REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European statistical programme 2013-17, by extending it to 2018-2020
4.4.2017 - (COM(2016)0557 – C8‑0367/2016 – 2016/0265(COD)) - ***I
Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Rapporteur: Roberto Gualtieri,
DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION
on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European statistical programme 2013-17, by extending it to 2018-2020
(COM(2016)0557 – C8‑0367/2016 – 2016/0265(COD))
(Ordinary legislative procedure: first reading)
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Commission proposal to Parliament and the Council (COM(2016)0557),
– having regard to Article 294(2) and Article 338(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C8‑0367/2016),
– having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Protocol No 1 of the Treaties on the role of national parliaments in the European Union,
– having regard to Protocol No 2 of the Treaties on the application of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality,
– having regard to Rule 59 of its Rules of Procedure,
– having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and the opinion of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (A8-0158/2017),
1. Adopts its position at first reading hereinafter set out;
2. Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it replaces, substantially amends or intends to substantially amend its proposal;
3. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the national parliaments.
Amendment 1
AMENDMENTS BY THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT[1]*
to the Commission proposal
---------------------------------------------------------
Proposal for a
REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
amending Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European statistical programme 2013-17, by extending it to 2018-2020
(Text with relevance for the EEA and Switzerland)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 338(1) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,
After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee[2],
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions[3],
Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure,
Whereas:
(1) Prompt, reliable, relevant and publicly available evidence based on European statistics without unnecessary time lags in the provision of such statistics is absolutely essential to measuring the progress and evaluating the efficiency of the Union’s policies and programmes, especially in the context of the Europe 2020 strategy and the Agenda for jobs, growth, fairness and democratic change.
(1a) European statistics should have a comprehensive Union-wide approach and go beyond the Commission's policies and political priorities in order to provide accurate data that is of assistance with regard to further integration processes in the Union.
(1b) The availability of reliable, comprehensive European statistics is an important public good benefiting decision-makers, researchers and the public at large.
(1c) A good balance between economic and social goals in the European Semester is particularly important for the sustainability and legitimacy of economic and monetary union. Accordingly, social and employment goals have become more prominent in the European Semester, with both country reports and country-specific recommendations assessing social and employment challenges and promoting policy reforms based on best practices. To that end, social statistics are of paramount concern.
(2) Under Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council[4], the European statistical programme is to provide the framework for the development, production and dissemination of comparable and high-quality European statistics, setting out the main fields and objectives of the actions envisaged for a period corresponding to that of the multiannual financial framework.
(3) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council[5] covers the period from 2013 to 2017 only, whereas the current multiannual financial framework extends to 2020. It should therefore be amended immediately to extend the European statistical programme to 2020 and fill statistical gaps where urgently required.
(4) In the context of Better Regulation, Union policies should increasingly be designed and monitored on the basis of reliable evidence having a solid statistical basis. European statistics have a distinct role to play in that respect and can make a real difference, especially in policy areas where analytical value based on a large set of reliable data and responsiveness are key for policies to be successful.
(5) Better statistics are therefore crucial to achieving better results and contributing to a more and better Europe, and greater efforts should be made to boost investments in official statistics at both European and national levels. This should provide guidance in priority policy areas and for capacity-building, in addition to current guidance and ongoing re‑prioritisation. More specifically, action should be taken to tackle the most urgent statistical gaps, increase timeliness and support political priorities and economic policy coordination through the European Semester. The Commission (Eurostat) should also provide new population projections, in particular as regards migration flows, in close cooperation with the national statistical institutes for the update of the analysis of the social, economic and budgetary implications of population ageing and economic inequalities.
(5a) Indicators should be published in a timely manner and, when at all possible, within 12 months of the end of the period of time covered. The Commission (Eurostat) should state publicly the reason for any unduly long delays that might occur and, where relevant, indicate which Member States contributed to the delay as well the measures by which the Commission will resolve such delays and the timing thereof.
(6) High quality statistics developed, produced and disseminated under the multiannual programme should contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to the 2015 Paris Agreement, through the monitoring of its objectives and targets. Experimental ecosystem accounts and climate‑change statistics, including those relevant to climate‑change adaptation and ‘footprints’, should be further developed. The European Energy Union and the 2030 framework for climate and energy, which aims to make the Union’s economy and energy system more competitive, efficient, secure and sustainable, will require new statistics on energy consumption, energy efficiency, renewable energies, energy dependence and security of supply, the evolution of energy prices in relation to the evolution of average salaries and sustainable energy transition, and the circular economy.
(6a) Progress should be made in the development of a conceptual framework for the production of timely statistical data series measuring tax compliance, tax avoidance and tax evasion.
(7) The extension of the programme is an opportunity that should be taken to make adaptations and reflect the new orientations, to complement the existing objectives and ongoing prioritisation, and to ensure the continuity of historic data series in a context where the Union is facing important challenges in terms of economic development and social cohesion. It should also reinforce the cooperation between the Commission (Eurostat) and the national statistical institutes, and strengthen the regular dialogues with the European Statistical Advisory Committee and the coordination between the European Statistical System and the European System of Central Banks. The Commission (Eurostat) should monitor Member States’ compliance with the European Statistics Code of Practice.
