CELEX: 51995PC0287
Language: sv
Date: 1995-06-27
Title: Draft COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) on statistics on the structure and distribution of earnings

EUROPEISKA GEMENSKAPERNAS KOMMISSION

                                  Bryssel den 27 06.1995
                                  KOM(95) 287 sluilig

                                   95/0171(CNS)

                    Utkast till

         RÅDETS FÖRORDNING (EG)

om statistik över inkomsters struktur och fördelning

         (Föreslaget av Kommissionen\
 ---pagebreak---  ---pagebreak---                        EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.   In order to carry out its tasks in the field of economic and social affairs,
     particularly with regard to employment and working conditions, the Commission
     needs to have at its disposal comparable data on the distribution and structure of
     earnings jn the European Union. This is why, pursuant to Council Regulations,
     four Community surveys directly relating to this matter were carried out between
     1966 and 1978 in the areas of industry, commerce, banking and insurance. The
     results of these surveys, which were published by Eurostat, were very much
     appreciated by the departments within the Commission, the national governments,
     the economic and social sectors and researchers, and served as a basis for labour-
     market analyses.

2.   Despite the fact that various factors - the main one being the considerable burden
     on the national statistical offices - meant that these surveys were discontinued at
     Community level, some Member States nevertheless continued to carry out
     surveys of this kind. There is still a current need for such data. Various
     departments in the Commission have pointed out to Eurostat the need to have
     information available on the structure and distribution of earnings at European
     level. In response to the proposal made by Eurostat, all Member States gave their
     backing to a survey on the structure of earnings based on accounting data for
     1995.

3.   In line with the decisions taken at the Essen summit, the Member States of the
     European Union have taken measures to put in place various action programmes
     concerning in particular, labour-market flexibility, job-creation and fighting
     unemployment. In order to set out more clearly the context in which these policies
     are being implemented and to provide the means for a follow-up to the national
     employment programmes, the departments of the Commission will in the coming
     years need to have statistical information available on the various aspects of
     earnings.

4.   In keeping with the principle of subsidiarity, responsibility for the overall planning
     of a survey on the structure of earnings at EU level is shared between the
     Commission and the Member States. The aim is to achieve harmonization of
     concepts and classifications in the data collected, and to identify the information
     required by the principal users, i.e. Community institutions, national governments,
     regional and local authorities, international organizations, employers' associations,
     trade unions and research bodies. The actual collection of data and the methods
     used to do this are the responsibility of the Member States.
 ---pagebreak--- 5.   It is not intended that all businesses be covered as part öf an exhaustive survey,
     but rather that a representative sample be taken. Accordingly, in countries, with
     sufficient sources of statistical data, especially data gathered by public authorities,
     it will acceptable for such data to be used (or possibly set out in a simplified form
     on questionnaires), provided that this approach is compatible with the definitions
     and methodology being used and meets all requirements concerning variables.

6.   The legal basis for the survey ensures that a common set of variables will be
     available which have been collected and processed using harmonized classification
     systems and methodology. Legislation in this field has proved necessary becauSe
     the proposed survey extends beyond the scope of existing national surveys.
     Legislation at EU level is thus necessary both for carrying out the survey and for
     the required adjustments to be made to national laws.

7.   The basic aim of statistics on the structure of earnings is to bring out the
     relationship, in statistical terms, between earnings and certain characteristics of
     wage-earners (sex, level of education, professional qualifications, age, type of
     employment contract, length of service, etc.) and of the business or kind-of-
     activity unit employing them (economic activity, size, region, etc.). In addition,
     these statistics provide information on the distribution of individual earnings and
     on differences in earnings between the various categories of wage-earner; they also
     help to establish the extent to which differences in earnings levels between
     different economic activities and different countries are attributable to differences
     in the structure of the workforce. Finally, these statistics play a key role in
     Eurostat's system of statistics in that they provide a means of assessing the degree
     of comparability of harmonized earnings data and serve as a basis for the possible
     use of weightings in other surveys.

8.   The main aim of compiling statistics on the structure of earnings is to provide
     comparable good-quality information on all EU Member States. There is currently
     a lack of such data, even though they are indispensable for defining and assessing
     the effect of social policies and measures on the labour market at both national and
     EU level. For example, the lack of comparable data on the structure of earnings
     makes it difficult to assess employment policies aimed at various categories of
     employee in the EU, such as young people.

