CELEX: 51992PC0483
Language: en
Date: 1992-11-20
Title: Amended proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION adopting a 4-year programme (1993-1996) to develop regular official statistics of the environment

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMVIUNITIES
                                          C0M(92) 483 final
                                          Brussels, 20 November 1992
                       Amended proposal for a
                           COUNCIL DECISION
                adopting a 4-year programme (1993-1996)
                   to develop regular official statistics
                           of the environment
     (presented by the Commission pursuant t o A r t i c l e 149(3)
                         of the EEC-Treaty)
 ---pagebreak---                           EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
    The Commission presents herewith, in accordance with Article 149 (3) of the EC
    treaty a modified proposal for a Council decision adopting a four-year programme to
    develop regular official statistics of the environment (Doc. COM (90) 319 final of
    24.7.1990).
2.  The modifications take into account eleven of the 23 amendments proposed by the
    European Parliament which have been voted on the 13th of December 1991 and -
    pursuant to Rule 40 (2) of the Parliament - on the 11th of February 1992 following
    the report of Mr Amendola (Doc PE A3 - 0271/91) and certain consequences of a
    drafting nature required by those amendments.
    The main thrust of the parliamentary report was the need for good coordination of the
    statistical programme with the proposed European Environment Agency and the
    outgoing Corine programme.
4.  The Commission agrees with the Parliament that a key issue in the development of
   environmental information is a correct distribution of roles, with clear procedures for
   coordination of the various bodies involved.
   Thus in general the Commission accepts the amendment proposals tending to clarify
   the relationship between the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the proposed
   four-year programme to develop the environmental component within official
   statistics, a relationship already set out in general terms in the Council regulation
   instituting the EEA.
   The Commission cannot accept however several of the amendments introducing
   references to the Corine programme. This experimental programme ended at the end
   of 1990, after having achieved the two aims it had been assigned : on the one hand it
   has supplied the Community environmental policy with relevant information on
   priority issues (natural biotopes, air emissions and natural resources especially in the
   Mediterranean region) ; on the other hand it has established the need for and
   demonstrated the feasibility of a permanent environmental information system and
   network, which will be developed by the EEA. Pending the entry into force of the
   Agency regulation, the Commission has taken its responsibility to keep up-to-date,
   and complement where necessary, the Corine system, and will continue to do so until
   the EEA regulation enters into force. In the present circumstances, a prolongation of
   the Corine programme as defined in Mr. Amendola's report is not on the agenda.
                                                                                            d*
 ---pagebreak---                                             -1
                                          AMENDED PROPOSAL
                                 for a Council Decision adopting a 4-year programme
                              (1993-1996) to develop regular official statistics
                                             of the environment
 THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
       Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community and in
       particular Article 130s thereof,
       Having regard to the proposal from the Commission \
       Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament^,
       Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee^,
 Whereas the Fourth Environmental Action Programme of the European Communities (1987-
 1992), laid down by Council Resolution of 19 October 1987^, states that the environmental
 component of the statistical programme is to be reinforced with a view to complementing the
 information produced under the Corine programme (1985-1998), which was laid down in
 Council Decision 85/138/EEC5', and was extended to the years 1989 and 1990 by Council
 Decision 90/150/EEC 6 ';
 Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) ' No 1210/90 on the establishment of the European
 Environment Agency states that the task of this agency, amont its other duties, shall be to
 cooperate with the Statistical Office of the European Community (Eurostat),
Whereas it is necessary to assess the issues, and to devise, monitor, evaluate and coordinate
Community policies on the basis of adequate factual information, including environmental
data,
Whereas such adequate factual information requires a complete and reliable framework of
environmental data also serving as acknowledged reference points for other environmental
data;
Whereas there is a clear need for quantative information on the relationship between the
policies of the Community and its Member States and environmental issues, and that this can
only be satisfied by integrating the environmental data supplied by Corine into the general
structure of official statistics by appropriate methods of adaptation; whereas the findings of
the Corine programme must be taken into account;
Whereas this type of reference framework is inadequate and must be improved;
1)  OJ No C 209 of 22.8.1990, p. 29
2)  OJ No C 209 of 22.8.1990, p. 29
3)  OJ No C 209 of 22.8.1990, p. 29
4)  OJ No C 328 of 7.12.1987, p. 1
5)  OJ No L 176 of 6.7.1985, p. 14
6)  OJ No L 81 of 28.3.1990, p. 38
7)  OJ No L 120 of 11.5.1990, p. 1
                                                                                               A
 ---pagebreak---                                         -2-
  Whereas it is essential for developments in official environmental statistics to be coordinated
  to meet the main international, Community and national needs at minimum public and private
  cost, and that this can most conveniently be done within the established procedures of
  coopération between the Commission, the statistical services of international organizations and
  those of the Member States; whereas it is therefore appropriate to adoopt a four-year
  programme to ensure this coordinated development;
  Whereas developing environment statistics forms part of the Statistical Programme of the
  European Communities (1989-1992) laid down by Council Resolution of 19 June 1989P' ;