(7a) It is particularly important to measure pockets of extreme unemployment, including extreme youth unemployment in cross-border regions.
(8) An appropriate increase of the budget for statistics at EU level should support these changes to the programme and bring significant added value and results for the improvement in the quality of data through large‑scale projects, structural leverage effects and economies of scale that can improve statistical systems across the Member States.
(9) This Regulation establishes a financial envelope for the extension of the European statistical programme to cover the years 2018 to 2020. This is to constitute the prime reference amount, within the meaning of point 17 of the Interinstitutional Agreement between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission[6], during the annual budgetary procedure.
(9a) Particular consideration should be given, in the extension of the multiannual European statistical programme, to the consequences of the withdrawal of a Member State from the Union. It is important to foster the comparability of data with neighbouring countries, while ensuring that Union funds are used fairly and in an appropriate manner.
(10) Since the objective of this Regulation, namely to extend the European statistical programme to cover the years 2018 to 2020, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective.
(11) In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, the draft proposal for an extension of the European statistical programme for the period 2018 to 2020 has been submitted for prior examination to the European Statistical System Committee, the European Statistical Advisory Committee established by Decision No 234/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council[7] and the Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payments Statistics established by Council Decision 2006/856/EC[8],
(12) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 is amended as follows:
(1) In Article 1, the following paragraph is added:
‘The programme shall be extended to cover the period 2018 to 2020.’
(1a) In Article 6, the following paragraph is inserted:
‘2a. In drafting the work programmes referred to in Article 9, the Commission shall ensure that an appropriate emphasis is placed on actions aiming at promoting compliance with the Code of Practice.’
(2) In Article 7(1), the following paragraph is inserted:
‘The Union financial envelope for the implementation of the programme for 2018 to 2020 shall be EUR 218.1 million, covered by the programming period 2014 to 2020.’
(3) Article 13 is replaced as follows:
‘Protection of the financial interests of the Union
1. The Commission shall take the necessary measures to ensure that, when activities financed under this Regulation are implemented, the financial interests of the Union are guaranteed through the application of preventive measures against fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities, through consistent and effective checks and, if irregularities are detected, through the recovery of the amounts wrongly paid and, where appropriate, through effective, proportionate and dissuasive administrative and financial penalties.
2. The Commission and the Court of Auditors or their representatives shall have the power of audit, on the basis of documents and on-the-spot checks, over all grant beneficiaries, contractors, subcontractors and third parties who have, directly or indirectly, received Union funds under the Programme.
3. The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) may carry out on-the-spot checks and inspections on economic operators concerned directly or indirectly by such funding in accordance with the procedures laid down in Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 883/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council[9] and in Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96[10] with a view to establishing whether there has been fraud, corruption or any other illegal activity affecting the financial interests of the Union in connection with a grant agreement or grant decision or a contract funded, directly or indirectly, within the framework of this Regulation.
4. Cooperation agreements with third countries and international organisations and grant agreements and grant decisions and contracts resulting from the implementation of this Regulation shall expressly empower the Commission, the Court of Auditors and OLAF to conduct such audits, on-the-spot checks and inspections.
5. Where the implementation of an action is outsourced or sub-delegated, in whole or in part, or where it requires the award of a procurement contract or financial support to be given to a third party, the contract, grant agreement or grant decision shall include the contractor's or beneficiary's obligation to impose on any third party involved explicit acceptance of those powers of the Commission, the Court of Auditors and OLAF.
6. Paragraphs 4 and 5 shall apply without prejudice to paragraphs 1, 2 and 3.’
(3a) In Article 15(2), the following subparagraph is added:
‘By 30 June 2019, the Commission shall, after consulting the ESSC and the European Statistical Advisory Committee, submit an intermediate progress report of the programme to the European Parliament and to the Council. That report shall detail the Commission’s view on the outlook for the European statistical programme within the multiannual financial framework starting in 2021.’
(4) Article 15(3) is replaced by the following:
‘By 31 December 2021, the Commission shall, after consulting the ESSC and the European Statistical Advisory Committee, submit a final evaluation report on the implementation of the programme to the European Parliament and to the Council. The report shall evaluate in particular the outcome of reprioritisation and cost evaluation of statistical products, the progress on rendering access to official statistics easier and more user-friendly, including the provision of data on its website, and the progress on the improvement of data availability, especially on economic activity in the tertiary sector, on social economy activities and on the Europe 2020 indicators.’
(5) The Annex is amended as set out in the Annex to this Regulation.
Article 2
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply from 1 January 2018.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels,
For the European Parliament For the Council
The President The President
ANNEX
The Annex to Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 is amended as follows:
(-1) The title of the Annex is replaced by the following:
‘Statistical infrastructure and objectives of the European statistical programme 2013 to 2020’
(-1a) In the introduction, the first subparagraph is replaced by the following:
‘The implementation of Union policies requires high-quality, comparable and reliable statistical information about the economic, social, territorial and environmental situation in the Union and its components at national and regional level. European statistics are also indispensable for Europe, allowing the general public and European citizens to understand as well as to take part in the democratic process and debate about the present and future of the Union.’
