of the 1994 and 1995 actions             p. 9
          7. Conclusions                                          p. 13
          8. Priorities, aims and budgetary needs for 1996 - 1998 p. 14
                                                                   February 1996
                                      A
 ---pagebreak--- PREFACE
The formation of an Experts' Group was agreed at the meeting of the "Committee on
statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States" held in
Luxembourg, December 18 and 19, 1995.
Five Member countries agreed to participate in the Experts' Group:
Austria, which was represented by Mr. Gerhard ECKER,
Denmark, which was represented by Mr. Jens THOMASEN who has also acted as
chairman of the group,
France, represented by Mr. Antoine EGEA,
Greece, represented by Mrs. Athanassia XENAKI, and
the Netherlands, which was represented by Mr. Vick SMEETS.
The group was assisted by Eurostat, represented by Mr. Uwe KUNZLER and Mr.
Bert RECTOR.
The group has met once in Luxembourg, February 5 and 6, 1996 and has moreover
exchanged views by phone and fax.
This report was finished on February 29, 1996.
 ---pagebreak---                         EDICOM Experts' Report
1. SUMMARY
   The report by the EDICOM Experts' Group evaluates the application of EDICOM
   based on the achievements of 1994 and 1995.
   Chapter 2 provides background to the conception of EDICOM, focusing on the
   introduction of the internal market and the new INTRASTAT system.
   In Chapter 3, the aims of the report are described.
   In Chapter 4, the Council Decision is analysed, and the objectives and aims are
   outlined in detail.
   In Chapter 5, an analysis of the EDICOM actions in 1994 and 1995 is presented,
   based on the Interim EDICOM report 1996.
   In Chapter 6, the EDICOM actions are evaluated. Special attention is given to
   software developed for the enterprises, national administrations' and Eurostat, and
   to standards for the exchange of data.
   In Chapter 7 it is concluded that considering the conditions, the length of time the
   EDICOM project has been implemented, and the experiences and results achieved,
   EDICOM has given value for money.
   Chapter 8 contains the Group's proposals concerning priorities, aims, and
   budgetary needs for the period 1996-1998.
2. BACKGROUND
   INTRASTAT introduced
   Statistics on commodity trade between Member States of the Community were
   directly influenced by the introduction of the internal market from January 1,
   1993. Until that time, trade statistics had been based upon information supplied on
   the customs document - the SAD. With the abolition of customs control at the
   internal borders a new system had to be designed for collecting trade data. This
   new system is known as the INTRASTAT system and is based upon Council
   Regulation 3330/91.
   Ease the burden on enterprises
   An important aim of the Intrastat system, as described in the above mentioned
   regulation, is that the collection of trade data should be conducted in such a way
   as to ease the burden of enterprises supplying information.
   This has been achieved in three ways:
   • by introducing statistical thresholds in the Member States which exempt most
       small companies from supplying information at all (Intrastat Regulation Art.
       28),
    • by reducing the number of data elements collected compared to the SAD,
 ---pagebreak---    • by obliging the Commission to provide an environment conducive to the use of
       automatic data processing and electronic data transmission ( Intrastat
       Regulation Art. 34).
   EDICOM and IDA
   This obligation gave rise to the idea of the EDICOM project.
   The framework for this project, which was initially scheduled for five years
   beginning in 1994, was laid down in the Council Decision of July 11, 1994.
   However EDICOM, created to encourage the use of telematic technologies in
   transmitting data, is closely linked to another project run by the Commission,
   namely the IDA project. This project concerns feasibility studies on the
   implementation of trans-European information networks for the interchange of
   data between administrations.
   In Article 2, Paragraph 2, of the Council Decision it is stated that " The
   Commission shall ... and on the basis of a report by experts evaluate the
   application of Edicom and, if appropriate, propose amendments to this Decision".
3. THE AIM OF THE REPORT
   The aim of the Experts' report, which must be regarded as complementary to the
   Interim EDICOM Report 1996, is to provide information and facts to the
   Commission for the evaluation of EDICOM and if appropriate, the proposal of
   amendments, and for the estimation of the necessary funds for 1996, 1997 and
    1998.
   Explanations of acronyms and abbreviations used in this report can be found in
   Chapter 6 of the Interim Report (Annexe 6.2).
4. ABOUT EDICOM
   In Article 1 of the Edicom Decision it is stated that :
   Objectives and aims
    "A set of measures, hereinafter referred to as 'Edicom' (Electronic Data
   Interchange on Commerce), shall be implemented to facilitate the conversion of
   regional, national and Community systems towards interoperable systems at
   European level, as a first stage, for the collection of returns on the trading of
   goods between Member States from businesses, the validation and pre-processing
    of such returns and the dissemination of the statistics derived therefrom".
   EDICOM measures may include:
   Main measures
    ® the design, development, and promotion of software for the collection,
       validation, and transmission of statistical information, and assistance to
       Member States in making that software available to businesses,
 ---pagebreak--- • the design, development, and promotion of software for the acceptance,
   validation, processing, and dissemination of data. Providing assistance for, and
    making that software available to, the regional, national and Community bodies
    responsible for collecting statistical information, and where necessary the
   upgrading of equipment,
• the design, development, and promotion of formats for the exchange of
   information, on the basis of European and international standards, and making
   them available,
® the design, documentation, and promotion of the methods, procedures, and
    agreements to be used in the exchange of information,
• making software and service suppliers aware of the requirements of national
   and Community statistics.
