52016PC0557

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 7.9.2016

COM(2016) 557 final

2016/0265(COD)

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)

{SWD(2016) 287 final}
{SWD(2016) 288 final}

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

•Reasons for and objectives of the proposal

The European Union is faced with challenges in many policy areas and demand for European statistics 1 is consistently high. The implementation and monitoring of EU policies relies on comparable and high-quality statistical information about the economic, social and environmental situation in the EU and its components at national and regional level. European statistics are also indispensable if ‘Europe’ is to be understood by the general public and citizens are to take part in the democratic process and debate the present and future of the EU.

In order to satisfy the information needs stemming from the Commission’s 10 political priorities 2 , a number of urgent statistical gaps need to be addressed. Furthermore, the timeliness of some European statistics needs to be improved urgently, so that they provide the more uptodate information needed in the context of the European Semester exercise.

Although national statistical systems have made a significant effort to modernise their production methods with the support of the 20132017 European statistical programme (ESP), the current statistical production infrastructure is still not flexible enough to deliver new statistics when needed, while also limiting the associated cost and administrative burden. Under the status quo, the European Statistical System (ESS) will not be in a position to satisfy the growing demand for statistics or the need to make them available more quickly, thus putting the relevance of European statistics at risk.

Against this background, the objective of the proposal is to extend the ESP for the 20182020 period and provide the financial support that the ESS needs in order to be able to:

–provide highquality 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;

–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 ESS and beyond in order to further increase its productivity and secure its leading role in official statistics worldwide.

The parties who would be affected most directly by the proposal are users of statistics (e.g. policymakers, the media and researchers), producers of statistics (national statistical institutes (NSIs) and other national authorities (ONAs)) and respondents (households and businesses).

As the ESP is a horizontal initiative, it is not part of the Commission’s Regulatory Fitness and Performance programme (REFIT).

•Consistency with existing policy provisions in the policy area

Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics provides that the ‘European Statistical Programme shall provide the framework for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics, setting out the main fields and the objectives of the actions envisaged for a period corresponding to that of the multiannual financial framework’. The ESP sets out the framework and priorities for European statistics for the duration of the programme and also sets the budget to cover that period. Eurostat annual work programmes are based on the multiannual ESP. The current ESP, as laid down in Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 and covering the period from 2013 to 2017, is the eighth programme of its kind.

This initiative is intended to establish a legislative framework for the ESP for the duration of the multiannual financial framework (MFF).

Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 provides that the ESP is to be implemented by ‘individual statistical actions’ as decided:

–by the European Parliament and the Council;

–by the Commission under specific conditions; or

–in ESS agreements between NSIs or ONAs and the Commission (Eurostat).

This proposal does not address "other statistics" as defined in Commission Decision 2012/504/EU 3 that are not European statistics and that are identified in a planning and coordination exercise steered by Eurostat.

•Consistency with other Union policies

The main purpose of European statistics is to underpin the development, monitoring and evaluation of European policies with reliable, objective, comparable and coherent statistical information.

The current proposal will support the 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. 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, most recently in the ECOFIN Council conclusions of 8 December 2015, the Council has stressed the vital importance of official statistics for policymaking.

In particular, the initiative will underpin Union policies in the following areas:

–in line with the key priorities on growth and job creation, skills, mobility and the reduction of poverty and social exclusion, social indicators should help to strengthen the EU social dimension, European monetary union and the social impact analysis of macroeconomic policies;

–to support the priority of ‘boosting jobs, growth and investment’, further statistical work is needed to analyse the growth and employment impact of technological change and innovation and to put in place a circular economy monitoring system;

–in order to provide better statistical evidence for the ‘European Energy Union’, more detailed data on energy consumption and better early estimates of energy balances are needed;

–statistics on online cross-border selling are needed for the ‘digital single market’ priority. In particular, there is a need for more detailed information on accessing services provided by intermediaries in content distribution, on trust in online platforms and intermediaries, and on barriers faced by households making cross-border purchases;

–to support the priority of ‘a deeper and fairer economic and monetary union’, a harmonised house price index and related statistics are becoming increasingly important in the context of assessing Member States’ structural reforms. As a result, users are calling for further efforts to expand their scope and quality; and

–in order to ‘strengthen the role of the EU as a global actor’ and in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, statistics should help the EU to steer and monitor the impact of its external policies and assistance programmes, and to contribute to good governance and democratic debate in partner countries.

2.LEGAL BASIS, SUBSIDIARITY AND PROPORTIONALITY

•Legal basis

The Treaty legal basis for the proposal is Article 338 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, under which the European Parliament and the Council may adopt measures for the production of statistics where necessary for the activities of the Union. That Article sets out requirements as regards the production of European statistics, stating that they must conform to standards of impartiality, reliability, objectivity, scientific independence, cost-effectiveness and statistical confidentiality.

•Subsidiarity (for non-exclusive competence)

The subsidiarity principle applies insofar as the proposal does not fall within the exclusive competence of the EU. The sharing of competence between the EU and Member States is justified by the need to ensure the high quality and comparability of statistics underpinning EU policies and by the transnational character of many aspects of statistics in general and European statistics in particular. Therefore, only a coordinated approach to the development, production and dissemination of European statistics – as provided for in the ESP – guarantees the required coherence and comparability of the statistics that are relevant for EU activities.

The objective of the proposed action, namely the development, production and dissemination of European statistics under an extended ESP for the 20182020 period, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and is therefore better achieved at EU level on the basis of an EU legal act, ensuring the necessary comparability of statistical information at European level in all statistical domains covered by this act. The data collection itself can be carried out by the Member States.

•Proportionality

The proposal complies with the proportionality principle for the following reasons:

In line with the principle of proportionality, the proposal for a Regulation confines itself to the minimum required to achieve its objective and does not go beyond what is necessary for this purpose. The specific objectives for the proposed extension of the programme are the same as in the current (2013-2017) programme. These are spelled out and planned in more detail in the Commission’s annual statistical work programmes, which are prepared in close cooperation with the Member States and adopted taking into account the opinion of the ESS Committee. New statistical requirements with an impact on Member States will be prepared with the Member States’ early and direct involvement.