 Whereas this four-year programme of environment statistics is complimentary to the Corine
 programme (1985-1988) established by Council Decision 85/338/EECr', as extended by
 Council Decision 90/150/EEC 10 ' to cover the years 1989 and 1990;
 Whereas the European Environment Agency is required to coordinate with existing
 Community structures, and a clearly defined programme for developing official statistics of
 the environment will facilitate this cooperation;
 Wliereas the timely delivery of suitable comparable data can only be guaranteed by
 appropriate legal provisions and these provisions have to be prepared together with the
 relevant Commission services; whereas the provisions can most efficiently be met by
 Community measures prepared after consultation with Member States;
 Whereas important work on the methodology and collection of environmental data is carried
 out by the statistical services of international organizations, in particular the United Nations'
 Statistical Office, the United Nations' Economic Commission for Europe and the Organization
 for Economic Cooperation and Development; whereas the present programme should take
 account of this work;
 Whereas it is urgent to provide data as soon as possible to meet the most pressing policy
 needs;
Whereas it is necessary to keep the Council and the Parliament informed of progress on this
programme to develop and consolidate official environment statistics;
Whereas the details of data to be provided by the Member States to the Commission, including
definitions, methodology and manner of transmission, need to be fixed by the Commission;
Whereas consultation with Member States on the carrying out of this programme can be made
through the Committee on the Statistical Programme of the European Communities set up by
Council Decision 89/382/EEC ', and whereas that Committee can also be called on to give
its opinion on the Commission's specific proposals for collection and submission of statistical
data by Member States;
Whereas this Committee has been consulted on the general lines of this programme and has
approved them;
8)  OJ No C 161 of 28.6.1989, p. 1
9)  OJ No L 176 of 6.7.1985, p. 14
10)  OJ No L81 of 28.3.1990, p. 38
11)  OJ N0LI8I of 1989, p. 47
 ---pagebreak---                                         -3 -
 Whereas the creation of a structure of regular environmental information integrated with the
 official statistical systems of Member States requires substantial theoretical and practical work
  and a Community financial contribution to certain aspects of predominantly Community
  interest is appropriate;
 Whereas there is a need to gauge the amount of Community funds required to implement this
 programme; whereas this amount is in line with the financial perspective annexed to the
 Interinstitutional Agreement of 29 June 1988 ' and the appropriations actually available will,
 in compliance with this agreement, be determined in accordance with budgetary procedure,
        HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS
                                               Article 1
 1.     A programme to develop regular official statistics on the environment and to examine its
       connections with other Community policies is hereby adopted for a four-year period
       starting on the date of entry into force of this Decision.
 2.    The objective of this programme is to provide regular series of key environmental
       information which will be integrated with official statistics and which will be available to
       all Member States by the end of 1995. Together with the information provided by the
       European Environment Agency, which will incorporate that supplied by Corine, it is
       designed to meet the Community's needs in respect of environmental policy and its
       connections with other Community policies. It will take account of work on environment
       statistics carried out by other Community bodies and by international organizations. It
       will contribute to the preparation of the appropriate Commission legislation governing
       the furnishing of data by Member States.
                                              Article 2
 1.    The programme will be executed by the Commission and the official statistical services
       of the Member States.
       Pending the setting up of the European Environment Agency and in order that the
       programme may be carried through, coordination shall be handled by the Commission.
       The Commission will call on the personnel involved in the Corine programme, and
       currently employed in the task force devoted to the European Environment Agency, in
       order to utilize the Corine source of information until this is integrated and continued
       under the aegis of the European Environment Agency.
       The statistical programme shall be coordinated with the activities of the European
       Environment Agency in the six months following its establishment and in accordance
       with a joint agreement as provided for in Annex B of Regulation 1210/90 (EEC).
12) OJ No L185 of 15.7.1988, p. 33
 ---pagebreak---                                         -4-
It will include:
          i)      methodological/conceptual studies,
          ii)     practical studies,
          iii)    pilot surveys (carried out by the Official Statistical Organizations of the
                  Member States),
          iv)     concertation,
          v)      data collection,
          vi)     dissemination,
          vii)    concretization in Community legal instruments.
2.     The details of the programme, including the priorities and the way it is implemented,
       shall be laid down by the Commission in accordance with the procedure set out in
       Article 4.
3.     The Annex comprises the structure of the programme and the priority fields of work
       which may be modified in collaboration with the European Environment Agency in
       accordance with the procedure set out in paragraph 1.
                                              Article 3
 1.    The Commission shall, in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 4 and until
       the programme is completed, lay down as early as possible the details of the data to be
       forwarded by the Member States as soon as the statistical requirements and possibilities
       for the Member States to provide data in a particular area have been examined.
2.     The information collected shall be published, specifying, where appropriate, the various
       methods used to obtain it. The information shall be circulated so as to ensure, as far as
       possible, comparability between the information collected and the values laid down in
       Community and national legislation.