In implementing these measures some general aims had to be taken into account:
General aims
• to facilitate the introduction and use of these systems, by means of promotion
   and awareness campaigns aimed mainly at businesses and users, conducted by
   the competent Community bodies by agreement with national and regional
   bodies,
• to undertake special measures for the benefit of less-developed regional and
   national bodies to enable them to take part in these systems,
• to promote the use of the most appropriate telematic technologies and tools to
   meet the needs of the statistical system, and their incorporation into the various
   computer environments of the authorities concerned.
Value for money criteria
Generally the measures implemented must guarantee value for money by ensuring
that the benefits are in keeping with the allocation of resources.
Financial aspects
The initial budget for the first two years was 20 million ECUs which was divided
evenly over the two years. When the three new Member States joined the
Community in 1995 the EDICOM budget was extended by 2 million ECUs to a
total of 12 million ECUs for 1995.
and Responsibilities
Eurostat is responsible for the implementation of EDICOM. It is assisted by the
'Committee on the Statistical Programme of the European Communities' and the
'Committee on Statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States'.
Many EDICOM activities for 1994 and 1995 were conducted by, and under the
direct responsibility of, the national administrations in the Member States. Other
actions were conducted centrally by Eurostat.
 ---pagebreak--- 5. EDICOM ACTIONS IN 1994 AND 1995
   The implementation of the EDICOM decision has resulted in a large variety of
   projects and initiatives to facilitate the collection and dissemination of data by
   electronic means.
   In order to ensure proper planning and implementation of EDICOM, a set of
   Action Plans were specified by the Member States and Eurostat.
   Although there are national differences in organization, needs, and priorities, a set
   of common features appear after studying the Interim report.
   The initiatives contained in the Action Plans have been grouped under headings in
   order to simplify and structure their presentation.
   Five headings have been chosen to present an overview of the 1994 and 1995
   EDICOM Actions.
   A.    Actions aimed at the providers of data
   B.    Actions within the national administrations and Eurostat
   C.    Actions aimed at the users of trade statistics
   D.      Actions concerning analysis and methodological studies
   E.     Actions concerning administration and management
   A.    Actions aimed at providers of data
         Developmen t of electronic forms
          Special software packages have been developed to facilitate the
         INTRASTAT declaration process and make use of EDI-based declarations.
         Software packages
         These systems offer the functionality of data entry, including validity checks
          of the data entered. The packages can also be used to import data from
          existing administrative sources within the companies e.g. accounting
          systems. Various help facilities are available i.e. code lists including
          consultation of the Combined Nomenclature containing codes for
          approximately 10.000 commodity items, default values and calculation
          facilities.
          The software packages have been developed to also make use of
          telecommunications in the transmission of data from the companies to the
          national administrations.
          At the central level, Eurostat in cooperation with a private company, has
          developed the IDEP/CN8 package which is used in the majority of Member
          States and normally supplied free of charge to the enterprises
          Two Member States have developed their own software - the Netherlands
          developed CBS-IRIS, which is also used in Germany, and Portugal
          developed IDEP-INE.
 ---pagebreak---    Promotion and distribution
   In the preparation phase of INTRASTAT, and in conjunction with Eurostat,
   a survey of trading firms was conducted in most Member States. These
   surveys were designed to obtain an overview of the level of automation used
   to process logistical information.
   Afterwards initiatives followed, the main objectives being to raise future
   data providers' awareness of the statistical returns in INTRASTAT and to
   provide information on the data requirements of the INTRASTAT
   Regulation at company level. Logos, brochures and technical documents
   were presented for use at national as well as European level.
   Nomenclature
   Eurostat prepares and maintains the commodity nomenclature - the CN8 -
   used to classify the goods traded. The nomenclature is kept in a text module
   from which all Member States' versions are extracted.
   The printing and distribution of the nomenclature is generally done by the
   Member States.
B. Actions within national administrations and Eurostat
   Integration of information systems
   The change towards electronic data interchange between the data suppliers
   and the national competent administrations urged the need for message
   standards. Priority has been given to develop a message for the transmission
   of INTRASTAT returns by companies. The UN / Edifact was adopted as
   the standard as there is a growing practice in the field of commerce to apply
   Edifact for internal and external communication.
   Development of computer systems
   A number of Member States have been forced to modify or change their
   computer systems in order to comply with the rules and conditions laid
   down in the INTRASTAT Regulations. The changes concern all parts of the
    statistical system, i.e. collecting, checking and dissemination routines.
   Disk /fax system
    Several Member States have installed hardware and software to handle
    INTRASTAT returns on diskettes or tapes. The installations provided by
   Eurostat to the Member States can process various formats, convert the
    information - mostly EDIFACT messages - to the appropriate internal
    standards, handle the returns, and send messages to companies when their
    declarations cannot be processed properly.
    OCR system
    Hardware to read the large number of standard INTRASTAT paper
    declarations was installed in only a few Member States, i.e. Germany,
    Austria and France. An efficient use of the OCR technique requires firstly,
    that paper declarations are the dominant way of reporting and secondly, that
    a centralized processing solution is chosen as economies of scale are only
    possible in this instance.
 ---pagebreak---    Equipment upgrading
   For a number of Member States the INTRASTAT system meant that new
   technical requirements and demands had to be met. This phase of
   modernizing equipment has been possible by the support of EDICOM funds.
   Personnel and training
   Both Eurostat and the Member States have been forced to employ more
   people in order to cope with the numerous and complex problems
   encountered during the first three years of INTRASTAT. Along with the
   implementation of new information systems, intensive training of employees
   has been necessary.
C. Actions aimed at users of trade statistics
   Data distribution
   The dissemination of statistics compiled in INTRASTAT is done at national
   as well as European level. Eurostat provides the monthly EU results based
   on data from the Member States. The figures on trade between the Member
   States are available in the COMEXT database. This uniform client-server
   system was developed to handle the large datasets involved and to provide
   users with facilities to specify files or tables to be extracted and to retrieve
   the data. COMEXT also contains statistics for the trade between Member
   States and non-Member States.