(-1b) In the introduction, the second subparagraph is replaced by the following:
‘The European statistical programme provides for the legislative framework for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics over the period 2013 to 2020.’
(-1c) In the introduction, the fourth subparagraph is replaced by the following:
‘Statistics developed, produced and disseminated under the European statistical programme 2013 to 2020 (‘the programme’) contribute to the implementation of the Union’s policies as reflected in the TFEU and Europe 2020 and its respective flagship initiatives and other policies set out in the Commission’s strategic priorities.’
(-1d) Objective 1 is replaced by the following:
‘— Objective 1: provide statistical information in a timely manner, to support the development, monitoring and evaluation of the policies of the Union properly reflecting priorities, while keeping a balance between economic, social, territorial and environmental fields and serving the needs of the wide range of users of European statistics, including other decision-makers, researchers, businesses and European citizens in general, in a cost-effective manner without unnecessary duplication of effort;’
(1) Point I. Statistical Outputs is amended as follows:
(-a) In point 1.1, the first subparagraph is replaced by the following:
‘
Endorsement of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth by the June 2010 European Council has shaped to a large extent the strategic agenda for the Union and national policies in the years ahead. That agenda establishes a number of headline targets and flagship initiatives for which statistical indicators have to be delivered by the ESS in a number of areas (i.e. improving the conditions for innovation, research and development, promoting decent jobs, promoting equality of treatment between women and men meeting Union climate change and energy objectives, resource efficiency, improving education levels, reducing early school leaving, increasing lifelong vocational training and learning mobility, active and healthy ageing, promoting social inclusion, and reducing poverty, with a focus on vulnerable groups. Where appropriate, gender-disaggregated statistics are needed in order to understand what gender-based discrimination involves, with a focus on violence against women.’
(a) In Objective 1.1.1, the first paragraph is replaced by the following:
‘Provide high-quality reliable statistical information, which must be available in a timely manner for the European Semester, to monitor the implementation of Europe 2020 strategy. New indicators shall, to the extent possible, be based on available statistical data.’
(aa) In Objective 1.1.1, the fourth indent is replaced by the following:
‘- employment indicators distinguishing between part-time and full-time employment and between fixed-term contracts and permanent contracts, as well as indicators on unemployment that take into account people in activation policies such as training. That data should also include data on gender divides.’
(b) In Objective 1.2.1, the second indent is replaced by the following:
‘— providing statistical input for an enhanced Stability and Growth Pact specifically aimed at the production and provision of high-quality statistics on government deficit and debt;’
(ba) In Objective 1.2.1, the following indent is inserted after the second indent:
‘ - providing statistical input for efficiently monitoring the economic inequalities that hamper economic growth.’
(bb) In Objective 1.3.1, the first subparagraph is replaced by the following:
‘Enhance the indicators and statistical information available on economic globalisation and global value chains for Union decision-makers and the public at large. That information should make for a better understanding of the economic, social and environmental impact of globalisation ’
(bc) In Objective 1.3.1, the following indent is inserted after the second indent:
‘— an analysis of the positive and negative consequences for the European market, in particular the Union’s labour market; ’
(c) In Objective 1.3.1, the third indent is replaced by the following:
‘— the analysis of the global value chains, possibly through appropriate input/output tables, and foreign trade and business statistics, including micro-data linking; and the integration of these outputs into the international initiatives of Union interest; and’
(d) Point 2 is replaced by the following:
‘2. Accounting frameworks
The Commission Communication of 20 August 2009 entitled ‘GDP and beyond: Measuring progress in a changing world’, and the publication of the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Report on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress have given new impetus to the key challenge for the ESS, namely how to achieve better statistics on cross-cutting issues and more integrated statistics to describe complex social, environmental and economic phenomena beyond the traditional measures of economic output. Work on GDP and beyond within the ESS focuses on three priority areas: statistics for the household sector and statistics measuring the distribution of income, consumption and wealth; measuring quality of life in a multidimensional way; and measuring environmental sustainability. The new worldwide Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 provide further impetus. The European System of National and Regional Accounts (ESA) offers an integrated and consistent framework for all economic statistics that should be complemented by other indicators in order to provide more comprehensive information for policy- and decision-making. Full implementation of the ESA 2010 will be supported by regular quality and compliance assessments, taking into account the progressive expiry of derogations until 2020, leading to further improvements in the timeliness and availability of indicators. ’
(da) In point 2.1 the first paragraph is replaced by the following:
‘The economic crisis has reinforced the need to have a set of high-quality macroeconomic indicators in order to better understand and analyse economic fluctuations as well as the evolution of economic inequalities and their effects on society, thereby facilitating the decision-making process. Increasingly globalised production makes it necessary to develop a consistent framework that facilitates the interpretation and integration of statistics from different domains.’