•Choice of the instrument

Proposed instrument: Regulation.

The proposal is to amend Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the European statistical programme 2013-17 4 , by extending it to 2018-2020.

3.RESULTS OF EX POST EVALUATIONS, STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

•Ex post evaluations/fitness checks of existing legislation

The evaluation of the 2008-2012 Community statistical programme, the mid-term evaluation 5 of the 2013-2017 ESP and final evaluations of the modernisation of European enterprise and trade statistics (MEETS) programme have been thoroughly analysed.

The 2013-2017 ESP mid-term evaluation concluded that the programme is generally well implemented, with 17 of the 23 detailed objectives well on track for completion. The ESP offers good EU added value, is run efficiently, responds to user needs and is consistent with other statistical programmes. For instance, the move towards new methods for the production of statistics helps the approaches used throughout the ESS. The evaluation puts forward three recommendations to guide and further optimise ESP implementation:

–pay particular attention to objectives where problems have been encountered;

–secure sufficient resources to maintain the necessary level of investment to modernise the production of European statistics; and

–identify and implement projects at EU level that can maximise EU added value.

The above recommendations have been carefully analysed and taken into account in this proposal.

•Stakeholder consultations

A strategy for consulting on the proposal to extend the 2013-2017 ESP was drawn up at an early stage with a view to collecting input and views from as many stakeholders as possible. In this context, and on the basis of intensive consultations with various stakeholder groups from 2014 onwards, Eurostat proposed a comprehensive approach to the consultation with stakeholders in the framework of the impact assessment.

Stakeholders were consulted in line with the strategy and the general principles and minimum standards identified by the Commission in its Guidelines on stakeholder consultation. The main elements of the strategy were a series of targeted consultations with key stakeholders and a public consultation 6 to ensure that all interested parties had an opportunity to express their views.

As the current 2013-2017 ESP had been drawn up in 2010-2011, it was considered important to get contributions from stakeholders to identify changes in the meantime that should be taken into account for the extension of the programme. These included political, economic and social changes, and developments in the fields of technology, statistics and methodology. An assessment was then carried out, in particular from the users’ point of view, of priorities for European statistics until 2020. Finally, feedback was requested on the impact of the suggested actions on the users and producers of statistics and on respondents (in particular businesses), and difficulties identified that would need to be overcome in order to implement them. The consultations also focused on the impact of the various policy options for the extension of the ESP.

The consultation strategy identified and mapped stakeholder categories and groups so that all were sufficiently covered. These included institutional and non-institutional users of European statistics, producers (NSIs and ONAs), survey respondents (businesses and households) and the public at large. Extensive consultation with various stakeholder categories, starting in 2014 and continuing through 2015, involved:

–a conference of European statistics users and stakeholders;

–consultation of the Commission’s Directorates-General;

–consultation of producers/NSIs; and

–a public consultation focusing on changes in the overall environment that could affect the priorities of the 2018-2020 ESP and the impact of the various options.

Also, at an early stage in the preparation of the ESP 7 and on an ongoing basis, the Commission consulted the European Statistics Advisory Committee, which represents users and respondents at European level and the members of which are wellestablished experts in the field of statistics. The Committee pointed to a clear need to reduce the burden on respondents, improve timeliness and incorporate new data sources from outside ESS, and to provide adequate resources to measure emerging policies.

In addition to the external consultations, the Commission has conducted an internal assessment of its statistical needs, indicating that those needs will not diminish over the 2018-2020 extension period. The current level of statistical information relevant for policy formulation, analysis and monitoring would need to be maintained. Data gaps should be filled, new needs in some specific policy areas should be covered, and more timely data and additional geographical breakdowns provided. In most cases, the new needs relate to the 10 political priorities set out in the Commission’s political guidelines for 2014-2019. Moreover, there is a need to exploit new data sources (e.g. ‘big data’) more effectively, which could lead to efficiency gains in the long run. Specific areas to be developed are social (including migration, health and gender) and business statistics. Changes in the design of European energy markets necessitate a streamlining of energy statistics so as to provide timely, comparable and sufficiently detailed data in the context of the energy union and climate policies.

Analysis of the feedback from the various stakeholder groups revealed a basic divergence:

–users ask for statistical products of the highest possible quality, in terms inter alia of relevance, timeliness, coverage and comparability; whereas

–given their scarce resources, producers face a series of challenges in meeting demand.

All groups pointed to a need further to modernise statistical production processes.

The results of the stakeholder consultations were studied thoroughly and fed into the analysis of the policy options in the context of the impact assessment. The preferred policy option, as put forward in the proposal, would have the greatest impact in terms of capacity to produce data more quickly, which is essential for meeting users’ fundamental needs. The proposal also includes new measures to improve the relevance and timeliness of social and energy statistics and the exploitation of new data sources, including ‘big data’. There is an emphasis on modernisation projects to improve the flexibility of statistical production systems and reduce both the long-term costs for producers and the administrative burden for respondents.

•Collection and use of expertise

Not applicable

•Impact assessment

An impact assessment 8 was carried out for this proposal. The Regulatory Scrutiny Board issued a positive opinion on the impact assessment report on 18 March 2016.

As the establishment of a multiannual ESP is a requirement under Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, the impact assessment did not examine whether or not to extend the ESP, but how best to do so. As the proposal extends the current (2013-2017) ESP, for all policy options the following existing specific objectives were taken over for 2018-2020:

–Objective 1: Provide high-quality statistical information necessary to support the development, monitoring and evaluation of EU policies and serving the needs of a wide range of users.

–Objective 2: Implement new methods to produce European statistics aiming at efficiency gains and quality improvements.

–Objective 3: Strengthen the partnership within the European Statistical System and beyond in order to further enhance its productivity and its leading role in official statistics worldwide.

The following policy options were considered:

Option 1: Same ESP (2013-2017) extended to 2018-2020 (baseline scenario)

This option was taken as the baseline scenario against which to compare the other options. It involves no change in terms of statistics planned (objective 1), the framework for adapting the statistical infrastructure (objective 2) or partnerships (objective 3).