9.   The Commission has been behind a number of initiatives aimed at combatting
     discrimination as regards earnings, in particular the Directive on equal treatment
     between »men and women and the Commission Opinion on an equitable wage,
     which was presented in September 1993. In this Opinion, the Commission
     considered that appropriate measures had to be taken to improve the quality of
     information available at Community level with respect to the structure of earnings.
     As regards the matter of equal pay for men and women, it was important to carry
     out comparisons in terms of the individual characteristics of the individuals
     concerned (e.g. profession, similar areas of activity and lengths of service).
 ---pagebreak--- 10.   Following the adoption by the Member States of a Community Charter of
      Fundamental Social Rights of Workers, the Commission presented a number of
      initiatives, some of which related to employment contracts and measures to
      combat distortion of competition. The reasons for these measures and the follow-
      up work on the impact of this legislation make it necessary to have better
      monitoring of developments as regards earnings, particularly in relation to the
      nature of employment contracts and hours worked.

11.   The initial surveys which were carried out looked only at industry; subsequent
      surveys also covered wholesale and retail trade, banking and insurance. However,
      the increase in jobs in the services sector means that it too must be better covered
      by statistical surveys. The attention which the White Paper gives to the services
      and tourism sectors as sources of new jobs also serves to confirm this. This is why
      Eurostat proposed that the scope of the survey be extended to cover all economic
      activity. Such blanket coverage has, however, proved extremely difficult for some
      Member States. Therefore, the following sections of NACE Rev. 1, which are
      referred to in the draft Regulation, have been declared priority areas for those
      countries unable to carry out surveys covering the entire economy: C to E (all
      industries), F (construction), G (commerce), H (hotels and restaurants), I
      (transport and telecommunications), J (finance) and K (real estate, letting and
      leasing and business services). This choice of areas takes account of the
      Commission's current priorities as regards the compilation of statistics on the
      services sector. While covering the traditional aspects of earnings in the same way
      as in the past, the new survey which is proposed will also cover some aspects for
      the first time, such as type of employment contract, level of education, existence of
      collective agreements, etc.

12.   The "Earnings Statistics" working party has urged that a decision giving the go-
      ahead for this statistical information to be gathered be taken as quickly as possible
      in order to allow the businesses and local units to be included in the sample to
      make the necessary arrangements enabling them to respond to the questionnaires
      from 1995 onwards. The Statistical Programme Committee, which met on 1 and 2
      December 1994 in Luxembourg, gave a favourable opinion on this draft
      Regulation.

13.   To this end, the Commission submits the attached draft Regulation for the
      approval of the Council.
 ---pagebreak---                                                UTKAST TILL RÅDETS FÖRORDNING (EG)

om statistik över inkomsters struktur och fördelning

EUROPEISKA UNIONENS RÅD HAR ANTAGIT DENNA FÖRORDNING

med beaktande av Fördraget om upprättandet av Europeiska gemenskapen, särskilt artikel 213
i detta,

med beaktande av kommissionens utkast till förordning, och

med beaktande av följande:

För att kommissionen skall kunna utföra sina uppgifter måste den ha information om
inkomstsituationen och inkomsternas utveckling i Europeiska gemenskapens medlemsstater
med avseen4e på å ena sidan hur inkomsterna varierar med arbetskraftens struktur och å andra
sidan ^ur arbetskraften fördelas efter inkomstnivå.

Europeiska gemenskapens utveckling och den inre marknadens funktion ökar behovet av
jämförbara uppgifter om inkomsternas struktur, i synnerhet för att kunna analysera
utvecklingen mot ekonomisk och social sammanhållning och genomföra tillförlitliga
jämförelser mellan Europeiska gemenskapens olika medlemsstater och regioner.

Den bästa metoden för att granska inkomstemas struktur och fördelning är att genomföra
undersökningar på gemenskapsnivå av inkomstemas struktur med användning av
harmoniserade metoder och definitioner, som det gjordes 1966, 1972, 1974 och 1978 enligt
rådetsförordningar(EEG) nr 188/64, 2395/71, 178/74 och 495/78'.

Mot bakgrund av de förändringar som skett med avseende på arbetskraftens struktur och
inkomstemas fördelning, i synnerhet vad gäller ekonomisk verksamhet, är resultaten av de
tidigare undersökningarna inte längre aktuella och omfattar ej heller alla medlemsstater i
Europeiska gemenskapen.

De uppgifter som för närvarande finns i medlemsstaterna som helhet visar endast ett
genomsnitt och ger därför förmodligen inte någon information om förhållandet mellan
inkomster och lönearbetarens individuella egenskaper (särskilt ålder, kön, yrkestillhörighet,
tjänstgöringstid) eller om inkomstemas spridning.