   A monthly abstract of the database is transferred to the COMEXT CD-
   ROM which is distributed to the Member States and other subscribers and
   contains user-friendly software.
D. Analysis and methodological studies
   Analysis and methodological studies
   The introduction of INTRASTAT, entailing changes to the collection of
   trade data from a customs-based system to a new, business-oriented system,
   has caused many problems at company level and at national administrative
   level, consequently effecting Eurostat as well. In other words statistics on
   trade between Member States have, for the last three years, been facing
   problems of quality and timeliness.
   The Intrastat difficul-ties are here to stay?
   The problems encountered were expected to be of an incidental nature.
   However, it turned out that the problems were of a profound and
   complicated nature and that there are no quick solutions to the problems.
   A lot of effort has been made to clarify the problems and also to propose
   solutions with the objective of improving the quality and exhaustiveness of
   statistics on the commodity trade between the Member States.
 ---pagebreak---         Quality studies undertaken
        Based on the proposals and recommendations of a group of experts, who
        analysed several of the quality problems, the Member States committed
        themselves to implementing appropriate methods for improving the quality
        of the INTRASTAT statistics.
        A comprehensive study of the INTRASTAT systems implemented in all
        Member States - including the new three - was carried out in the last part of
         1995 with the purpose of comparing the application of the Regulations, the
        data collection and processing systems, adjustment and control procedures
        and the reliability of the results. Interview teams consisting of two Eurostat
        representatives and two Member State representatives have reported on the
        systems in each country based on a common list of questions.
         The opinion of companies and users
         In order to collect impressions of the present system, an opinion poll was
         launched. One part of the poll was aimed at the reporting companies,
         another was directed towards the users of trade statistics. The aims of the
         opinion poll, which was based on two questionnaires (one form for
         reporters, and another for users), were to obtain a clearer view of the
         reporting companies' perception of the system, including their proposals for
         changes, and to ascertain the users perception of the quality of trade
         statistics and the level of detail they require.
        Seminar organized
         The results of the opinion poll are therefore not only relevant for the present
         system but certainly also for the future system and framework. The changes,
         and especially the future framework, will be discussed in March 1996, where
         these issues are on the agenda during a two day seminar entitled
         INTRASTAT.
   E.    Administration and management
         During the planning and implementation phase of most of the tasks carried
         out under the EDICOM project, Eurostat and Member States were forced
         to set up steering committees to ensure the large number of tasks were
         constantly moving in the right direction.
         Furthermore, regular meetings of the EDICOM task force have required
         preparation of documents, translations and special consultative missions.
6. EXPERIENCES OF THE 1994 AND 1995 ACTIONS
   From reading the Interim report it appears that the ideal, basic conditions were not
   present for EDICOM when this project started.
   The national administrations were far from being at the same technical level.
   The enterprises' readiness to use PC's and modems differed between Member
   States.
   The technical infrastructure for data communication was not available in all
   Member States.
 ---pagebreak--- In other words the EDICOM project had to focus heavily on development and
improvement in these areas.
To summarize the accomplishments, i.e. the results achieved and the experiences
gained, and to evaluate the 1994 and 1995 Action Plans, the Experts' Group has
chosen to examine three major areas of EDICOM.
1. Software for the enterprises and other actions to reduce their reporting burden
2. National administrations' and Eurostat actions
3. Standards for exchange of data
1.    Software for the enterprises etc.
      Within the framework of EDICOM, three software products were
      developed for the enterprises. The CBS-developed package, CBS-IRIS,
      which is used in Holland and Germany, the Portuguese IDEP-INE, which is
      used in Portugal, and the Eurostat developed IDEP/CN8 package, which is
      used in all other Member States except the UK., where the private software
      houses are the sole suppliers of these or similar products.
      Stability reached
      The programs have now been stabilized after a number of "children's
      diseases", and are accepted by the enterprises. Most countries have chosen
      to provide the software free of charge or at a symbolic price in order to
      make these data entry solutions attractive. The distribution of the
      programmes is either handled by the national administrations themselves or
      in co-operation with software companies.
      Especially for IDEP there was a serious problem of delay when Intrastat was
      first introduced. Furthermore, the above mentioned programmes contained
      too many bugs. However, these conditions have improved satisfactorily, and
      the organisational framework within Eurostat has been strengthened.
      Software companies
      The national administrations have established close co-operation with
      software companies to set up standards on conformity, i.e. a guarantee now
      exists that for certain software products the Intrastat declaration generated
      conforms with the standards in the relevant country. In a number of
      countries IDEP and CBS-IRIS have become the de-facto standard for
      electronic forms and output formats.
      Telecommunication
      The software provided by the national administrations usually produces a
      diskette as output to be sent and later processed by a national administration
      unit. Some countries, however, have introduced telecommunications.
      Successful results have been reported in Holland, and in Belgium and
      Austria using CBS-IRIS and IDEP respectively. In the UK the experiences
      with EDI are also positive. Telecommunications by networks or telephone
      lines are generally seen as growing in the Member States.
                                        10
 ---pagebreak---    The CN-8
   As a service to the enterprises, an electronic list of commodities has been
   developed containing the official Combined Nomenclature (CN8) which
   must be used when the goods traded are declared for statistics. The CN8 is
   also available in paper format and distributed in the Member States. As with
   the software some Member States provide the CN8 free of charge, others
   make a small charge.
   Helps-desks
   In most countries help-desks have been set up to support the software users
   when they make their electronic INTRASTAT declaration and face
   problems. These help-desks are very successful and highly appreciated by
   the declarants.