Option 2: Extension of current ESP with adaptations

This option involves a programme for 2018-2020 that will keep the structure of the current programme while taking into account possible ways of harnessing the potential of ‘big data’ for producing statistics, the ESS Vision 2020 and the new needs of users.

This would see changes in terms of both programme content and budget. To some extent, it can also be regarded as changing the scope, in particular with a possible reprioritisation of current statistical outputs.

Option 2a: Amendment of current ESP and reduced annual budget

This option was considered initially, but discarded at an early stage, since it does not sufficiently address the problems identified. It would entail a drastic reduction in the level of ambition for the detailed ‘multipurpose statistics and efficiency gains’ objective, in particular for ‘new data sources’ (no investment on ‘big data’) and be detrimental to data timeliness and relevance.

It emerged from the consultation of NSIs that this option would satisfy objective 2 requirements much less than expected for all Member States. In some countries, it is possible that no modernisation project would be taken up. Since activities relating to the implementation of ESS Vision 2020 depend on ESS funding, they would be seriously jeopardised without sufficient budgetary support. The cost of ‘big data’ (IT infrastructure, more advanced IT, statistical and other skills) and open data developments were highlighted.

Option 2b: Amended programme, including improved statistical outputs to align statistical production with the Commission’s 10 political priorities, balanced by strong reprioritisation (same annual budget as current ESP)

This option would see a significant re-prioritisation of current statistical outputs to facilitate the improvement (in particular, as regards timeliness) of statistics in line with the most urgent user needs, in particular related to statistics on inequality, poverty and material deprivation, energy and the environment. To make room for the new actions, some existing data collections would need to be significantly reduced in scope and coverage (reduced information, geographical breakdowns or periodicity). Possible reductions of existing outputs would be based on an analysis of the costs and relative merits of these statistics.

Option 2c: Amended programme, including new statistical outputs to align statistical production with the Commission’s 10 political priorities, complemented by major initiatives to reduce the burden on respondents and costs to NSIs, and increased annual budget

This option would involve the following new or improved statistical outputs (objective 1) in addition to the existing outputs of the current programme, taking into account new user needs:

–improve the timeliness of data on inequality, poverty and material deprivation of people in Europe (including flash estimates);

–produce more, and more timely, statistics on energy (efficiency, security, renewables, consumption, prices, etc.);

–improve the quality and timeliness of environmental data to support climate change policy and the circular economy;

–measure progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals;

–support drivers for technological change and e-commerce;

–improve annual population projections;

–extend housing price statistics;

–extend coverage of statistics on the service sector; and

–measure globalisation.

It would also involve new investments in the statistical infrastructure under objective 2, which would be focused on:

–exploratory work for a future EU social survey to increase substantially the flexibility of social indicators to provide more timely responses to new user needs;

–statistics on demand and dissemination as a service: developing the capacities to deliver more and better data analytics services and products to underpin, design and monitor EU polices, especially in the areas of competitiveness, the circular economy, agriculture and food policy, and regional development;

–modernisation, including the use of new sources: harnessing the potential of digital developments, notably as regards the take-up of new data sources (‘big data’, ‘internet of things’.); and

–basic infrastructure and pilot projects for modernisation: strengthen the European statistical infrastructure through projects that build on experience of the European system of interoperable statistical business registers (EuroGroups register) and the census hub. Develop, and share among statistical authorities, new methodological and IT tools and ensure wider use of administrative data and data-linking techniques.

Option 3: Two separate programmes

This option resembles Option 2b in terms of objectives and work planned, but focuses on a different way of managing the work: by means of two different programmes, one of which would address modernisation only:

–extension of the current ESP to 2018-2020 and alignment with the timeline of the MFF, without the modernisation aspects (objective 2 of the current programme);

–a separate programme focusing on the modernisation and development of the European statistical infrastructure, the content of which would reflect objective 2 under option 2b. It is not possible to set a different timeline for this second programme (e.g. beyond 2020), because the timeline is determined by the current MFF (ending in 2020).

Preferred policy option

The impact assessment looked into the impact of the options on the main stakeholder groups on the basis of various criteria. The impact on users was assessed on the basis of timeliness, relevance and harmonisation, while the impact on producers of statistics was analysed on the basis of cost reductions and level of shared infrastructure. Reduced burden was the main criterion for assessing the impact on respondents. Also, the impact on the EU budget was analysed for each of the options.

From the multi-criteria analysis, option 2c emerged as the preferred policy option. This option would have the most positive impact on timeliness, with new actions focusing on enhanced timeliness for statistics on inequality, poverty and material deprivation, and for energy and environmental data. The relevance of statistics for policymakers is expected to improve significantly under this option, with investment in new areas, re-prioritisation, an action to enhance capacities to deliver more and better services and products (e.g. on-demand statistics), and enhanced dissemination.

With regard to the producers, option 2c will help to meet the new requirements under objectives 1 and 2 by increasing the ESP budget, as called for by the main stakeholders. A substantial proportion of the additional budget will be disbursed through Member States via grants, which will enable them to modernise their production systems further and to tap into new data sources.

Option 2c is expected to reduce further the overall response burden for businesses and citizens, although most effects will materialise only in the medium term, since the use of new data sources will be implemented gradually and subject to local conditions in Member States.

The realisation of the preferred policy option would entail an increase in the operational budget granted to the ESP in 2018-2020. The impact assessment concluded that only additional investment would ensure the development of new statistical outputs and more timely data, as requested by users, without cutting other highly relevant statistics. Moreover, additional investments in the statistical infrastructure (both in Member States and Eurostat) will be needed to facilitate the use of new data sources for the production of statistical information tailored to users’ needs, which will reduce administrative costs and response burden.

Other impacts

The economic, social and environmental impacts of the proposal will be indirect. With regard to the economy, the initiative will lead to a more efficient statistical evidence base (e.g. on globalisation, the service sector, innovation) for policies that contribute to stimulating and consolidating economic growth. Also, the proposal will improve capacity for assessing the social impact of economic policy decisions. Impacts on (un)employment levels, poverty trends and the labour market in general will be of particular interest. Improved timeliness of social indicators, combined with existing macroeconomic indicators, will enable more integrated and efficient analysis of decisions. As regards the environment, the proposal will facilitate policies that contribute to sustainable growth by providing improved energy and environmental statistics.

