Mieczysław Edmund Janowski, on behalf of the UEN Group. – (PL) Mr President, I would like to express my appreciation to Mrs Bowles and Mrs van den Burg for their reports.

We should be aware of the role played by the European statistical system, which may be the world’s best system. We are talking here not just about the clarity of lists of figures, tables or charts. The most important issue is the reliability and completeness of statistical data at the level of the European Union, of the Member States, and also, and this I would like to emphasise, of the regions. For that purpose it is vital to ensure continuity of information as well as access to it. I would add here that only statistical data that have been collected and collated in the same way, in accordance with statistical principles, can be reliable and transparent, and will not be affected by short-term interests or passing priorities. My experience in regional policy has shown clearly that such risks exist.

For this reason we should be pleased that we have an EU statistical programme for 2008-2012. To make it work will, however, need appropriate funding and, above all, will require appropriate consultation, monitoring of the code of statistical procedures as well as statistics management. This is very important in the light of the different systems used in Member States, the need to coordinate and unify them at the level of the 27 countries and statistical offices as well as Eurostat. In this context I would like to support both the reports.