   In some countries the software help-desks are integrated, or at least
   cooperate, with the Intrastat help-desks.
   Eurostat has also established a help-desk with the aim of supporting the
   national administrations when serious problems arise. This service has
   proved to be very valuable and is an efficient way of collecting, recording
   and solving software problems.
   Promotion
   Promotion campaigns for the software have been conducted at a national
   level. The rate of success differs from country to country. Most countries
   have been reluctant to promote IDEP on a large scale because, until
   recently, the product hasn't been stable enough and/or the Member States
   have not been ready to launch the package. Some countries have also
   offered training courses for new users of the electronic forms.
   Communication
   Regular communication in the form of, for instance, a newsletter, has not
   been widely used due to high postal costs except in countries with a
   relatively low number of users.
2. National administrations' and Eurostat actions
   These actions have primarily focused on software development, the setting
   up of statistical processing systems and the upgrade of equipment.
   Registers
   A great deal of effort has been devoted to establishing comprehensive
   INTRASTAT registers in the Member States, i.e. records of the enterprises
   performing EU trade. The register plays an important role, facilitating the
   communication flow with the enterprises, and indicating, for instance, IDEP,
   CBS-IRIS, IDEP-INE users. The general experience is that maintenance is
   difficult, in the sense that the completeness and correctness of the register
   can be somewhat uncertain. In addition, maintenance is a heavy workload.
   Processing systems
   The national administrations have developed their own INTRASTAT
   routines for validation and processing of declarations including
                                     11
 ---pagebreak--- telecommunications. Individual solutions are, for example, also seen for
reminders. Some Member States have installed network systems facilitating
the communication between the administrations.
However, uniform functionality cannot be used due to national variations,
thereby limiting harmonisation.
Disk/fax
The experience with disk/fax systems, which are installed in the majority of
Member States, has generally been good. These systems have been
developed as standard, stand-alone systems, i.e. they are not at the moment
integrated with the register of enterprises. Fax returns to the enterprises
therefore concern only diskette reading problems at the moment, not
acknowledgments or reminders.
OCR
Other systems for data capture have been installed, providing valuable
experience. For instance, diskette copy boxes, OCR and scanner systems.
IDEP, CN8, COMEXT
At Eurostat level, major progress has been made. The development of IDEP
has already been mentioned.
The maintenance of CN8 now takes place in a new text handling system
thereby improving the chances of timely deliveries to the Member States.
Prior delays have now been reduced. However, at Member State level, the
printing of the CN8 is a considerable task as is the following distribution.
COMEXT can now be accessed in an open database system and
complementary to this, extracts are available on the COMEXT CD-ROM.
Other actions
In a few Member States the idea of sending trade statistics to the enterprises
in return for their INTRASTAT declarations is being examined. Behind this
initiative lies the hope of improved motivation by the companies in supplying
timely, exhaustive and correct monthly declarations.
The recruitment of staff in the Member States for INTRASTAT and
EDICOM has not been an easy task. Special attention has also been given to
the training and education of the personnel.
Furthermore, a necessary upgrade of equipment has taken place in several
Member States.
 Quality improvement a must
Many efforts have been devoted to examining the quality problems in
 INTRASTAT, which are also reflected in EDICOM (garbage in = garbage
 out). Individual studies have been made as well as common actions. There
 are no immediate signs that the problems will disappear quickly, although
 substantial improvements have already been Made.
 The genera! quality of trade &t;4ii »(.«<•'* i* still *>* ' satisfactory, influenced by a
 large proportion of non-response, pertir! dect'rations, errors in commodity
 codes etc.
                                   12
 ---pagebreak---           To improve the situation the national administrations have put a lot of effort
          into making INTRASTAT statistics reliable, timely and accurate. In the
          coming years these efforts will continue and may even have to be intensified.
   3.     Standards for exchange of data
          The Experts' Group finds that there is widespread use of EDIFACT
          messages, e.g. CUSDEC/INSTAT and CUSRES/INSRES.
          Other EDI standards are also used ,e.g. X.400 lines.
          It seems that teleprocessing is in an elementary phase, however expanding.
          Experience also shows that attempts to introduce advanced
          telecommunication solutions have not been successful partly because few
          enterprises are linked to VANs and possess the know-how. Another
          restriction is the relatively high costs of VAN connections, which are rarely
          used, or established solely for statistical declarations. Simple solutions have
          proved to be the right choice to start with ("crawl then walk" solutions).
          The national administrations have, from the start, announced certain
          standard file formats for INTRASTAT EDI-declarations, and a Community
          paper standard format has been introduced, which was even prepared for
          OCR.
          The national administrations have made agreements with software suppliers
          and network owners to ensure implementation of uniform standards.
7. CONCLUSIONS
   Since the introduction of the INTRASTAT system, there have been many
   achievements in the field of EDICOM developments.
   Considering the conditions and the length of time that the project has been
   running, the Experts' Group finds that the EDICOM project has been
   implemented, and that the experiences and results achieved have given value for
   money.
   Valuable projects have been started, some have been finished and others still run
   and have to be continued.
   It has been demonstrated that:
   • the IDEP, CBS-IRIS, IDEP-INE software is now stabilized and ready for full
       scale promotion and wider use,
   • telecom solutions are expanding, but must not be forced,
   • a satisfactory number of enterprises use EDI declarations,
   ® the opportunity to modernize equipment at national and Eurostat level brings
       the administrations more in-line technically,
   © the Intrastat problems known are handled but far from solved, and new
       problems are expected to arise
   The value for money argument can also be put this way: if the EDICOM initiatives
   were to be stopped now and no new versions of IDEP, CBS-IRIS, IDEP-INE
   were developed, no new CN8 available, no help-desk assistance was to be given
   etc., the Intrastat system would meet even more serious problems.