•Regulatory fitness and simplification

As the ESP is a horizontal initiative, it is not part of the Commission’s REFIT programme. However, the Commission has launched three REFIT initiatives in the specific domains of agricultural, social and business statistics. These are designed to complement the modernisation efforts envisaged under the present initiative, by simplifying and streamlining the fragmented regulations on agricultural statistics, social surveys on persons and households, and business statistics, and to render data collections more efficient, more flexible and less burdensome for respondents. However, the initiatives can be implemented only in the medium-to-long term and will go beyond the timeframe of the extended programme.

•Fundamental rights

Not applicable

4.BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

The total amount to be borne by the EU budget for the extension of the programme (20182020) is EUR 218.1 million (current prices).

Detailed budgetary implications are set out in the legislative financial statement.

5.OTHER ELEMENTS

•Implementation plans and monitoring, evaluation and reporting arrangements

Under the revised Article 15(3), the Commission will submit a final evaluation report on the implementation of the programme to the European Parliament and the Council by 31 December 2021, after consulting the ESS Committee and the European Statistical Advisory Committee. This will be carried out according to the Commission’s guidelines.

On the basis of experience of the mid-term evaluation of the 2013-2017 ESP, Eurostat has started to link annual work programme activities with the 114 indicators in the ESP. This will have the double advantage of facilitating future evaluations and enabling automatic monitoring each year as to whether all ESP indicators are being achieved.

•Explanatory documents (for directives)

Not applicable

•Detailed explanation of the proposed provisions

The proposal amends the 2013-2017 ESP by including new statistical outputs to align statistical production with the Commission’s 10 political priorities, complemented by initiatives to modernise statistical production methods and to reduce the burden on respondents and costs to NSIs.

2016/0265 (COD)

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 9 ,

Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions 10 ,

Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure,

Whereas:

(1)Reliable and relevant evidence based on European 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.

(2)Under Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council 11 , the European statistical programme is to provide the framework for the development, production and dissemination of 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 12 covers the period from 2013 to 2017 only, whereas the current multiannual financial framework extends to 2020. It should therefore be amended to extend the European statistical programme to 2020.

(4)In the context of Better Regulation, Union policies should increasingly be designed and monitored on the basis of solid evidence. European statistics have a distinct role to play in that respect and can make a real difference, especially in policy areas where responsiveness is key for policies to be successful.

(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 reprioritisation. 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.

(6)Experimental ecosystem accounts and climatechange statistics, including those relevant to climatechange adaptation and ‘footprints’, should be further developed, particularly in support of the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 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, secure and sustainable, will require new statistics on energy consumption, energy efficiency, renewable energies, energy dependence and security of supply.

(7)The extension of the programme is an opportunity to make adaptations and reflect the new orientations, to complement the existing objectives and ongoing prioritisation.

(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 through largescale projects, structural leverage effects and economies of scale benefiting 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 13 , during the annual budgetary procedure.

(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 14 and the Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payments Statistics established by Council Decision 2006/856/EC 15 ,

(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.’

(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 appropriate measures ensuring that, when activities financed under this Regulation are implemented, the financial interests of the Union are protected 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 16 and in Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 17 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.’

(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.’

(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

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT

1.FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

1.1.Title of the proposal/initiative

1.2.Policy area(s) concerned in the ABM/ABB structure

1.3.Nature of the proposal/initiative

1.4.Objective(s)

1.5.Grounds for the proposal/initiative

1.6.Duration and financial impact

1.7.Management mode(s) planned

2.MANAGEMENT MEASURES

2.1.Monitoring and reporting rules

2.2.Management and control system

2.3.Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities

3.ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

3.1.Heading(s) of the multiannual financial framework and expenditure budget line(s) affected

3.2.Estimated impact on expenditure

3.2.1.Summary of estimated impact on expenditure

3.2.2.Estimated impact on operational appropriations

3.2.3.Estimated impact on appropriations of an administrative nature

3.2.4.Compatibility with the current multiannual financial framework

3.2.5.Third-party contributions

3.3.Estimated impact on revenue

LEGISLATIVE FINANCIAL STATEMENT

1.FRAMEWORK OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

1.1.Title of the proposal/initiative

Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 on the European statistical programme 2013-17, by extending it to 2018-2020.

1.2.Policy area(s) concerned in the ABM/ABB structure 18

29 Statistics (29 01 – Administrative support for the ‘Statistics’ policy area; 29 02 – European statistical programme)

1.3.Nature of the proposal/initiative

◻ The proposal/initiative relates to a new action

◻ The proposal/initiative relates to a new action following a pilot project/preparatory action 19

☒ The proposal/initiative relates to the extension of an existing action

◻ The proposal/initiative relates to an action redirected towards a new action

1.4.Objective(s)

1.4.1.The Commission’s multiannual strategic objective(s) targeted by the proposal/initiative

The proposal is consistent with the European Union’s priorities, as statistics developed, produced and disseminated under the European statistical programme (ESP) will contribute to the implementation of EU policies, such as the Europe 2020 strategy for ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ and other policies addressed in the Commission’s 10 priority areas for 2014-2019 (Agenda for jobs, growth, fairness and democratic change).

1.4.2.Specific objective(s) and ABM/ABB activity(ies) concerned

Specific objectives 1 and 4:

To 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 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 costeffective manner without unnecessary duplication of effort.

To ensure the consistent delivery of statistics throughout the duration of the programme, provided that this does not interfere with the priority-setting mechanisms of the European Statistical System (ESS).

ABM/ABB activity(ies) concerned

3403 — Production of statistical information

Specific objective 2:

To implement new methods of production of European statistics aiming at efficiency gains and quality improvements.

ABM/ABB activity(ies) concerned

3403 — Production of statistical information;
3480 — Administrative support for Eurostat;
3481 — Policy strategy and coordination for Eurostat

Specific objective 3:

To strengthen the partnership within the European Statistical System and beyond in order to further enhance its productivity and its leading role in official statistics worldwide

ABM/ABB activity(ies) concerned

3481 — Policy strategy and coordination for Eurostat

More detailed objectives are provided in the Commission’s annual statistical work programmes.