Statistisk information inom detta område finns endast i vissa medlemsstater och följaktligen
kan giltiga jämförelser inte göras, vilket medför att undersökningarna av inkomstemas struktur
måste genomföras på grundval av gemensamma definitioner och harmoniserade metoder.

I enlighet med subsidiaritetsprincipen är inrättandet av gemensamma statistiska standarder som
möjliggör att harmoniserad information kan tas fram en åtgärd som effektivt endast kan
genomföras på gemenskapsnivå, och denna åtgärd kommer att genomföras i varje medlemsstat
på ansvar av de organ och institutioner som utsetts för att sammanställa officiell statistik.

       Förordning nr 188/64/EEG, EGT nr 214, 24.12.1964, s. 3634/64.
       Förordning (EEG) nr 2395/71, EGT nr L 249, 10.11.1971, s. 52.
       Förordning (EEG) nr 178/74, EGT nr L 21, 25.1.1974, s. 2.
       Förordning (EEG) nr 495/78, EGT nr L 68, 10.3.1978, s. 3.
 ---pagebreak--- Genomförandet av en undersökning av inkomstemas struktur på gemenskapsnivå är en av de
prioriterade åtgärderna enligt det statistiska programmet för perioden 1993-19972.

Det kan godtas att de stater som har administrativa källor eller annat lämpligt statistiskt
material får använda sig av dessa uppgifter eller kanske sammankoppla dem med ett förenklat
frågeformulär, om denna metod är förenlig med godkända definitioner och metoder och
omfattar alla de variabler som krävs.

Den kommitté för ett statistiskt program som inrättats genom rådets beslut 89/382/EEG,
Euratom3 har kommit fram till en slutsats som är förenlig med kommissionens förslag.

HÄRIGENOM FÖRESKRIVS FÖLJANDE.

2
       Rådets beslut nr 93/464/EEG, EGT nr L 219, 28.8.1993, s. 1.
3
       EGT nr L 181,28.6.1989, s. 47.

                                                *s
 ---pagebreak---                                                Artikel 1

                                     Allmänna bestämmelser

Medlemsstaterna skall genomföra statistiska gemenskapsundersökningar över strukturen hos
och fördelningen av inkomsterna för de anställda som är sysselsatta i sådan ekonomisk
verksamhet som definieras i artikel 3.

                                               Artikel 2

                                            Referensperiod

Undersökningen skall genomföras på grundval av statistiska uppgifter för budgetåret 1995 och
en representativ månad i samma budgetår.

                                               Artikel 3

                                  Undersökningens omfattning

Undersökningen skall omfatta alla verksamheter som omfattas av sektionerna C, D, E, F, G,
H, I, J och K enligt den klassificering av näringsgrenar i Europeiska gemenskapen, nedan
kallad "NACE Rev. 1", som inrättats genom rådets förordning (EEG) nr 3037/90 av den 9
oktober 19904 och ändrats genom kommissionensförordning(EEG) nr 761/93 av den 24 mars
19935.

                                               Artikel 4

                                         Undersökningsenheter

Insamling av uppgifter och sammanställning av statistik över inkomsters struktur och
fördelning skall baseras på ett stickprov som tas på vilken som helst av de statistiska enheter
som definieras i rådetsförordning(EEG) nr 696/936 och som ger information om ett stickprov
av anställda i lokala enheter med minst 10 anställda, varvid enheterna klassificerats enligt
storlek och huvudsaklig verksamhet.

       EGT nr L 293, 24.10.1990, s. 1.
       EGT nr L 83, 3.4.1993, s. 1.
       EGT nr L 76, 30.3.1993, s. 1.

                                                U
 ---pagebreak---                                            Artikel 5

                            De insamlade uppgifternas karaktär

Uppgifter skall samlas in om följande:

1.     För den lokala enhet där de som omfattas av stickprovet är anställda:

       Den region där arbetsplatsen är belägen, arbetsplatsens storlek, typ av ekonomisk
       verksamhet enligt NACE Rev 1, arten av finansiell och ekonomisk kontroll enligt
       betydelsen i kommissionens direktiv 80/723/EEG samt arten av gällande kollektivt
       löneavtal.