                                             13
 ---pagebreak--- 8. PRIORITIES, AIMS AND BUDGETTARY NEEDS FOR 1996-1998.
   The Experts' Group recommend the continuation of EDICOM with the following
   priorities and aims for 1996, 1997 and 1998. An indication of the annual
   budgetary needs is also given.
   • Continue and intensify promotion of the use of electronic forms (software
      packages) developed by the national administrations or Eurostat. 2Vi million
      ECU,
   • follow developments of hardware and software to recognize the need for
      amendments or renewal of equipment or programmes, e.g. EDIFACT
      translators, disk/fax systems, Windows 95. 2Vz million ECU,
   • follow developments on telematic networks and tele-transmission and adapt
      systems to these, e.g. use of Internet to send CN8, thresholds, and other
      messages to the enterprises. 2 million ECU,
   • continue and strengthen the existing data-communication initiatives. 1 million
      ECU,
   • examine the dissemination of statistics as a means of motivation for the
      enterprises providing Intrastat declarations. 1 million ECU,
   • continue and improve the quality and availability of trade statistics. 2 million
      ECU.
   For organisation, follow-up, meetings and other overheads an annual amount of 1
   million ECU is reserved.
   However, the amounts may vary for the priorities in the course of the 3 years.
   According to this an annual total amount of 12 million ECU is needed,
   accumulating to a total of 36 million ECU for the 3 year period.
   The experts' group also finds that the conclusions from the seminar about
   INTRASTAT in March 1996, may influence the priorities and aims listed and
   make a revision necessary. This may even influence the budgetary needs.
                                           14
 ---pagebreak---                               Financial statement
1.   TITLE OF OPERATION
               Proposal for a Council Decision on inter-administration telematic networks
               for statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States
              (Edicom).
2.   BUDGET HEADINGS INVOLVED
               1996 budget - Article B5-721 IDA (networks for the interchange of data
              between administrations).
               1997 preliminary draft budget - Heading B5-7211 - Networks for
               intra-Community statistics (Edicom).
3.   LEGAL BASIS
               Article 129 D, third paragraph, of the Treaty.
4.   DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION
4.1. General objective of operation
     The aim of this operation is to introduce a computerized and telematic infrastructure
     based on a trans-European network interconnecting the national and Community
     statistical systems and to which businesses also have access.
     The telematic network will not only perform the standard functions of transporting
     information but will also offer general telematic services such as service bureau,
     information dissemination hosts, messaging services, etc.
     The Community and National Statistical Systems cover the data processing
     infrastructures, in terms of both software and hardware, required by the collection
     centres, the national authorities responsible and Eurostat for the processing of the
     statistical information collected and disseminated. All these Community and
     national systems will have to be harmonized and interconnected in order to cope
     with the internal market and in particular to meet its requirements of
     interoperability.
     Access to the telematic network will be available to businesses via telematic forms
     and publications. In addition, the data processing systems of businesses will be able
     to connect directly to the network on condition that they comply with its standards
     of information structure (Edifact, etc.) and communication protocols and provide
     prior evidence that they do so.
4.2  Period covered and arrangements for renewal or extension
                                               45
 ---pagebreak---         Multiannuai operation (1996-2000), as there is an ongoing demand for
        statistical information (continuation of an operation which began in 1994).
5. CLASSIFICATION OF THE EXPENDITURE OR REVENUE
   5.1. Non-compulsory expenditure
   5.2. Differentiated/non-differentiated appropriations
   5.3. Type of revenue involved:
        Sale of statistics, partly covering the production of publications.
6. TYPE OF EXPENDITURE OR REVENUE
        The Community budget contribution accounts for only a small percentage
        (in the region of 5%) of die actual cost of collecting the data, since the
        Community's statistical activities are largely carried out by the Member
        States. However, some expenditure is essential to encourage the
        standardization of data collection, processing and transmission to Eurostat.
        Subsidy for joint financing with other sources in the public and/or
        private sector
        NO
        Interest subsidies
        NO
         Other
        NONE
         Should the initiative prove a financial success, is there provision for all
         or part of the community contribution to be reimbursed?
         NO
         Will the proposed operation cause any change in the level of revenue?
         Indirectiy. The results of the statistical work on indicators of own resources
         (GNP, VAT, customs duties) may be used to re-assess the general level of
         the budget.
                                          4
 ---pagebreak---         Re-use
        This expenditure may generate income which may be re-used. The income
        which may be re-used is estimated at ECU 100 000 per year.
7. FINANCIAL IMPACT
   7.1. Method of calculating the total cost of the operation
        Point 9.2 gives a breakdown of the operation. The attached experts' report
        provides a breakdown of the costs.
        These costs have been based on the implementation of the programme in
        1994 and 1995, the prospects for further development (in particular the
        number of users of electronic forms and the number of Intrastat returns via
        telecommunications) and the processing costs incurred by the competent
        national authorities.
        In the amounts shown for the period in question, the part devoted to
        development decreases while the costs of training, back-up, assistance and
        maintenance increase in proportion to the extension of the system.
        The total cost of the programme is broken down as follows:
                                                         1996     1997     3 years
                                                                          1998-2000
         OPERATING APPROPRIATIONS:                           6       10          30
         B5/7
         of which: contribution to the official              3        5          15
                     public Statistical Institutes of
                     the Member States
                     Provision of services to                 3       5          15
                     research institutes and private
                     firms
                                        4?