1.4.3.Expected result(s) and impact

Specify the effects which the proposal/initiative should have on the beneficiaries/groups targeted.

This initiative aims to establish the legislative framework for the ESP for the duration of the multiannual financial framework (MFF) and to provide the ESS with the financial support it needs if it is to be able to:

− provide users with highquality 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;

− enable the producers of official statistics to 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;

− further reduce the burden on respondents (businesses and individuals) by improving the efficiency and productivity of the ESS; and

− strengthening the partnership within the ESS and beyond to secure its leading role in official statistics worldwide.

1.4.4.Indicators of results and impact

Specify the indicators for monitoring implementation of the proposal/initiative.

The following key performance indicators are set out in the programme statement and management plans, and reported in annual activity reports for the current (20132017) ESP; most of them will also be used for monitoring the implementation of the extension of the programme to 2018-2020:

Users' perception indicators (source: annual user satisfaction survey carried out by Eurostat):

1. Percentage of users that rate as ‘very good’ or ‘good’ the overall quality of data and services provided by Eurostat;.

2. Percentage of users that rate as ‘very good’ or ‘good’ the overall quality of European statistics.

3. Percentage of users that rate as ‘very good’ or ‘good’ the timeliness of European statistics for their purposes.

4. Percentage of users that rate as ‘very good’ or ‘good’ the comparability of European statistics among regions and countries.

Factual indicators:

5. Number of data extractions (in millions) made by external users from Eurostat public databases via the Eurostat website (source: monitoring reports on Eurostat electronic dissemination);

6. Punctuality of a sample of statistics: average number of days in advance (positive) or late (negative), in comparison with the legal target. The sample is taken from the principal European economic indicators (PEEIs) (source: Eurostat annual status report on information requirements in EMU, as submitted to the Economic and Financial Committee) plus EU external trade (source: Eurostat).

7. Length of the time series of a sample of statistics (Euro-Indicators — active series – source: Eurostat database).

Indicators based on self-assessment (one for each objective):

8. Degree of achievement of each specific objective, measured as a percentage of the achievement of the related activities/outputs (source: twice-yearly monitoring).

For monitoring the implementation of the extension of the programme to 2018-2020, the following improvements will be made:

One of the "users' perception" indicators (no. 1 to 4) – which are based on a unique source and are not univocally related to Eurostat programme or budget – will be deleted (no. 2).

The current indicator no. 7 on the length of the time series of a sample of statistics will be replaced by a more robust indicator that will cover all the statistical domains and take into account the provision of "substitute" series for the time series that are interrupted (for instance because of a change in the methodology). This new version of the indicator will be strongly tied with the programme objectives and directly or to a large extent influenced by the EU budget.

An additional indicator will measure the number of different "statistics" (i.e. indicators, sub-indicators, break-downs, units, etc.) made available to the users (as a whole and for the main statistical domains mainly affected by the ESP extension, e.g. social and environmental statistics). This indicator could be complemented by the number of data points/values/figures. The main difference between the two indicators is that the second increases also each time more recent figures become available while the first increases only when new kinds of statistics are produced. These new indicators will be strongly tied with the programme objectives and directly or to a large extent influenced by the EU budget.

The possibility of defining an improved timeliness indicator and developing an IT routine for calculating it on the basis of the data available in Eurostat public databases will be also analysed. If such a timeliness indicator can be implemented, it will replace the current indicator no. 3.

1.5.Grounds for the proposal/initiative

1.5.1.Requirement(s) to be met in the short or long term

Under Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, the ESP is to provide the framework for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics, setting out the main fields and the objectives of the actions envisaged for a period corresponding to that of the MFF. ESPs lay down priorities on information needs for the conduct of EU activities and establish the budget for their implementation. As the current ESP terminates in 2017, it should be extended to cover the period 2018-2020.

There is a high level of demand for official statistics, as compared with other sources of information, because they are produced and disseminated in accordance with specific principles and quality criteria, and therefore have added value for users. A number of statistical gaps need to be addressed if statistics are to provide better support for EU policies. The timeliness of some statistics needs to be improved urgently, so as to provide the information needed for the European Semester exercise. The need for statistics arising from the Commission’s 10 political priorities and from the increasing complexity of societies is bringing the relevance of current European statistics into question.

Although national statistical systems have made a significant effort to modernise their production methods with the support of the 2013-2017 ESP, the current statistical production infrastructure is still not flexible enough to deliver new statistics when needed, while also limiting the associated cost and administrative burden. Unless the current level of investment is increased, the ESS will not be in a position to meet the growing demand for statistics or the need to make statistics available more quickly.

The parties who would be affected most directly by the proposal are users of statistics (e.g. policymakers, businesses, media, researchers and the general public at EU and national level), producers of statistics (national statistical institutes and other national authorities) and respondents (households and businesses).

1.5.2.Added value of EU involvement

Member States collect statistical information at national level but, in order for data at EU level to be comparable, they should do so according to the same harmonised principles. It is only through a coordinated approach to the development, production and dissemination of European statistics, as provided for in the ESP, that the necessary consistency and comparability of statistics relevant to the EU’s areas of activity can be guaranteed. Action at EU level, as proposed, would also contribute to an effective use of resources (due to economies of scale) and support national authorities in developing their capacity in terms of harmonisation and methodologies.

1.5.3.Lessons learned from similar experiences in the past

The evaluation of the 2008-2012 Community statistical programme, the mid-term evaluation of the 2013-2017 ESP and final evaluations of the modernisation of European enterprise and trade statistics (MEETS) programme have been thoroughly analysed.

The 2013-2017 ESP mid-term evaluation concluded that the programme is generally well implemented, with 17 of the 23 detailed objectives well on track for completion. The ESP offers good EU added value, is run efficiently, responds to users’ needs and is consistent with other statistical programmes. For instance, the move towards new methods for the production of statistics supports approaches used throughout the ESS. The evaluation puts forward three recommendations to guide and further optimise the programme’s implementation:

− pay particular attention to objectives where problems have been encountered;

− secure sufficient resources to maintain the necessary level of investment to modernise the production of European statistics; and

− identify and implement projects at EU level that can maximise EU added value.