2.     För varje anställd i stickprovet:

a)    Bruttoinkomster för en komplett löneperiod för referensmånaden, inklusive de olika
       extraersättningar som betalas regelbundet, ytterligare ersättningar för övertid,
      skiftarbete, nattarbete, helgarbete och provisioner. Likaså tas med ersättningar för
       perioder av frånvaro (ledighet eller sjukdom) som i sin helhet betalas av arbetsgivaren
       samt familjebidrag och andra förmåner som fastställts i kollektivavtal eller frivilligt
       inom den lokala enheten. Följande skall anges separat: 1) Totala inkomster avseende
       övertid; 2) Särskilda ersättningar för skiftarbete, nattarbete eller helgarbete.

b)     Årliga bruttoinkomster för det relevanta budgetåret, dvs. bruttoinkomster som de
       definieras i punkt 2 a för ett helt år, plus tillfälliga extraersättningar (som t.ex.
       semesterbonus, en extra månadslön och vinstdelning). Beloppet för de tillfälliga
       extraersättningarna skall anges separat.

c)     Antalet timmar för vilka ersättning utgår eller antalet timmar i en normal arbetsvecka
       eller arbetsmånad för vilken ersättning utgår, antalet betalda övertidstimmar under
       löneperioden och antalet semesterdagar, exklusive allmänna helgdagar per år.

d)     Kön, ålder och yrke enligt internationella standarden för klassificering av yrken, nedan
       kallad ISCO-88 (COM), utbildningsnivå, tjänstgöringstid i företaget, arbetsvillkor, dvs.
       heltid eller deltid och typ av anställningskontrakt.

                                           Artikel 6

                                    Insamling av uppgifter

1.     Undersökningen skall genomföras via medlemsstatemas behöriga statistikorgan, vilka
       skall utarbeta lämpliga metoder för insamling av uppgifterna.

2.     För vissa uppgifter som t.ex. utbildningsnivå och typ av anställningskontrakt får
       medlemsstaterna genomföra efterföljande undersökningar av en del av det stickprov
       som tagits för den huvudsakliga undersökningen.

                                             %7
 ---pagebreak--- 3.     De personer som uppmanas ge information skall besvara frågorna sanningsenligt,
       fullständigt och inom deföreskrivnatidsfristerna. Medlemsstaterna skall vidta lämpliga
       åtgärder för attförhindraöverträdelser av skyldigheten att ge de uppgifter som avses i
       artikel 5.

4.     Undersökningen behöver inte genomföras om medlemsstaterna har information från
       andra lämpliga källor som är åtminstone likvärdig vad gäller noggrannhet, kvalitet och
       den tid som undersökningen skall omfatta.

5.     På begäran skall medlemsstaterna till kommissionen (Eurostat) översända alla
       uppgifter, särskilt vad gäller metoder, som behövs för att den^a-föwfäning skall kunna
       tillämpas.                                     ^ * - ***"

                                               Artikel 7

                                           Representativitet

Tillförlitlighet och jämförbarhet på en hög kvalitetsnivå skall uppnås genom att man använder
stickprov av en omfattning som innebär att det relativa standardfelet för den rörliga
genomsnittliga bruttotimlönen för en sektion eller undersektion, om en sådan finns, av NACE
Rev 1 på NUTS-1-nivå inte överskrider 3 %.

                                               Artikel 8

                                    Bearbetning av resultaten

Medlemsstatemas statistikorgan skall bearbeta svaren till frågeformulären (artikel 6.3) eller
uppgifterna från andra källor (artikel 6.4) så att jämförbara resultat uppnås.

                                               Artikel 9

                                        Överföring av resultaten

Resultaten skall meddelas senast 18 månader från utgången av referensperiodens kalenderår,
inklusive de uppgifter som medlemsstaterna förklarat som sekretessbelagda enligt inhemsk
lagstiftning eller praxis rörande sekretessbeläggning av statistiska uppgifter, i enlighet med
bestämmelserna i rådets förordning (EEG, Euratom) nr 1588/90 av den 11 juni 19907 om
överföring av uppgifter som är föremål för statistisk sekretess till Europeiska gemenskapemas
statistikkontor.

       EGT nr L 151, 15.6.1990, s. 1.
 ---pagebreak---                                            Artikel 10

                                          Kommitté

Tillämpningsföreskrifterna för dennaförordning,särskilt vad gäller
                 e definitioner som skall användas,
                 oggrannhet och kvalitetsregler,
                 ivåema på den uppdelning som skall göras av variablerna,
                 en form i vilken uppgifterna skall överföras, och
                 en lista på tabeller som skall spridas,
skall fastställas av kommissionen efter samråd med den kommitté för ett statistiskt program
som inrättats genom rådets beslut 89/382/EEG, Euratom8 i enlighet med det förfarande som
föreskrivs i artikel 11.