 ---pagebreak---        7.2.      Breakdown by programme component (ECU million)
                                                                            97       98      99    2000    2001
                  BREAKDOWN BY ACTIVITY
                   I.   Systems for reporting data and returning data     3.5     4.0      4.0       4.5    17.5
                        to businesses
                        Electronic forms
                   II.  National and Community Statistical Systems        4.5     4.0      4.0       4.0    18.5
                        Introduction of telematic services
                   HI.  International standardisation                     1.0      1.0     1.0        1.0   5.0
                   IV.  Promotion/Training/Back-up/                       1.0      1.0     1.0        1.0   5.0
                        Supervision/Coordination
                   TOTAL                                                   10.0    10.0     10.0     10.5  46.0
       7.3.      Schedule to be completed for multiannual operations accompanied by
                 amount deemed necessary
                                                                      Commitment appropriations in ECU million
                                             1996        1997      1998       1999      2000     Later    Total
                                                                                                 years
                  Commitment                     6.0       10.0       10.0      10.0      10.0     -        46.0
                  appropriations
                  Payment
                  appropriations
                  1996                           3.6        2.4                                               6.0
                  1997                                      6.0        4.0                                   10.0
                  1998                                                 6.0       4.0                         10.0
                  1999                                                           6.0       4.0               10.0
                  2000                                                                     6.0       4.0     10.0
                  Later years
                  Total                          3.6        8.4       10.0      10.0      10.0        4.0    46.0
8. FRAUD-PREVENTION MEASURES; RESULTS OF MEASURES TAKEN
   Statistical information is considered an objective means of assessing Community action
      programmes and thus helps to consolidate anti-fraud measures.
                                                        4
 ---pagebreak--- 9. COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS
   9.1    Specific and quantified objectives; target population
          The objectives are linked to the provisions of the Treaty on European Union relating
        to the completion of the internal market and to trans-European telematic networks.
          This beneficiaries of this operation are: the Community institutions, the governments
        of the Member States, businesses, economic and social decision-makers in the
        Member States, research institutes, universities and the media.
          The activities planned for 1996-2000 have four main objectives:
          - to increase the effectiveness of data collection and dissemination by national and
                  Community statistical organisations through the establishment of a European
                  infrastructure to even out the structural differences between the Member
                  States in the level of development of their data processing and statistical
                  systems;
          - to lighten the burden on businesses in making statistical returns and achieving
                  harmonisation at European level, while improving the circulation of statistical
                  information and thereby creating a genuine European information market
                  based on the devolution of appropriate activities to the Member States;
          - to obtain the comparable, harmonized and up-to-date statistical data required to
                  supervise and monitor the policies associated with the internal market,
                  particularly within the context of trade policy, obtain new statistics by product
                  (Prodcom) at lower cost, and link up with intra-Community trade statistics
                  (Intrastat), leading to a better assessment of the competitiveness of businesses
                  and improved market transparency;
          - to promote the use of harmonized standards and concepts at European level,
                  eventually putting an end to the duplication of similar activities and
                  introducing economies of scale, while at the same time promoting the
                  emergence of new markets in the field of statistical telematics.
9.2.      GROUNDS FOR THE OPERATION
   This operation covers all the tasks of design, development and implementation of the
       telematic network or promotion, training, back-up, supervision and coordination in
       relation to all the parties involved. It will benefit from the general and multi sectoral
       work undertaken under the IDA programme and will concentrate on developing the
       statistical component of these projects.
                                                    /«
 ---pagebreak--- 1.  System for declaring information and returning it to businesses: electronic
             forms and dissemination
    The main aim is to collect statistical information directly from those with an
   obligation to provide it, and to return it to them as soon as possible.
     Four activities are planned:
     1.          providing electronic forms:
       a)        development
       b)        dissemination.
     2.          incorporation of derived statistical declaration modules into commercial
             management software packages.
     3.          dissemination of electronic publications:
       a)        development
       b)        dissemination
     4.          making the telematic services available to those with an obligation to
             provide statistical information for their declarations by EDI.
EL   Community and national statistical systems: Adaptation to the rules of the
              internal market and to its requirements for interoperability.
     The telematic service, accompanied by all its advantages for, in particular, those
   responsible for providing statistical information, cannot be introduced without
   adapting and harmonizing the Community and national statistical systems to cope
   with the requirements of the internal market.
     There are basically two such requirements: a) new regulations or amendments must
   be incorporated into the Community and national statistical systems; b) the
   Community and national statistical services must be interoperable.
     The purpose of all developments is to harmonize the Community and national
    statistical systems and to create synergies.
     The following operations are planned:
      1.          Incorporation of amendments to regulations in the systems.
      2.          Creating an interface between the systems and the collection points.
      3.          Adding telematic dissemination hosts to the databases.
                                               O2Q
 ---pagebreak---        4.        Interconnection of the systems to the telematic service.
III. European and international standards: international standardization.
      The interoperability of the computer applications of the various parties concerned
     (those with an obligation to provide statistical information, national authorities,
     Eurostat and users of statistics) is based mainly on the application of a corpus of
     standards some of which are still far from fully defined, particularly with regard to
     the structure of the interchanged data, protocols for electronic data interchange, and
     security and confidentiality procedures.
       All this standardization work will have a European application while at the same
     timefittinginto international standardization processes.
       This standardization is essential at all levels of development for introducing the
     telematic network and, as such, is an associated horizontal activity. It involves the
     standardization of the following:
       1.        flows of statistical data (Edifact);
       2.        the EDI transmission system for statistical flows;
       3.        procedures for computer and telematic security, electronic signature and
              protection of confidential data.