1.5.4.Compatibility and possible synergy with other appropriate instruments

Commission Decision 2012/504/EU 20 defines Eurostat’s role and responsibilities within the internal organisation of the Commission, as regards the development, production and dissemination of statistics. As to the planning and programming of actions in the field of statistics, Article 5 of the Decision provides that activities relating to European statistics are to be determined by the ESP and the annual work programme, as referred to in Articles 13 and 17, respectively, of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009.

1.6.Duration and financial impact

☒ Proposal/initiative of limited duration

–☒ Proposal/initiative in effect from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2020

–☒ Financial impact from 2018 to 2020 on commitment appropriations and from 2018 to 2024 on payment appropriations.

◻ Proposal/initiative of unlimited duration

–Implementation with a start-up period from YYYY to YYYY,

–followed by full-scale operation.

1.7.Management mode(s) planned

☒ Direct management by the Commission

–☒ by its departments, including by its staff in the Union delegations;

–◻ by the executive agencies

◻ Shared management with the Member States

◻ Indirect management by entrusting budget implementation tasks to:

–◻ third countries or the bodies they have designated;

–◻ international organisations and their agencies (to be specified);

–◻the EIB and the European Investment Fund;

–◻ bodies referred to in Articles 208 and 209 of the Financial Regulation;

–◻ public law bodies;

–◻ bodies governed by private law with a public service mission to the extent that they provide adequate financial guarantees;

–◻ bodies governed by the private law of a Member State that are entrusted with the implementation of a public-private partnership and that provide adequate financial guarantees;

–◻ persons entrusted with the implementation of specific actions in the CFSP pursuant to Title V of the TEU, and identified in the relevant basic act.

–If more than one management mode is indicated, please provide details in the ‘Comments’ section.

Comments

2.MANAGEMENT MEASURES

2.1.Monitoring and reporting rules

Specify frequency and conditions.

Article 1(3) of the proposed Regulation stipulates that the Commission will submit a final evaluation report on the implementation of the programme to the European Parliament and to the Council by 31 December 2021, after consulting the ESS Committee and the European Statistical Advisory Committee. The evaluation will be carried out according to the Commission’s guidelines.

On the basis of experience of the mid-term evaluation of the 2013-2017 ESP, the Commission (Eurostat) has started associating the activities of the annual work programme with the 114 indicators set out in the ESP. This will have the double advantage of facilitating future evaluations and enabling automatic monitoring each year as to whether all ESP indicators are being achieved. Lessons learnt from past experience that were taken into account when drafting the proposal are presented in section 1.5.3 above. The results of the stakeholder consultation and impact assessment are presented in section 3 of the Explanatory Memorandum.

2.2.Management and control system

2.2.1.Risk(s) identified

The management mode of the proposed programme is central direct management by the Commission. From a financial point of view, the programme will be implemented by awarding contracts mainly in the domains of statistics and IT services, and by grants (mainly to national statistical authorities).

Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 allows for direct awards of grants to those authorities. As regards grants, one of the main risks identified related to the calculation of staff costs; the risk level regarding the reimbursement of staff costs has been reduced by introducing the unit costs scheme (Commission Decision C(2014) 6332).

Annual ex post quality reviews have revealed no relevant issues as regards procurement. Observations issued by the Commission's Internal Audit and the European Court of Auditors in 2011/2012 were addressed. No procurement audits have taken place since then. Eurostat management has identified no significant risks in this area.

2.2.2.Information concerning the internal control system set up

Eurostat’s 2012-2017 control strategy will be revised and extended so as to cover the extension of the ESP to 2018-2020. The strategy will be based on a risk analysis and assessment to be carried out before the programme is extended.

The main elements of the internal control system are, and will continue to be, the ex ante verification of the operational and financial aspects of each financial transaction (legality, regularity and sound financial management), in accordance with Article 66(5) of the Financial Regulation. Ex ante controls cover the whole expenditure life-cycle, from the planning and programming of grants and procurements to payments. To this end, controls will be carried out for each transaction using specific checklists to be used by each actor in the financial circuits. Where appropriate, additional risk analysis and assessments may be envisaged on the basis of the results of the annual controls. Where appropriate, reinforced ex ante verifications and ex post controls may also be carried out.

Appropriate supervision, financial and performance-based reporting, audit and evaluation will also contribute to implementation of the programme budget in accordance with the principles of sound financial management and in compliance with the requirements of legality and regularity.

2.2.3.Estimate of the costs and benefits of the controls and assessment of the expected level of risk of error

The programme control strategy is deemed to keep the risk of non-compliance under the materiality criterion of 2 %, which is in line with the internal control and risk management objectives in Eurostat’s 2016-2020 strategic plan. The internal control system (and its costs) is deemed adequate to achieve this objective. Complementarity between these sources of assurance will be ensured, so as to avoid duplication of effort and allow for cost-efficient controls. Eurostat considers that the costs of all controls will represent around 4.5 % of the programme budget. The benefits of control (apart from compliance with regulatory provisions) include better value for money, deterrent effects, efficiency gains and system improvements.

2.3.Measures to prevent fraud and irregularities

Specify existing or envisaged prevention and protection measures.

On 30 October 2013, Eurostat adopted its 2014-2017 Anti-fraud Strategy in accordance with the Commission’s Anti-fraud Strategy (CAFS) of 24 June 2011. The Eurostat Strategy sets out three operational objectives:

i. to reinforce existing anti-fraud components;

ii. to integrate anti-fraud components better in Eurostat risk assessment/management and in audits, planning, reporting and monitoring; and

iii. to strengthen Eurostat’s anti-fraud capacities and awareness as part of the Commission’s anti-fraud culture.

The Strategy is accompanied by an anti-fraud action plan. Over the period of its application, implementation of the Strategy is monitored twice a year, with reporting to management.

Eurostat will evaluate the impact of the Strategy in 2017 and update it accordingly. In 2016, as a milestone in the evaluation of the Strategy, Eurostat will review its antifraud action plan.