(e) Objective 2.1.1 is amended as follows:
-i) The second indent is replaced by the following:
‘— the production of indicators on income, wealth and consumption distribution across households, by reconciling national accounts aggregates with household survey data or administrative data; ’
i) The fourth indent is replaced by the following:
‘— reinforcement of links with national accounts in the areas of migration, social protection, health and education;
‘— development of a measurement framework of quality of life, reinforcing the household perspective in national accounts;
‘— development of ‘GDP and beyond’ related indicators measuring environmental sustainability and external effects with a national account perspective;’
ii) The following new indents are inserted after the fifth indent as follows:
‘— further development of timely social indicators, including advanced techniques for now-casting and flash estimates;
— supporting international data sharing for macroeconomic data to reduce the burden for data producers and improve the availability of comparable and consistent data to users;
‘— development and fine-tuning of aggregated indicators of income and aspects of wealth inequality;
‘— development of a conceptual framework for the measurement and analysis of gender inequality, with particular regard to the wage gap;’
—development of timely indicators on citizens using the portability of their social rights from one Member State to another’
(f) In Objective 2.1.2, the last indent is replaced by the following:
‘— the availability and extension of harmonised housing price statistics for all Member States. ’
(g) In Objective 2.2.1, the indents are replaced by the following:
‘— further development of a coherent system of environmental accounts as ‘satellite accounts’ to the main national accounts, providing information on atmospheric emissions, energy consumption, flows of natural resources, trade in raw materials, environmental taxation and spending on environmental protection, possibly including green growth/procurement;
—further development of experimental ecosystem accounts;
— further development of climate change-related statistics, including statistics relevant to climate change adaptation; and
— further development of indicators measuring environmental "footprints".’
h) Objective 3.1.1 is amended as follows:
i) The first paragraph is replaced by the following:
‘Increase the efficiency and effectiveness of statistical production processes. Considering the fact that the Lisbon Treaty has called for better regulation, a streamlining of the legislation related to the pillar of business statistics is needed. In so doing, due consideration should be given to the limitations of the resources available to producers and the overall burden on respondents in line with the Commission Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT). Provide high-quality statistics on key areas where enterprises are the centre of interest, such as business statistics, short-term indicators, their investment in human capital and skills, international transactions, globalisation, internal market monitoring, R&D and innovation, and tourism. Special attention should be paid to the availability of data in high value-added industrial or services sectors, in particular in the green, digital, collaborative, health, education and social economy’
ii) The first indent is replaced by the following:
‘— the reuse of data available in the statistical system or in society, a common legal basis for all business related statistics and the production of a common infrastructure and of common tools; ’
(i) Objective 3.2.1 is amended as follows:
- i) The first paragraph is replaced by the following:
‘Provide statistics on the main areas of social policy where the citizen is the centre of interest, such as well-being, sustainability, social cohesion, poverty, inequalities, demographic challenges (in particular population ageing, depopulation, population dispersion and migration), the labour market, education and training, including childhood education, adult learning, vocational training and learning mobility of young people, culture, physical activity, quality of life, safety, health, disability, consumption, free movement and the internal market, mobility of young people, technological innovation and new lifestyle choices. Those statistics shall be disaggregated by gender, where appropriate, for groups that are of special interest to social policy makers. Priorities shall be set in accordance with Article 6. ’
-ia) The fourth indent is replaced by the following:
‘— the provision of statistics on inequalities of income, with indicators such as the Gini index and the evolution of the top deciles of income distribution providing a comparable national headline indicator, as well as data on inequalities of access to basic goods and services; ’
i) The seventh indent is replaced by the following:
‘— the implementation of actions of the work programme on mainstreaming of migration statistics taking into account new challenges, in particular international developments; ’
ii) The following new indents are inserted after the seventh indent as follows:
‘— the provision of population projections and of their annual updates;
‘— the development of comprehensive indicators on the situation of migrants within the Union;
‘— further cooperation with specialised agencies concerning the situation of refugees;
‘— the development of a methodology for a gender based violence survey in cooperation with the Union institutions acting in that field;
‘— the creation of a common legal basis for social statistics and the production of a common infrastructure and of common tools;’
‘— the provision of indicators for a comparison of the cost of providing public services, in particular education and health care, between regions;’
‘— the provision of statistics disaggregated by gender concerning the offers made to Youth Employment Initiative beneficiaries; ’
(j) In Point 3.3, the third paragraph is replaced by the following:
‘Agriculture will remain an important Union policy area. The Common Agricultural Policy underlined needs for its main objectives namely for viable food production, for sustainable management of natural resources and climate action as well as for balanced territorial development. Focus will be on environmental, biodiversity/ecosystem-related, economic, human health and safety and social dimensions. ’
(k) Objective 3.3.1 is amended as follows:
i) The first paragraph is replaced by the following:
‘Support evidence-based policy-making by a more flexible and increased use of spatial information combined with social, territorial, economic and environmental statistical information for regions, regional typologies, cities and the degree of urbanisation. ’
ii) Two new indents are added as follows:
‘— the implementation of land use and land cover statistics (LUCAS);
— coordination of statistical data for regions, regional typologies, cities and the degree of urbanisation.’