                                           Artikel 11

                                          Förfarande

1.     Kommissionens företrädare skall förelägga kommittén ett förslag till åtgärder.
       Kommittén skall yttra sig överförslagetinom den tid som ordföranden bestämmer med
       hänsyn till hur brådskande frågan är. Den skall fatta sitt beslut med den majoritet som
       enligt artikel 148.2 i fördraget skall tillämpas vid beslut som rådet skall fatta på förslag
       av kommissionen, varvid medlemsstaternas röster skall vägas enligt fördragets artikel
       148.2. Ordföranden får inte rösta.

2.     Kommissionen skall besluta med omedelbar verkan. Om beslutet inte är förenligt med
       kommitténs yttrande skall kommissionen emellertid genast underrätta rådet. I sådana
       fall får kommissionen uppskjuta verkställandet av de beslutade åtgärderna under en tid
       som inte överstiger en månad från dagen då rådet underrättats.

Rådet får med kvalificerad majoritet fatta ett annat beslut inom den tid som anges i föregående
stycke.

                                           Artikel 12

                                        Ikraftträdande

Denna förordning träder i kraft den tjugonde dagen efter det att den har offentliggjorts i
Europeiska gemenskapernas officiella tidning.

Dennaförordningär till alla delar bindande och direkt tillämplig i alla medlemsstater.

8
       EGT nr L 181,28.6.1989, s. 47.

                                             n
 ---pagebreak---                                             BILAGA

                            SÄRSKILDA BESTÄMMELSER

I.    Undantag från bestämmelserna om undersökningens omfattning

1.    För Tyskland: sektionerna H, I, avdelning 67 i J-sektionen och K.

2.    För Grekland: sektionerna F och K.

3.    För Irland: sektionerna I, J och K.

II.   Undantag från bestämmelserna om referensperiod

1.    För Frankrike: budgetåret 1994 och en representativ månad i samma budgetår.

2.    För Österrike: budgetåret 1996 och en representativ månad i samma budgetår.

DI.   Utförligare uppgifter

Medlemsstaterna får föreskriva att det skall ges in utförligare uppgifter, t.ex. att
undersökningen skall omfatta andra sektioner i NACE Rev. 1 eller att den skall omfatta
enheter med mindre än 10 anställda.

                                             I AX>
 ---pagebreak---                          IMPACT ASSESSMENT FORM

      THE IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL ON BUSINESS, WIT11 SPECIAL
       REFERENCE TO SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES

TITLE OF PROPOSAL:          DRAFT COUNCIL REGULATION ON STATISTICS ON THE
                            STRUCTURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF EARNINGS

THE PROPOSAL:

       Taking account of the principle of subsidiarity, why is Community
       legislation necessary in this area and what are its main aims?

       In order to carry out its tasks in the field of economic and social affairs,
       particularly with regard to employment and working conditions, the Commission
       needs to have at its disposal comparable information on the structure and
       distribution of earnings in the Member States of the EU. This need has become
       more pressing because of the new policies set out in the White Paper on Growth,
       Competitiveness and Employment.

       The main aim of this survey is to respond to the political needs which existing
       Community statistics are unable to meet. The Commission has identified a
       number of areas in which statistics on the structure of earnings are necessary:

                the functioning of labour markets in the Community;
                the problem of adjustment of workforces in sectors exposed to
                increased competition;
                the development of indicators enabling regional policies to be
                implemented;
                policy on equal pay for men and women, equitable wages and low
                wages;
                wage differentials by profession;
                wage negotiations.

       There is currently a lack of such data, even though they are indispensable for
       defining and assessing the effect of social policies and measures on the labour
       market at both national and Community level.

       The statistical information available in each of the Member States does not allow
       proper comparisons to be made, one particular reason for this being the
       differences in the nature of the surveys and the existing sources of data. In order
       to ensure that data are comparable, the surveys must be carried out and evaluated
       on the basis of standard definitions and a shared methodology, but without at the

                                           *H
 ---pagebreak---        same time attempting to harmonize the Member States' existing arrangements for
       the collection of data. In ths^agygjway, existing administrative sources must be
       adapted to requirements and draH||^^ising a methodology set out beforehand.
       Legislation at Community level is tnë~only way of ensuring that the required
       variables will be taken into account and processed in accordance with a common
       set of definitions and methods aimed at guaranteeing the comparability of results.