The reviews of the Strategy and the action plan will be carried out on the basis of the updated OLAF methodology and guidance issued in February 2016.

3.ESTIMATED FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL/INITIATIVE

3.1.MFF heading(s) and expenditure budget line(s) affected

Existing budget lines

In order of MFF headings and budget lines.

MFF heading	Budget line	Type of expenditure	Contribution
	Heading 1a Competitiveness for growth and jobs	Diff./Non-diff. 21	from EFTA countries 22	from candidate countries 23	from nonEU countries	within the meaning of Article 21(2)(b) of the Financial Regulation
	29.02.01 Extension of ESP to 2018-2020 – providing quality statistical information, implementing new methods of production of European statistics and strengthening the partnership within the ESS	Diff.	YES	NO	NO	NO
	29.01.04.01 Support expenditure for the ESP	Non-diff.	YES	NO	NO	NO

3.2.Estimated impact on expenditure

3.2.1.Summary of estimated impact on expenditure

EUR million (to three decimal places)

MFF heading

Number

Heading 1a
Competitiveness for growth and jobs

DG ESTAT			Year 2018 24	Year 2019	Year 2020	Year 2021 and beyond	Enter as many years as necessary to show the duration of the impact (see point 1.6)	TOTAL
• Operational appropriations
29.0201	Commitments	(1)	59.475	73.245	75.486			208.206
	Payments	(2)	5.829	28.141	51.027	123.209		208.206
	Commitments	(1a)
	Payments	(2a)
• Appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope of specific programmes 25
29.010401		(3)	3.230	3.313	3.397			9.940
TOTAL appropriations for DG ESTAT	Commitments	=1+1a +3	62.705	76.558	78.883			218.146
	Payments	=2+2a +3	9.059	31.454	54.424	123.209		218.146

• TOTAL operational appropriations	Commitments	(4)	59.475	73.245		75.486			208.206
	Payments	(5)	5.829	28.141	51.027			123.209		208.206
• TOTAL appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope for specific programmes		(6)	3.230	3.313		3.397			9.940
TOTAL appropriations under MFF HEADING 1	Commitments	=4+ 6	62.705	76.558		78.883			218.146
	Payments	=5+ 6	9.059	31.454		54.424	123.209		218.146

If more than one heading is affected by the proposal/initiative: NOT APPLICABLE

• TOTAL operational appropriations	Commitments	(4)
	Payments	(5)
• TOTAL appropriations of an administrative nature financed from the envelope for specific programmes		(6)
TOTAL appropriations under MFF HEADINGS 1 to 4 (reference amount)	Commitments	=4+ 6
	Payments	=5+ 6

MFF heading

‘Administrative expenditure’

EUR million (to three decimal places)

		Year 2018	Year 2019	Year 2020	Enter as many years as necessary to show the duration of the impact (see point 1.6)	TOTAL
DG ESTAT
• Human resources		88.904	87.148	85.392		261.444
• Other administrative expenditure		3.290	3.290	3.290		9.870
TOTAL DG ESTAT	Appropriations	92.194	90.438	88.682		271.314

TOTAL appropriations
under MFF HEADING 5

(Total commitments = total payments)

92.194

90.438

88.682

271.314

EUR million (to three decimal places)

		Year 2018 26	Year 2019	Year 2020	Year 2021 and beyond	Enter as many years as necessary to show the duration of the impact (see point 1.6)	TOTAL
TOTAL appropriations under MFF HEADINGS 1 to 5	Commitments	154.899	166.996	167.565			489.460
	Payments	101.253	121.892	143.106	123.209		489.460

3.2.2.Estimated impact on operational appropriations

–◻ The proposal/initiative does not require the use of operational appropriations

–☒ The proposal/initiative requires the use of operational appropriations, as explained below:

Indicate objectives and outputs ⇩					Year 2018			Year 2019		Year 2020				Enter as many years as necessary to show the duration of the impact (see point 1.6)								TOTAL
		OUTPUTS
		Type 27		Ave. cost	No		Cost	No	Cost		No	Cost	No		Cost	No	Cost	No	Cost	No	Cost		Total No	Total cost
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES No 1 and 4 28 To 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 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. To ensure that delivery of statistics is kept consistent throughout the whole duration of the programme, provided that this does not interfere with the priority-setting mechanisms of the ESS.
- Output		Statistical activities	0.170			215	35.441	264	45.194		267	46.617											746	127.252
Subtotal for specific objective 1			0.170			215	35.441	264	45.194		267	46.617											746	127.252
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE No 2 To implement new methods of production of European statistics aiming at efficiency gains and quality improvements.
- Output		Statistical activities	0.387			60	22.504	68	26.482		69	27.260											197	76.246
Subtotal for specific objective 2			0.387			60	22.504	68	26.482		69	27.260											197	76.246
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE No 3 To strengthen the partnership within the ESS and beyond in order to further enhance its productivity and its leading role in official statistics worldwide
- Output	Statistical activities		0.056			28	1.530	28	1.569		28	1.609											84	4.708
Subtotal for specific objective 3			0.056			28	1.530	28	1.569		28	1.609											84	4.708
TOTAL			0.204			303	59.475	360	73.245		364	75.486											1027	208.206

3.2.3.Estimated impact on appropriations of an administrative nature

3.2.3.1.Summary

–◻ The proposal/initiative does not require the use of appropriations of an administrative nature

–☒ The proposal/initiative requires the use of appropriations of an administrative nature, as explained below:

EUR million (to three decimal places)

Year
2018 29

Year
2019

Year
2020

Enter as many years as necessary to show the duration of the impact (see point 1.6)

TOTAL

MFF HEADING 5
Human resources	88.904	87.148	85.392	261.444
Other administrative expenditure	3.290	3.290	3.290	9.870
Subtotal MFF HEADING 5	92.194	90.438	88.682	271.314

Outside MFF HEADING 5 30
Human resources	2.584	2.650	2.718	7.952
Other expenditure of an administrative nature	0.646	0.663	0.679	1.988
Subtotal outside MFF HEADING 5	3.230	3.313	3.397	9.940

TOTAL

95.424

93.751

92.079

281.254

The appropriations required for human resources and other expenditure of an administrative nature will be met by appropriations from the DG that are already assigned to management of the action and/or have been redeployed within the DG, together if necessary with any additional allocation which may be granted to the managing DG under the annual allocation procedure and in the light of budgetary constraints.