(l) Objective 3.3.3 is amended as follows:
i) A second paragraph is inserted as follows:
‘In line with the ‘European Energy Union’ priority of the Commission particular focus will be given to statistics related to energy consumption, energy efficiency, renewable energies, energy dependence, energy poverty and security of supply, the circular economy and the bioeconomy. Furthermore, energy statistics will need to support the 2030 policy framework for climate and energy that aims to make the Union’s economy and energy system more competitive, secure and sustainable.’
ii) A new indent is added as follows:
‘— energy dependence and security of supply. ’
(la) The following objective is added after Objective 3.3.4:
'Objective 3.3.4a
European citizens should be able to draw easily and without obstacles on European statistics to enable them to use such data for their education and decision-making. That objective will be implemented by enhancing the user-friendliness of European statistics and by facilitating access to data. Special attention should be paid to easy retrievability and convertibility of statistical data for practical use, including through graphs and maps. A broader range of citizens should benefit from European statistics in order to effectively contribute to enhancing the dissemination of statistical information throughout European societies. ’
(2) Point II. Production Methods of European Statistics is amended as follows:
(a) The first paragraph is replaced by the following:
‘The ESS is currently facing a number of challenges: the expectations on the scope, quality and comparability of European statistics are increasing; with globalisation, a complex reality has emerged that has to be captured by official statistics and raises methodological challenges; the ever increasing availability of data from private and public providers offer a huge potential to improve the timeliness and relevance of official statistics as well as to reduce response burden. To face these challenges, the European Statistical System will gradually implement strategic goals defined for 2020, building upon a holistic approach to reach quality and efficiency gains:
– to engage proactively in a regular dialogue with users to understand deeper their needs, recognising that different user groups have different needs that need to be addressed in the right way.
– to provide high quality products and services and apply a quality approach to the management, organisation, and governance of the ESS.
– to base statistical products and services on both traditional surveys and newer sources, including administrative data, geospatial and, where possible, big data. To get access to new data sources, create methods and find suitable technology in order to use new data sources to produce European statistics in a reliable way.
– to improve the efficiency of statistical production by further intensifying the sharing of knowledge, experiences and methodologies but also by sharing tools, data, services and resources where appropriate. Enterprise architecture will be the common reference framework, and the collaboration will be based on agreed standards and common elements of technological and statistical infrastructure.
– to implement a dissemination strategy for European statistics which is flexible enough to adapt to emerging technologies, gives guidance in a world of data revolution and serves as a reliable pillar of democracy."
(b) In Objective 1.1, the first indent is replaced by the following:
‘— the introduction of new integrated, effective and fit-for purpose quality assurance mechanism based on the Code of Practice and the ESS Quality Assurance Framework;
— assessment of compliance with the Code of Practice; ’
(c) In Objective 3.1, the fifth indent is replaced by:
‘— the use of the European approach to statistics for quick policy response in specific and duly justified cases. This includes the development of a methodology for a gender based violence survey, in the first place organised as a singular exercise, with the aim of allowing for a continuous series of different relevant data collections delivered under an EU social survey based on the European approach to statistics; ’
(d) In Objective 4.1, a new indent is added as follows:
‘— the identification of current and future data requirements to provide multi-purpose and customised end-user products, services and data warehouses; ’
(e) In Objective 5.1, a new indent is inserted after the third indent as follows:
‘— the analysis of needs for new skills related to data science and their integration into training programmes; ’
(3) Point III. Partnership is amended as follows:
(a) In Objective 1.4, three indents are inserted after the fourth indent as follows:
‘— raising awareness of Union citizens to the importance of official statistics and its communication to all stakeholders by celebrating the European Statistics Day on 20 October each year;
— disseminating relevant statistical data to support the European Neighbourhood Policy and the respective Association Agreements;
— promoting European values and initiatives such as the European Statistics Code of Practice, ESS Quality Assurance Frameworks, standardisation and harmonisation approaches to third countries and regions; ’
- [1] * Amendments: new or amended text is highlighted in bold italics; deletions are indicated by the symbol ▌.
- [2] OJ C […], […], p. […].
- [3] OJ C […], […], p. […].
- [4] Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on European statistics and repealing Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1101/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the transmission of data subject to statistical confidentiality to the Statistical Office of the European Communities, Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 on Community Statistics, and Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom establishing a Committee on the Statistical Programmes of the European Communities (OJ L 87, 31.3.2009, p. 164).
- [5] Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2013 on the European statistical programme 2013-17 (OJ L 39, 9.2.2013, p. 12).
- [6] Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (OJ C 373, 20.12.2013, p. 1).
- [7] Decision No 234/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2008 establishing the European Statistical Advisory Committee and repealing Council Decision 91/116/EEC (OJ L 73, 15.3.2008, p. 13).