IV. Promotion, training, back-up, quality control and coordination
       These activities are horizontal in relation to all those described above. They are
     vitally important for the success of the project and its operational continuation:
        1.       the regulations: awareness/training of the parties responsible for providing
              information;
       2.        checking the returns;
       3.        telematic services: awareness, training and back-up for the parties
              responsible for providing information;
       4.         the products: awareness/training/backrup for economic operators;
       5.         products and services: quality control and monitoring their compliance
              with the standards;
       6.         coordinating the activities of all those involved.
9.2.1 Cost:
        -The Member States are mainly responsible for financing this operation (point
               6.1.), since they have well-established collection and processing facilities. If
               the Commission were to finance this programme in its entirety, the costs
               would be extremely high and the results less reliable.
                                                    *i
 ---pagebreak---       - Given die very large number of units concerned, the development of new statistics
             and the introduction of a European network of data on businesses in particular
             will mean that for the Intrastat project alone about 500 000 businesses will
             have to thoroughly revise their traditional collection channels so as to
             guarantee the interoperability of the structures selected.
      - The bulk of the costs are operating costs (equipment, staff, etc.), in proportion to
             the number of components at the various levels - businesses, regional centres,
             national institutes and Eurostat. They are met primarily by the Member
             States.
9.2.2 Spin-off effects:
      - The improvement of statistical information and its dissemination facilitates the
             work necessary for implementing Community policies (on trade, competition,
             own resources, tariff statistics, agricultural levies, etc.).
      - The responsibility and concerted mobilisation of the various participants in this
             highly devolved European structure will help to create the European statistical
             area.
      - The operation encourages rather than competes against the private sector. The
             principle is to provide a set of products to be incorporated into the range
             offered by private businesses, which will thereby be required to meet
             minimum quality standards.
9.2.3 Multiplier effects:
       - The planned programme is an encouragement to mobilize the budgets of the
              national statistical systems and to emulate and transfer experience and systems
              between Member States.
       - Trade associations and other bodies representing businesses, research institutes and
              universities will have easier access to the data necessary for socio-economic
              studies and analyses.
9.2.4 Need for the operation:
       - The data collection, processing and dissemination systems at European level for
              statistics on trade, industry and the regions are designed as distributed
              database architectures. This approach provides a greater wealth of databases
              at national or even regional level, helps avoid the duplication of data and
              systems and, thanks to the interoperability of these databases, presents new
              possibilities for compiling statistics and disseminating them to a wider public.
                                               3JL
 ---pagebreak---      - The activities carried out at Community level aim to ensure that tiiese networks
           run smoothly by minimising the effects of die differences in die level of
           development of the national systems, promoting synergies and exchanges
           between national authorities, developing modules which are common to the
           different national systems (economies of scale) along with the interfaces
           required to ensure interoperability between the national systems, and, lastly,
           by coordinating all the work.
     - As with the collection of basic data from businesses, once the regulatory
           framework for these systems has been adopted, the aim of the Community
           activities will be either to encourage the wider use of national software or to
           develop software promoting the use of telematics in order to reduce the
           burden on businesses in making statistical returns.
9.3. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF THE OPERATION
     Performance indicators:
       The performance indicators adopted to assess the progress of work are:
       For type I operations (see 9.2)
                        Number of Member States using Intrastat electronic forms and/or
                            electronic dissemination.
                        Number of businesses per Member State using Intrastat electronic
                             forms and/or electronic dissemination.
                        Percentage of Intrastat returns on magnetic and/or telematic
                             medium in relation to the total number of returns.
                      For type II operations
                      - Time taken to transmit data from the competent national authorities
                              to Eurostat.
                      - Number of errors detected in the data.
                      For type HI operations
                      - Number of Edifact messages (CUSDEC/INSTAT etc.)
                                             23
 ---pagebreak---                      For type IV operations
                     - Number of training seminars held for businesses and number of
                           persons concerned.
                    - Number and frequency of assistance and back-up measures at
                           national level.
Details and frequency of planned evaluations
                 The implementation of the programme will be monitored by the Task
                 Force made up of representatives of the Member States and Eurostat, to
                 be set up by the Committee on statistics relating to the trading of goods
                 between Member States with responsibility for supervising the Edicom
                 programme and assisting the Commission in managing it.
                 Lastly, the implementation of the programme will be monitored by
                 committees:
                 a) Statistical Programme Committee (Council Decision 89/382/EEC
                           of 19 June 1989), made up of the Presidents and Directors-
                           General of the National Statistical Institutes;
                 b) Committee on statistics relating to the trading of goods between
                           Member States (Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91 of 7
                           November 1991), made UP of representatives of the national
                           authorities responsible for trade statistics.
                 For each performance indicator, the figures for the objectives have been
                 calculated on an annual basis and are being monitored as part of the
                 corporate planning exercise being carried out in Eurostat.            The
                 evaluation will be carried out by the Edicom Task Force and presented
                 to the Intrastat Committee.
                 The evaluation reports on the national measures will be drawn up in
                 accordance with the contracts concluded with other national authorities,
                  in which, inter alia, the timetable and practical arrangements for the
                 work are laid down.
                                           ss
 ---pagebreak---                      At Community level, interim and final evaluations reports will be drawn
                     up by Eurostat and submitted to the Intrastat Committee for approval
                      and will give a comparative cost-benefit analysis for each measure.
                     9.4. Consistency with the financial programming
                         Is the operation included in the DG's financial programming for
                        the years in question?
                          YES:       This operation, which was initially the subject of a Council
                                 Decision, was extended in 1994, 1995 and 19% with
                                 appropriations under Chapter B5 72.
                          To which broader objective defined in the DG's financial
                        programming does the objective of the proposed operation
                        correspond?