                                              Article 4
 1.   The Commission shall be assisted by the Committee on the Statistical Programmes of the
       European Communities (hereinafter referred to as "the Committee") as it is established
      by the Council decision 80/382/EEC.
2.    The representative of the Commission shall submit to the Committee the 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 recorded in the minutes; in addition, each Member State shall have the
      right to ask that its position be recorded in the minutes.
3.    The Commission shall take account of the opinion delivered by the Committee. It shall
      inform the Committee of the manner in which this opinion has been taken into account.
 ---pagebreak---                                       -6-
                                           Article 5
The funds necessary for the implementation of the present decision are entered each year in
the general budget of the European Communities. This amount includes contributions to the
cost of data collection in selected Member States including pilot and other surveys.
                                           Article 6
The Commission shall make a progress report to the Council and the European Parliament not
later than December 1994 and a further report on completion of the programme. The
European Environment Agency and the Committee shall give their opinion on these reports.
                                           Article 7
This Decision is addressed to the Member States
Done at
                                          By the Council
                                          The President
 ---pagebreak---                                        ANNEX 1
          Community Programme to develop Regular Official Statistics
                                 on the Environment
                                      1993 -1996
A. STRUCTURE
   Physical data
          defining and preparing the collection and transmission of aggregable,
          comparable data available over time
          studies on the availability and selection of relevant data at international,
          national, regional and local level
          pilot projects for testing the method of collection and integration in general
          surveys
          participation in the development of global accounting systems such as natural
          resource accounts and integration of the physical data collection in this
          framework
         participation in the development and implementation of new technology
         (Remote Sensing)
2. Economic data
         defining and preparing the collection and transmission of aggregated
         comparable data available over time
         studies on the availability and selection of relevant data
         pilot projects for testing the method of collection and integration in general
         surveys
         defining an accounting concept for the presentation of economic data and their
         integration in global accounting systems such as satellite environment accounts
         and links to the system of national accounts (SNA) and to natural resource
         accounting.
 ---pagebreak---                                            -2-
 3.  Legal framework
              preparation of legal texts defining the content, definitions, classifications and
               methods of collection of physical and economic data.
4.   Support for Member States data collection work
              the Commission will look to the Member States statistical services and
              specialised research institutes for contributions to special studies, testing and
              pilot projects. Financial support will be given to the extent resources permit
              and routine data collection is not involved.
5.   Data management and geographical information systems
              EUROSTAT will adapt its informatics infrastructure for the reception,
              pretreatment, processing and dissemination of the statistical data transmitted
              and especially its capabilities to handle space related environmental data. Links
              will be established with the Statistical services of the Member States, the
              Commission's services and the European Environment Agency.
    International Coordination
    The programme will be developed in the larger context of international environment
    statistics e.g. United Nations Statistical Office ECE/Conference of European
    Statisticians, World Bank, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development,
    to avoid duplication and to ensure consistency
B.  WORKING AREAS
    The working areas are determined by policy needs actually expressed in the fourth
    environmental action programme (1987 - 1992) and may be adapted in the light of
    policy changes.
    The programme on official environment statistics comprises the following topics:
    1.       description of the changes in the quality of the environment i.e. soil, water, air
             and atmosphere: flora and fauna, human health, climate.
             Description of human activities and their influence on the quality of the
             environment:
                                                                                                "7
 ---pagebreak---                                            -3-
                       extraction and consumption of raw materials
                       production and consumption of agricultural and industrial products
                       energy production and consumption
                       construction and settlement
                       leisure and tourism
                       transport
                       population growth and social welfare
              linked to
                        resources depletion (use of renewable and non renewable resources)
                        changes in land cover and land use
                        pollution by emissions.
               Description of the response to the environmental damage and dangers,
               assessment of the costs and benefits and follow up of the Communities
               environmental policy i.e.
                        conservation and substitution of natural resources
                        changes in production methods and consumption behaviour
                        direct and indirect (clean technology) prevention and reduction of
                        emissions and pollution)
                        conservation and protection of nature, soil, flora and fauna
Priority areas for 1993 - 1996 are:
               economic statistics of current expenditure and investment for environmental
               protection
               data collection in collaboration with OECD and ECE/UNO
               statistics of the management of waste and dangerous products
               statistics of the quality and management of water
 ---pagebreak--- linkage of transport statistics to environment statistics (including transport of
dangerous goods and waste)
linkage of energy statistics to environment statistics
integration of environmental statistics in industrial surveys (definition of
environment industries)
integration of environmental statistics in agricultural and forestry surveys
linkage of environment with other statistics through land information
(collection of space related data)
                                                                                  6
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 ---pagebreak---  ---pagebreak---                                                                       ISSN 0254-1475
                                                               COM(92) 483 final
                                                       DOCUMENTS
EN                                                                               17
                                 Catalogue number : CB-CO-92-500-EN-C
                                                             ISBN 92-77-49316-X
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
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