CELEX: 51980PC0026
Language: en
Date: 1980-01-30
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DIRECTIVE derogating in favour of the French Republic Directive 73/403/EEC on the synchronisation of general population censuses (submitted to the Council by the Commission)

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COM (80) 26
Vol. 1980/0013
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                            COM(80)26 final
                                            Brussels . 30 January 1980
                           Proposal for a
                         COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
             derogating in favour of the French Republic
             Directive 73/ 403 / EEC on the synchronisation
                    of general population censuses
             ( submitted to the Council by the Commission )
                                                               4
                                                               X! '   ■'
  COMC80 ) 26 final                                                 ,  ■
 ---pagebreak---           REASONS FOR THE PROPOSAL -
Council Directive of 22 November 1973 on "the synchronisation of general
population censuses stipulates that Member states shall conduct a
general population on a date between 1 March and 31 May 1981.
In a memorandum dated 11 July 1979 the Permanent Representation for
Prance conveyed a request from the French Government for a derogation
from this Directive for the following .reasons :
                                         \
'When the Directive was being prepared, France accepted the proposed
period taking account , in particular , of the electoral timetable . How­
ever, the timing of the presidential elections has been altered by the
death of Mr. George Pompidou. The first round of the next presidential
election is scheduled to take place in the latter half of April I9SI .
The coincidence of this election and the census would lead to the risk
of the two operations being linked in the mind of the public and would ,
in addition , impose a heavy and in many cases excessive workload on
local administrations .
The French Government therefore considers that the census should take
plaoe in France outside the period 1 March to 31 May I98I . It should
be postponed to March 1982 , which is the most suitable date in the
following year' .                 ^
The Commission accepts that the above reasons constitute valid grounds
for a postponement of the French population census . It must , however,
point out that postponement will have, a number of consequences detract­
ing from the value of the forthcoming Community census . In particular ,
the availability of the overall results will be delayed while inter*- •
country comparisons will be less exact than had all the national cen­
suses taken place within the same short interval. In addition , the im­
portant psychological advantage of a simultaneous Community-wide exer­
cise will be lost .    .  ^
 ---pagebreak--- The Commission agrees with the view of the French Government that ,
if the census is to he postponed, this should he for a period of one
year rather than to a later date in 19&1 . This is because seasonal
factors , notably in respect of employment and place of residence ,
have a major influence on census results .       1                  .
 ---pagebreak---                         Proposal for a
                      COUNCIL DIRECTIVE ( EEC )
dero^ting in favour of th » French " eou^lic Directive 73 / 403 / EEC on the
             synchronisation of. aeneral population censuses
 THE COUNCIL OP 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,
                                           O)
 Whereas Council Directive 73 / 403 / EEC       stipulates that Member States
 shall conduct a general population census on a date between 1 March and
 31 May 1981 ,
 Whereas serious administrative difficulties , which could not have been
foreseen at the time when the Directive was adopted , have arisen which
 are detrimental to the good conduct of the census , in the French Republic
 between the said dates ,
                                                                                h
 Whereas it is now proposed to hold the said general population census in
 the French Republic between 1 March and 31 May 1982 ,
                                       -ν                   χ
 HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE
                                   Article 1
 By way of derogation from Article 1 of Directive
   73/403/EEC , the French Republic shall conduct the general population census
 on a date between 1 March and 31 May 1982.
                              <•   Article 2
 This Directive is addressed to the Member States ,
 Done at Brussels ,                    _           For the Council
                                                   The President
  ( 1 ) OJ No L 347 , 17.12.1973 , p. 50 .