THE IMPACT ON BUSINESS:

2      Who will be affected by the proposal?

       - which sectors of business

       The survey will cover businesses engaging in activities defined in sections C, D,
       E, F, G, H, I, J and K of the Classification of Economic Activities in the
       European Community (NACE Rev. 1). It is intended that some countries' surveys
       should also cover sections L, M, N and O of NACE Rev. 1.

       - which sizes of business (what is the concentration of small and medium-sized
         firms)

       The statistical unit to be used in the survey is individuals in local units with 10 or
       more people in paid employment.

       It is intended that results be obtained for various sizes of business.

       Units employing fewer than 10 persons are not covered by the Regulation, but
       some Member States plan to have their surveys include units with one or more
       employees.

       In the countries in which specific surveys are carried out, these will use a
       sampling method in order to lessen the burden on businesses and the national
       statistical offices. The sampling plans will be drawn up by the national statistical
       offices, which generally use different sampling ratios depending on the size of the
       statistical units to be used. A large proportion of the information requested on
       the questionnaires is available in businesses' administrativefiles,which means that
       the inconvenience will not be great. Likewise, the registers of businesses/local
       units also contain some of the information required. In Member States using
       other data sources, the burden on businesses will be considerably less because
       some variables will be derived from these sources.

                                             \ÅI
 ---pagebreak--- - are there particular geographical areas of the Community where these
  businesses are found

In certain areas of the EU, small and medium-sized enterprises predominate. In
order to draw up more detailed tables on salary structure at regional level, some
data are requested at NUTS 1 level.

What will business have to do to comply with the proposal?

The units which are to be included in the surveys will be called on to give
accurate and complete information on the questionnaires which will have been
sent to them by their national statistical offices (and to return the questionnaires
within the given deadline).

However, in the Member States which already carry out this type of survey
(France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and those which
will use administrative data sources (Denmark, Portugal, Finland and Sweden),
the extra effort required of businesses will not be very great, since the proposed
variables do not exceed by much the scope of those which already exist.

What economic effects is the proposal likely to have?

- on employment
- on investment and the creation of new businesses
- on the competitive position of businesses

Generally speaking, statistical data - and especially data relating to earnings - are
necessary for implementing and assessing economic and social policies in the
areas referred to in point 1 above. In this respect, the proposal will have
beneficial effects on employment and the fight against unemployment, and on
investment and competitiveness. The access to reliable, up-to-date data provided
to those responsible for economic and social-policy decisions will enable them to
better appreciate the socio-economic conditions in which they have to work, and
will allow employers to define general business policy more clearly.

The importance of the Community measures which would benefit in terms of
both implementation and follow-up from the availability of better statistics would
indicate that the resulting benefits will more than justify the costs involved.

                                     • ^ /
 ---pagebreak--- Does the proposal contain measures to take account of the specific situation
of small and medium-sized firms?

Yes. In order to reduce the number of units to be covered by the survey, units
with fewer than 10 employees will not fall within its scope. Furthermore, the
percentage of small and medium-sized enterprises included in the survey is
generally very much lower than that of large enterprises because of the sampling
method used.

Consultation

The Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe (UNICE) took
part from the outset in meetings organized by the "Earnings Statistics" working
party throughout the phase during which the proposal was being formulated.
Given the importance (which was mentioned several times) to employers'
associations of information on the structure and distribution of earnings, the
representatives of this organization made an active contribution to defining the
nature of the survey.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) took part in some meetings.
It warmly welcomed the plan to carry out a survey on the structure and
distribution of earnings at EU level. The representatives of this organization were
pleased with the choice of variables to be used in the survey.

The main users in the Commission (DG II and DG V) were consulted on a
number of occasions while the draft was being prepared. Accordingly, their
requirements were made known at the meetings of the working party, thereby
enabling the representatives of the statistical services to take better account of
their suggestions.

The overall planning of the proposed draft has greatly benefited from the
experience of Member States which carry out this type of survey, and from
studies and analyses by the Commission and scientific bodies on the basis of
previous surveys.

The Statistical Programme Committee, which met on 1 and 2 December 1994 in
Luxembourg, gave a favourable opinion on this proposal.

                                    * 4(,
 ---pagebreak---                         FINANCIAL STATEMENT NO 1

1.   TITLE OF THE ACTION

     Draft Council Regulation on statistics concerning the structure and distribution of
     earnings.