- [8] Council Decision 2006/856/EC of 13 November 2006 establishing a Committee on monetary, financial and balance of payments statistics (OJ L 332, 30.11.2006, p. 21).
- [9] OJ L 248, 18.9.2013, p. 1.
- [10] OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2.
OPINION of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (24.3.2017)
for the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European statistical programme 2013-17, by extending it to 2018-2020
(COM(2016)0557 – C8-0367/2016 – 2016/0265(COD))
Rapporteur: Maria Arena
SHORT JUSTIFICATION
The need for a political response to the profound economic crisis and its social impact has fuelled demands for better economic and social policies based on robust and comparable evidence. Evidence-based decisions are especially important for the performance management of EU policies. On numerous occasions, for instance in the ECOFIN Council conclusions of 8 December 2015, the Council has stressed the vital importance of official statistics for policymaking.
The main objective of the proposal by the Commission is therefore to extend this Regulation 99/2013 for the 2018-2020 period and provide the financial support that the European Statistical System needs in order to be able to:
provide high-quality statistical information and close the statistical gaps that need to be addressed most urgently, focusing on a number of priority areas that reflect the Commission’s 10 political priorities in the Commission’s Agenda for jobs, growth, fairness and democratic change and other Union policies such as the European Semester, the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, and the European Energy Union;
build the permanent capacity needed to respond more quickly to emerging needs and to adapt the statistical infrastructure so as to harness the potential of new data sources; and
strengthen partnership within the European Statistical System (ESS) and beyond in order to further increase its productivity and secure its leading role in official statistics worldwide
The Rapporteur welcomes the Commission proposal. She suggests specifying and improving the social indicators to be provided by the ESS and strengthening synergies. She highlights, in particular, the importance of producing and disseminating social indicators to monitor the progress of the Europe 2020 strategy. She also recalls the importance of producing indicators which go beyond GDP as well as statistics on poverty and risks of social exclusion, on job quality, but also gender-based statistics, with a specific focus on gender-based violence. In the longer term, the Rapporteur also suggests modernising social statistics by implementing a common legal basis as well as by using a common infrastructure and common tools.
AMENDMENTS
The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs calls on the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, as the committee responsible, to take into account the following amendments:
Amendment 1 Proposal for a regulation Recital -1 (new) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Text proposed by the Commission |
Amendment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
(-1) Statistical data and indicators are the backbone of responsible evidence-based policies. To create, analyse and adapt Union, national and regional policies, which address the needs of citizens, it is essential to dispose of timely, comparable and precise information about the situation so as to respond to it and this is a key responsibility of policy makers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 2 Proposal for a regulation Recital 1 a (new) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Text proposed by the Commission |
Amendment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
(1a) A good balance between economic and social goals in the European Semester is particularly important for the sustainability and legitimacy of the economic and monetary Union. Hence, social and employment goals have become more prominent in the European Semester, with both country reports and country-specific recommendations assessing social and employment challenges and promoting policy reforms based on best practices. To that end, social statistics have a paramount concern. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 3 Proposal for a regulation Recital 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Text proposed by the Commission |
Amendment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
(5) Better statistics are therefore crucial to achieving better results and contributing to a better Europe, and greater efforts should be made to boost investments in official statistics at both European and national levels. This should provide guidance in priority policy areas and for capacity-building, in addition to current guidance and ongoing re-prioritisation. More specifically, action should be taken to tackle the most urgent statistical gaps, increase timeliness and support political priorities and economic policy coordination through the European Semester. The Commission (Eurostat) should also provide new population projections in close cooperation with the national statistical institutes to update the analysis of the economic and budgetary implications of population ageing. |
(5) Better statistics are therefore crucial to achieving better results and contributing to a better Europe, and greater efforts should be made to boost investments in official statistics at both European and national levels. This should provide guidance in priority policy areas and for capacity-building, in addition to current guidance and ongoing re-prioritisation. More specifically, action should be taken to tackle the most urgent statistical gaps, increase timeliness and support political priorities and economic policy coordination through the European Semester. Reporting should be established on the scope and extent of non-coverage of persons which are “overlooked” and not covered by statistics such as the homeless people. The Commission (Eurostat) should also provide new population projections in close cooperation with the national statistical institutes to update the analysis of the economic and budgetary implications of population ageing and provide an accurate picture of the depopulation and population dispersion affecting many European regions and the additional costs they thus incur in providing public services for their citizens. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 4 Proposal for a regulation Recital 7 a (new) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Text proposed by the Commission |