                          Single general objective represented by the implementation of the
                         1993-1997 Statistical Programme of the European Community.
10.         ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE (PART A OF THE BUDGET)
  The effective mobilisation of the necessary administrative resources will result from the
                   Commission's annual decision on the allocation of resources, taking
                   particular account of any additional staff and amounts granted by the
                   budgetary authority.
  10.1                Impact on the number of jobs
         Type of job            Staff to be engaged in                  of which                 period
                               managing the operation
                             Permanent       Temporary   by using existing   by taking on
                             jobs            jobs       staff in the DG or   additional staff
                                                            department
                                                             concerned
  Officials or         A           2                              2
  temporary staff       B          1                              1                           1996 - 2000
                        C          1                              1
  Other staff                                   1FND           1FND                           1996-2000
            Total                  4              1               5
For additional staff, state when they will be required.
                                                    <fe
 ---pagebreak--- 10.2      Overall financial impact of additional staff
                                                                                                (ECU)
                                     Amounts                        Calculation method
Officials
Temporary staff
Other staff
          Total                 1                I
The amounts express the total cost of additional staff for the entire duration of the operation if the period is fixed
 and for 12 months if it is not.
Costs of staff for managing the operation to be covered by existing resources are estimated at:
- officials (headings Al, A2, A4 and A5):               ECU 4 0 0 0 0 0 x 5 =    2000000
  seconded national officials (A-1520):                 ECU 4 6 0 0 0 x 5 =       230000
                                         Total:                                  2 230 000
          10.3   Increase in other operating expenditure incurred in the operation
                                                                                                (ECU)
         Budget heading              Amounts                        Calculation method
          (N° and title)
          Total                 1                1
                 The amounts correspond to the total expenditure of the operation if its duration is fixed and for
                 12 months if it is not.
                 The cost of the meetings of the two committees provided for in Article 5 of the
                 draft Council Decision, to be charged to heading A-2510 "Expenditure on meetings
                 of committees whose consultation is compulsory in the procedure for drafting
                 Community legislation", is estimated at:
                 3 meetings per year x ECU 15 000 = ECU 45 0 0 0 x 5 = ECU 225 000
                 The necessary resources will be mobilized by redirecting existing resources.
                                               x
 ---pagebreak---                                IMPACT ASSESSMENT FORM
      THE IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL ON BUSINESS, WITH SPECIAL
    REFERENCE TO SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES (SMEs)
Title of proposal:       Council Decision on inter-administration telematic networks for
                         statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States
                         (Edicom)
The proposal
1.      This proposal follows the decision by the Court of Justice to annul Council Decision
        94/445/EC on Edicom solely on the grounds that it had an inappropriate legal basis.
        In terms of its content, tliis proposal is identical to the above Decision and does not
        place any new obligations on businesses.
        For the record, the purpose of this measure is to support the application of the
        Intrastat Regulation as regards the collection, processing and dissemination of
        statistics on the trading of goods between Member States by means of increased use
        of telematic networks and by promoting the exchange of data between businesses
        and national and Community administrations.
        On the basis of this Europe-wide measure, it is possible to increase the level of
        harmonization of data and procedures by using standardized electronic forms and to
        reduce the volume of statistical returns which businesses are required to make. The
        economies of scale achieved by these operations justify Community legislation.
The impact on business
2.      This proposal will affect all businesses responsible for providing statistical
         information on the trading of goods between Member States (Intrastat), i.e. those
         which engage in intra-Community trade and generate turnover in excess of
         thresholds set for each Member State (currently a total of 450 000 European
         businesses).
3.       By using the telematic networks and tools made available to them, businesses will
         not have to use the forms provided for in the Intrastat regulations.
         By means of a system of thresholds, these Intrastat regulations already exempt
         two-thirds of businesses from the obligation to make returns, and furthermore these
         returns are far simpler than those which applied before the introduction of the
         internal market.
         The national authorities make telematic tools available free of charge and provide
         training, back-up and assistance for businesses, which are thus able to use these
         facilities without taking any special measures.
                                               &
 ---pagebreak---       The proposal encourages the emergence of new products for incorporating or
      deriving statistical messages into commercial software packages and thus promotes
      the development of this commercial sector.
      Making the operations involved in statistical returns easier and reducing the
      resulting workload will have a positive effect on industrial competitiveness and,
      indirectly, on employment since more resources can then be devoted to production
      proper.
      As mentioned above, the Intrastat regulations have already established a threshold
      system whereby either small firms will not have to make any returns at all or
      simplified returns can be made via electronic forms specially designed to be easier
       for small and medium-sized enterprises to use.
Consultation
       A Europe-wide survey, carried out at the end of 1995, of a sample of 5 000
       businesses reflecting the industrial structure of each country and including a large
       proportion of SMEs responsible for providing information and 2 000 users was the
       occasion for consulting a wide range of businesses and all trade federations.
       An Intrastat seminar attended by over 400 people from various backgrounds
       (administrations, federations, SMEs, etc.) was held on 13 and 14 March 1996. The
       point of view of businesses was put forward during the proceedings - a record of
       which will appear as an official publication - by speakers from various bodies
       (UNICE, UEAPME, federations, etc.).
       The results of this survey and the conclusions of the seminar show that there is a
       consensus regarding the extension of the Edicom programme and the development
       of all measures to promote the use of telematic tools.
                                               «
 ---pagebreak---  ---pagebreak---                                                                   ISSN 0254-1475
                                                           COM(96) 319 final
                                              DOCUMENTS
EN                                                                      17   15
                                    Catalogue number : CB-CO-96-326-EN-C
                                                             ISBN 92-78-05963-3
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
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