2.   BUDGET LINES INVOLVED

     Financial perspectives - 4, other policies
     Sub-section B-5: Consumer protection, internal market, industry and trans-
     European networks
     Chapter B5-60: Statistical information policy connected with the completion of the
     internal market and in support of Community policies.
     Line B5-6000: Operating appropriations

3.   LEGAL BASIS

     Article 213 of the Treaty

     Council Decision 89/382/EEC of 19 June 1989 establishing a Committee on the
     Statistical Programmes of the European Communities (OJ L 219, 28.8.1993).

4.   DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTION

     4.1    General purpose of the action

            The purpose of the present Council Regulation is to make harmonized
            statistics on the structure and distribution of workers' earnings in the
            European Union available to all users. These data are essential for defining,
            monitoring and assessing social and labour market policies at the regional,
            national and Community levels.

            The beneficiaries of this action are: the Community Institutions, the
            governments of the Member States, the economic and social
            decision-makers in the Member States and also research institutes,
            universities and the media.

            To conduct this survey at European Union level is one of the priority
            projects of the 1993-1997 framework statistical programme of the
            Community (OJ L 219, 28.8.1993).

                                         I is
 ---pagebreak---      4.2    Period covered by the action and procedures for renewing or extending it

            Once-only action in accordance with the draft Council Regulation
            (Euratom, EEC) on statistics concerning the structure and distribution of
            earnings (collection and processing of data and forwarding of the results to
            Eurostat) covering the period 1996-1998.

5.   CLASSIFICATION OF EXPENDITURE/INCOME

     5.1.   Non-compulsory expenditure

     5.2.   Differentiated appropriations

     5.3.   Type of income envisaged

            Sales of statistical products (database data and publications) cover some of
            the production costs.

6.   TYPE OF EXPENDITURE/INCOME

     The Commission's contribution represents only part of the real cost of collecting
     data - of the order of 18% - since the Commission's statistical work is subsidized
     to a very great extent, the operating and administrative costs being borne almost
     exclusively by the national governments. Nevertheless, the expenditure envisaged
     is essential to promote standardization of the data collected, and for these data to
     be processed and sent to Eurostat.

     Cofinancing by the public sector (out of the budgets of the national statistical
     offices) and the private sector (income from sales of statistical products).

7.   FINANCIAL EFFECT ON                   INTERVENTION           APPROPRIATIONS
     (PART B OF THE BUDGET)

     7.1    Method of calculating the total cost of the action (definition of unit costs)

            The amount to be taken from the Community budget for the project to
            extend the existing systems for collecting data or setting up new surveys
            on the structure of earnings is calculated as follows:

            18% of the operating costs for the two/three years of the project:
            conducting the survey (1996) and sending the data to Eurostat
            (1997/1998).

                                          l/fc
 ---pagebreak---                Type of expenditure to be borne by the Member States: production of
               questionnaires, contribution to the costs of collecting, processing, and
               disseminating the data and other operating costs.

               The total action represents an average expenditure of approximately
               ECU 25 million for all the Member States.

     Total contribution to the Member States (18% of total) (ECU 4.50 million)

     7.2.      Indicative timetable for commitment and payment appropriations

               The survey will be conducted at the beginning of 1996 and the data sent to
               Eurostat in 1997/1998. It is proposed that payment be made in three
               phases: the first two tranches as a contribution to the cost of collecting and
               processing the data (1996/1997) and a third tranche once the results have
               been received. The last tranche will be payable in either 1997 or 1998
               depending on whether the data are sent to Eurostat in 1997 or 1998.

                             1996                  1997             1998             Total
                C.A.     ECU 4.5 million                                          ECU 4.5 million

                PA.      ECU 4.5 million   ECU 1.8 million    ECU 1.35 million    ECU 4.5 million
                             30%              40%                 30%

8.      ANTI-FRAUD PROVISIONS (AND RESULTS OF IMPLEMENTING
        THEM)

            Payment for the contracts and agreements concluded by the Commission is
            made only on the basis of detailed reports on the completion of the operations
            concerned or the results obtained.

            Statistical information is considered to be an objective instrument for
            evaluating Community action programmes and thus contributes to
            consolidating the anti-fraud provisions.          *

                                             \ #
 ---pagebreak--- 9.   COST/EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS ITEMS

     9.1. Specific and quantifiable objectives, target population

          The purpose of this Council Regulation is to establish comparable
          statistics on the structure and distribution of earnings of workers in the
          European Union. Following the guidelines in the White Paper on
          Growth, Competitiveness and Employment, and the conclusions of the
          Essen Summit, these statistics are indispensable for establishing,
          monitoring and assessing regional national and Community policies, in
          particular for monitoring national employment programmes.