Amendment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
(7a) It is particularly important to measure pockets of extreme unemployment such as extreme youth unemployment in cross-border regions; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 5 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point -1 (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – introduction – paragraph 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:039:0012:0029:EN:PDF) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 6 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point -1 a (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – objectives – paragraph 2 – indent 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:039:0012:0029:EN:PDF) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 7 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point -a (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 1 – point 1.1 – paragraph 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/FR/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32013R0099&qid=1484042701710&from=EN) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 8 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point a Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 1 – point 1.1 – objective 1.1.1 – paragraph 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32013R0099&from=EN) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 9 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point a a (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 1 – point 1.1 – objective 1.1.1 – paragraph 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32013R0099&from=EN) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 10 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point a b (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 1 – point 1.2 – paragraph 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:039:0012:0029:EN:PDF) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 11 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point a c (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 1 – point 1.2 – point 1.2.1 – paragraph 3 –indent -1 (new) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 12 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point b a (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 1 – point 1.2 – point 1.2.1 – paragraph 3 – indent 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32013R0099&from=FR) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 13 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point b b (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 1 – point 1.2 – point 1.3.1 – paragraph 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/FR/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32013R0099&from=EN) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 14 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point b c (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 1 – point 1.3 – point 1.3.1 – paragraph 2 – indent 2 a (new) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 15 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point d a (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 2 – point 2.1 – paragraph 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:039:0012:0029:EN:PDF) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Justification | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The economic crisis has reinforced the need to have a set of high-quality macroeconomic indicators to better understand and analyse economic fluctuations and their effects on society, and thereby facilitate the decision-making process. Increasingly globalised production makes it necessary to develop a consistent framework that facilitates the interpretation and integration of statistics from different domains. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 16 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point e – point i Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 2 – point 2.1 – point 2.1.1 – paragraph 3 – indent 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 17 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point e – point ii Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 2 – point 2.1 – point 2.1.1 – paragraph 3 –indent 5 c (new) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Justification | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The European Parliament has repeatedly expressed the importance of having reliable, timely and sound data on citizens using the portability of their rights when moving within the European Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 18 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point f Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex 1 – point I – point 2– point 2.1 – point 2.1.2 – paragraph 5 – indent 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 19 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point h – point i Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 3 – point 3.1 – point 3.1.1 – paragraph 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 20 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point i – point -i (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 3 – point 3.2 – point 3.2.1 – paragraph 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 21 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point i – point -i a (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 3 – point 3.2.1. – paragraph 3 – indent 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2013:039:0012:0029:EN:PDF) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 22 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point i – point ii Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 3 – point 3.2 – point 3.2.1 – paragraph 3 – indent 7 b and 7 c (new) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 23 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point i – point ii a (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 3 – point 3.2 – point 3.2.1 – paragraph 3 – indent 7 d (new) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 24 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point i – point ii b (new) Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 3 – point 3.2 – point 3.2.1 – paragraph 2 – indent 7 e (new) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Amendment 25 Proposal for a regulation Annex I – paragraph 1 – point 1 – point l – point i Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 Annex I – point I – point 3 – point 3.3 – point 3.3.3 – paragraph 1 a | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION
|
Title |
Amending Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European statistical programme 2013-17, by extending it to 2018-2020 |
||||
|
References |
COM(2016)0557 – C8-0367/2016 – 2016/0265(COD) |
||||
|
Committee responsible Date announced in plenary |
ECON 15.9.2016 |
|
|
|
|
|
Opinion by Date announced in plenary |
EMPL 15.9.2016 |
||||
|
Rapporteur Date appointed |
Maria Arena 25.10.2016 |
||||
|
Discussed in committee |
25.1.2017 |
27.2.2017 |
|
|
|
|
Date adopted |
22.3.2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
Result of final vote |
+: –: 0: |
39 1 8 |
|||
|
Members present for the final vote |
Mara Bizzotto, Enrique Calvet Chambon, David Casa, Ole Christensen, Lampros Fountoulis, Marian Harkin, Rina Ronja Kari, Jan Keller, Ádám Kósa, Jean Lambert, Jérôme Lavrilleux, Patrick Le Hyaric, Jeroen Lenaers, Javi López, Thomas Mann, Dominique Martin, Anthea McIntyre, Joëlle Mélin, Emilian Pavel, João Pimenta Lopes, Georgi Pirinski, Marek Plura, Terry Reintke, Sofia Ribeiro, Robert Rochefort, Maria João Rodrigues, Claude Rolin, Anne Sander, Sven Schulze, Jutta Steinruck, Romana Tomc, Yana Toom, Marita Ulvskog, Renate Weber, Tatjana Ždanoka, Jana Žitňanská |
||||
|
Substitutes present for the final vote |
Maria Arena, Georges Bach, Tania González Peñas, Krzysztof Hetman, Marju Lauristin, Edouard Martin, Alex Mayer, Joachim Schuster, Jasenko Selimovic, Csaba Sógor, Michaela Šojdrová, Neoklis Sylikiotis |
||||
FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE ASKED FOR OPINION
|
39 |
+ |
|
|
ALDE ENF PPE
S&D
Verts/ALE |
Enrique Calvet Chambon, Marian Harkin, Robert Rochefort, Jasenko Selimovic, Yana Toom, Renate Weber Dominique Martin, Joëlle Mélin Georges Bach, David Casa, Krzysztof Hetman, Ádám Kósa, Jérôme Lavrilleux, Jeroen Lenaers, Thomas Mann, Marek Plura, Sofia Ribeiro, Claude Rolin, Anne Sander, Sven Schulze, Csaba Sógor, Romana Tomc, Michaela Šojdrová Maria Arena, Ole Christensen, Jan Keller, Marju Lauristin, Javi López, Edouard Martin, Alex Mayer, Emilian Pavel, Georgi Pirinski, Maria João Rodrigues, Joachim Schuster, Jutta Steinruck, Marita Ulvskog Jean Lambert, Terry Reintke, Tatjana Ždanoka |
|
|
1 |
- |
|
|
NI |
Lampros Fountoulis |
|
|
8 |
0 |
|
|
ECR ENF GUE/NGL |
Anthea McIntyre, Jana Žitňanská Mara Bizzotto Tania González Peñas, Rina Ronja Kari, Patrick Le Hyaric, João Pimenta Lopes, Neoklis Sylikiotis |
|
Key to symbols:
+ : in favour
- : against
0 : abstention
PROCEDURE – COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE
|
Title |
Amending Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European statistical programme 2013-17, by extending it to 2018-2020 |
||||
|
References |
COM(2016)0557 – C8-0367/2016 – 2016/0265(COD) |
||||
|
Date submitted to Parliament |
7.9.2016 |
|
|
|
|
|
Committee responsible Date announced in plenary |
ECON 15.9.2016 |
|
|
|
|
|
Committees asked for opinions Date announced in plenary |
AFET 15.9.2016 |
BUDG 15.9.2016 |
EMPL 15.9.2016 |
ITRE 15.9.2016 |
|
|
|
IMCO 15.9.2016 |
|
|
|
|
|
Not delivering opinions Date of decision |
AFET 27.10.2016 |
BUDG 15.9.2016 |
ITRE 26.9.2016 |
IMCO 26.9.2016 |
|
|
Rapporteurs Date appointed |
Roberto Gualtieri 12.10.2016 |
|
|
|
|
|
Discussed in committee |
25.1.2017 |
27.2.2017 |
|
|
|
|
Date adopted |
27.3.2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
Result of final vote |
+: –: 0: |
39 2 4 |
|||
|
Members present for the final vote |
Burkhard Balz, Hugues Bayet, Pervenche Berès, Udo Bullmann, Esther de Lange, Anneliese Dodds, Markus Ferber, Sven Giegold, Sylvie Goulard, Roberto Gualtieri, Brian Hayes, Gunnar Hökmark, Danuta Maria Hübner, Georgios Kyrtsos, Philippe Lamberts, Werner Langen, Sander Loones, Olle Ludvigsson, Ivana Maletić, Fulvio Martusciello, Marisa Matias, Costas Mavrides, Bernard Monot, Luigi Morgano, Luděk Niedermayer, Stanisław Ożóg, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Pirkko Ruohonen-Lerner, Molly Scott Cato, Pedro Silva Pereira, Peter Simon, Kay Swinburne, Paul Tang, Ernest Urtasun, Marco Valli, Jakob von Weizsäcker, Steven Woolfe |
||||
|
Substitutes present for the final vote |
Enrique Calvet Chambon, Doru-Claudian Frunzulică, Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz, Thomas Mann, Joachim Starbatty, Nils Torvalds |
||||
|
Substitutes under Rule 200(2) present for the final vote |
Carlos Iturgaiz, Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski |
||||
|
Date tabled |
4.4.2017 |
||||
FINAL VOTE BY ROLL CALL IN COMMITTEE RESPONSIBLE
|
39 |
+ |
|
|
ALDE |
Enrique Calvet Chambon, Sylvie Goulard, Nils Torvalds |
|
|
ECR |
Pirkko Ruohonen-Lerner |
|
|
ENF |
Bernard Monot |
|
|
GUE/NGL |
Marisa Matias |
|
|
EPP |
Burkhard Balz, Markus Ferber, Ildikó Gáll-Pelcz, Brian Hayes, Gunnar Hökmark, Danuta Maria Hübner, Carlos Iturgaiz, Georgios Kyrtsos, Werner Langen, Ivana Maletić, Thomas Mann, Fulvio Martusciello, Luděk Niedermayer, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Bogdan Andrzej Zdrojewski, Esther de Lange |
|
|
S&D |
Hugues Bayet, Pervenche Berès, Udo Bullmann, Anneliese Dodds, Doru-Claudian Frunzulică, Roberto Gualtieri, Olle Ludvigsson, Costas Mavrides, Luigi Morgano, Pedro Silva Pereira, Peter Simon, Paul Tang, Jakob von Weizsäcker |
|
|
VERTS/ALE |
Sven Giegold, Philippe Lamberts, Molly Scott Cato, Ernest Urtasun |
|
|
2 |
- |
|
|
EFDD |
Marco Valli |
|
|
NI |
Steven Woolfe |
|
|
4 |
0 |
|
|
ECR |
Sander Loones, Stanisław Ożóg, Joachim Starbatty, Kay Swinburne |
|
Key to symbols:
+ : in favour
- : against
0 : abstention