CELEX: 51973PC0726
Language: en
Date: 1973-05-14
Title: PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DIRECTIVE regarding synchronisation of general population censuses (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (73) 726
Vol. 1973/0141
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF TELS EUROE3AN COMMUMIIB5
                                                              COM(73 ) 726 final
                                                             Brussels , 14 May 1973
                                   PROPOSAL FOR A
                                  COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
             regarding synchronisation of general population censuses
                   ( submitted to the Council "by the Commission)
  COM ( 73 ) 126 final
 ---pagebreak---                          Explanatory fl-emorandum
No one would deny that de Community institutions should have an
adequate system of statistics for population,' employment arid unem­
ployment , and household and family structure within the Community . '
Such informatipn: is gathered in each member country periodically when
general population , censuses, are held .
The results of these bensuses , however , afre not easily useable at
Community level , since they are conducted at different "times and
the definitions and concepts'- employed are' not sufficiently comparable .
The Statistical- Office h&s been considering this problem for a long '
time , and partial findings were " obtained for censuses held around the
year 1970 . It has thus been possible to prepare a joint programme '
for tables covering population and households , professional activity
and , to a certain degree , housing .
                                                                       (  • , •
       Λ.      .      ·       · ·" · · ' " \ ·Γ ' «·'·'.'· '" . ' V
As . regards synchronisation j on the other hand , it mUst be acknowledged
that efforts have failed : the various censuses were , in fact , spread
over a period of more than three years , from spiring 1968 to autumn
1971 ."                                                           •::•• ••        '
Quite apart from the prejudicial nature per ee of this -non-synchronis-
ation ., it results in an inevitable lack of comparability amont the            :
data for the various countries .
832/73 e
 ---pagebreak--- Contacts made at technical level with the appropriate departments
in the nine member states have established that the most suitable
period for organising general censuses- in the Community countries .
is from the 1st March to the 31st May .1981 . r Closer synchronisation
would appear to be impossible because of the size and diversity of
the geographical areas covered in census operations ?    There is no
doubt t however , that a time limitation . of this kind will enable
satisfactory Community totals to be obtained*
The problems of harminisation are specifically technical " ones , and
will have to be solved through concerted effort - by the Commission
and national statistical departments of the member countries .
The organisation of a census is a long drawn-out affair .          ■ .
Harminisation and synchronisation of censuses in the member countries ,
will , at least for some of them , require amendments to existing legis­
lation .  In the view of the Commission it is thus neoessary that the
requisite measures for solution of these problems should be taken
ioaediately .
There is no provision for the Communities to make any financial contri­
bution towards the costs of the I98l censuses .
                                                     v
832/73 e
 ---pagebreak---                               PROPOSAL FOR A
                                   j
                            COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
                              ' '1   « # »«-»
      regarding synchronisation of general       population censuses
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community
                           .                                                   /
and in particular article 213 thereof ,
having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
whereas the Commission , in order to fulfil the tasks entrusted to it
by the Treaty , in particular Articles 2 , '3 ,. 117 , 118 , 122 and 123 thereof ,
needs to be in possession of sufficiently reliable , detailedand comparable
data on population , working population -, employment , households and
families }
whereas general population censuses do not enable comparable data on the
above subjects to be obtained , since they have not to date been conducted
at the same time j -                               . •
whereas periodic exhaustive surveys of the population and the principal
social , economic and family characteristics of individuals are indispens ?-
able for the study and definition of policy on regions and particular
sectors of the economy :
832/73 e
 ---pagebreak--- having regard to the recommendations of various international organisation
particularly the United .Nations and the Council of Europe , which provide
for such censuses to be organigad at the beginning of every decade ;
whereas it is necessary that the methods and procedure governing these
censuses should be worked out in detail by the Commission , in agreement
with the government departments of the Member Countries ;
whereas the preparation of a general population census is a long-term
affair , particularly since the adoption of a common period will , in a
number of countries , require legislative changes ;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE :
                                    I
         - ■  \       '                                ■
                              Article 1
The Member States shall conduct a general population census on a date
falling within the period 1 March to 31 May 1981 .
                              Article 2
This census shall cover a number of demographic , professional and
social characteristics of individuals , households and families , selected
by common agreement between the Commission and the government departments
of Member States ; each Member State may , if it wishes , extend the scope
                                                  ν
of its survey beyond the details required for the Community census .
832/73 e
 ---pagebreak---                               Article 3
This directive is addressed to the Member States
832/73 e