     9.2. Grounds for the action

          The responsibility for financing this action rests mainly on the Member
          States (cf. 6 above), which have a well-established structure for
          collecting and processing data. Nevertheless, funds from the Community
          budget appear to be necessary, both for countries which are going to
          carry out this type of survey for the first time, and for those which must
          adjust " existing surveys to Community needs. The purpose of this
          financial contribution is to co-finance part of the costs of collecting and
          processing data.

          The purpose of this action is to achieve four results, viz.:

          - to provide the Community Institutions with the quantitative data for
            drawing up, monitoring and evaluating any programme of action
            pursuant to Article 3 (2) of the Financial Regulation: "it therefore
            contributes to more effective and relevant use of the Community
            budget";

          - to provide the national governments with comparable statistics on all
            the Member States for evaluating and monitoring the progress of
            Community policies;

          - to provide political, economic and social decision-makers in the
            Community with the data necessary to take and assess decisions in
            their respective fields of action: it is therefore a key component of the
            European information market;

          - to provide the scientific community with the information necessary to
            further study and obtain more information on economic and social life
            in the Community.

          The results of the action will contribute to improving the statistical
          information used in the work linked to social policy, economic cohesion
          and convergence in the internal market.

                                      \Af
 ---pagebreak---                  Statistical information is collected using a highly-subsidized system, in
                 which the national systems have a responsibility as regards each Member
                 State. The Community Statistical Programme will become an intégral
                 part of the national statistical programmes, thus contributing to creating
                 a European statistical area.

                 The potential of multiplier effects is fairly small. Nevertheless, the data
                 concerned by the draft regulation will be of increased interest in that
                 users will have access to a set of data which will enable them to make
                 international comparisons of the structure and distribution of earnings.

                 The specific results of the action could be affected if some of the
                 Member States - or the Commission - did not succeed in releasing the
                 resources needed for the action to succeed.

           9.3. Monitoring and assessing the action

                 The action forms part of the Community Statistical Programme, which is
                 monitored continuously by means of a general table which determines
                 the objectives and resources required for each project as a function of
                 the objective/performance ratio. At the beginning of each year, Eurostat
                 produces a progress report on the programme as at the end of the
                 previous year. It comprises three parts as follows:

                 the first summarizes the main achievements of the year in respect of each
                 policy;
                 the second describes the objective of each project and the results
                 achieved;
                 the third gives statistics on the use of human, budgetary, computer and
                 administrative resources in the course of the previous year.

           9.4. Cohesion with the financial programming

The Council Decision of 22 July 1993 on the framework programme for priority actions in
the field of statistical information 1993 to 1997 provides for a survey to be carried out on
the structure of earnings.1

 OJL 219, 28.8.1993.

                                             W?
 ---pagebreak--- 10.    ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENDITURE (PART A OF THE BUDGET)

       10.1. Does the proposed action involve an increase in the number of
               Commission staff? If so, how many?

            Yes: 1 B post as from 1995

            The administrative resources required for this action will be obtained by
            means of credits allocated by the Commission, including staffing and
            supplementary amounts approved by the budgetary authority.

       10.2. State the amount of staff and administrative expenditure involved in the
             proposed action. Explain the method of calculation

            Indicators: annual cost of the post for 1995 (estimate)

            Base: Average cost of a B2 post: ECU 90 009, of which ECU 73 711 is
            staff expenditure and ECU 16 298 administrative expenditure

                                Title Al                    Title A2

      Expenditure:              Staff                       Administration

      Financial years 1995      73 711                      16 298
      et seq.

             Cost in constant ecus (1995 value).

                                         *^c
 ---pagebreak--- TITLE OF THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION

Proposal for a Regulation on the statistics of the distribution and structure of earnings

IMPACT ON THE EFTA MEMBERS OF THE EEA

The EFTA members of the EEA have an interest in the proposed Regulation, and have
been associated in its discussion.

All the EFTA members of the EEA took part in the meetings of the Working Party
relating to this matter.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

The financial statement annexed to this document concerns the Member States of the
European Union.

                                              ^
 ---pagebreak---                                                                     ISSN 1024-4506

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                                               DOKUMENT

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                                     Katalognummer : CB-C0-95-318-SV-C

                                                               ISBN 92-77-90920-X

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