3.2.3.2.Estimated requirements of human resources

–◻ The proposal/initiative does not require the use of human resources.

–☒ The proposal/initiative requires the use of human resources, as explained below:

Estimate to be expressed in full time equivalent units

		Year 2018	Year 2019	Year 2020	Enter as many years as necessary to show the duration of the impact (see point 1.6)
• Establishment plan posts (officials and temporary staff)
29 01 01 01 (Headquarters and Commission’s Representation Offices)		605	593	581
XX 01 01 02 (Delegations)
XX 01 05 01 (Indirect research)
10 01 05 01 (Direct research)
XX 01 02 01 (AC, END, INT from the ‘global envelope’)		104.6	102.6	100.6
XX 01 02 02 (AC, AL, END, INT and JED in the delegations)
XX 01 04 yy 31	- at Headquarters
	- in Delegations
XX 01 05 02 (AC, END, INT - Indirect research)
10 01 05 02 (AC, END, INT - Direct research)
Other budget lines (specify) 29 01 04 01		39.0	39.0	39.0
TOTAL		748.6	734.6	720.6

XX is the policy area or budget title concerned.

The human resources required will be met by staff from the DG who are already assigned to management of the action and/or have been redeployed within the DG, together if necessary with any additional allocation which may be granted to the managing DG under the annual allocation procedure and in the light of budgetary constraints.

Description of tasks to be carried out:

Officials and temporary staff

The tasks to be performed concern mainly methodological work on the one hand and on the other hand the collection, validation, processing and dissemination of the statistical information related to the domains set out in the Regulations applicable to European statistics. They also refer to Eurostat’s ABB activities ‘Administrative support for Eurostat’ and ‘Policy strategy and coordination of Eurostat’.

External staff

To support the officials and temporary agents in performing the above-mentioned tasks.

3.2.4.Compatibility with the current MFF

–◻ The proposal/initiative is compatible the current MFF.

–☒ The proposal/initiative will entail reprogramming of the relevant MFF heading.

Explain what reprogramming is required, specifying the budget lines concerned and the corresponding amounts.

A total increase of EUR 25.2 million above the existing financial programming is proposed for budget item 29 02 01 for the period 2018-2020. This increase will anyway comply with the overall ceilings of the Heading 1a foreseen in the Multiannual financial framework 2014-2020.

–◻ The proposal/initiative requires application of the flexibility instrument or revision of the MFF.

Explain what is required, specifying the headings and budget lines concerned and the corresponding amounts.

3.2.5.Third-party contributions

–◻ The proposal/initiative does not provide for co-financing by third parties.

–☒ The proposal/initiative provides for the co-financing estimated below:

Appropriations in EUR million (to three decimal places)

	Year 2018	Year 2019	Year 2020	Enter as many years as necessary to show the duration of the impact (see point 1.6)	Total
Contribution received from the Swiss Confederation	3.899	4.210	4.224		12.333
TOTAL appropriations co-financed	3.899	4.210	4.224		12.333

Estimated impact on revenue

–☒ The proposal/initiative has no financial impact on revenue.

–◻ The proposal/initiative has the following financial impact:

–◻ on own resources

–◻ on miscellaneous revenue

EUR million (to three decimal places)

Budget revenue line:	Appropriations available for the current financial year	Impact of the proposal/initiative 32
		Year N	Year N+1	Year N+2	Year N+3	Enter as many years as necessary to show the duration of the impact (see point 1.6)
Article ………….

For miscellaneous ‘assigned’ revenue, specify the budget expenditure line(s) affected.

Specify the method for calculating the impact on revenue.

(1) The legal framework for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics is laid down in Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European statistics 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).

(2) https://ec.europa.eu/priorities/sites/beta-political/files/juncker-political-guidelines_en.pdf.

(3) Commission Decision 2012/504/EU on Eurostat (OJ L 251, 18.9.2012, p. 49).

(4) 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).

(5) Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of the European Statistical Programme 2013-2017, COM(2015) 309 final, https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/regdoc/rep/1/2015/EN/1-2015-309-EN-F1-1.PDF.

(6) This was conducted via the ‘Your Voice in Europe’ online platform between 23 July and 15 October 2015 and publicised through Eurostat communication channels and the NSIs.

(7) As required by 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) Commission Staff Working Document Impact Assessment accompanying the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation No. (EU) 99/2013 on the European statistical programme 2013-17, by extending it to 2018-2020.

(9) OJ C […], […], p. […].

(10) OJ C […], […], p. […].

(11) 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).

(12) 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).

(13) 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).

(14) 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).

(15) 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).

(16) OJ L 248, 18.9.2013, p. 1.

(17) OJ L 292, 15.11.1996, p. 2.

(18) ABM: activity-based management; ABB: activity-based budgeting.

(19) As referred to in Article 54(2)(a) or (b) of the Financial Regulation.

(20) Commission Decision 2012/504/EU of 17 September 2012 on Eurostat (OJ L 251, 18.9.2012, p. 49).

(21) Diff. = Differentiated appropriations / Non-diff. = Non-differentiated appropriations.

(22) EFTA: European Free Trade Association.

(23) Candidate countries and, where applicable, potential candidate countries from the Western Balkans.

(24) Year N is the year in which implementation of the proposal/initiative starts.

(25) Technical and/or administrative assistance and expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions (former ‘BA’ lines), indirect research, direct research.

(26) Year N is the year in which implementation of the proposal/initiative starts.

(27) Outputs are products and services to be supplied (e.g. number of student exchanges financed, number of km of roads built, etc.).

(28) As described in point 1.4.2. ‘Specific objective(s)’.

(29) Year N is the year in which implementation of the proposal/initiative starts.

(30) Technical and/or administrative assistance and expenditure in support of the implementation of EU programmes and/or actions (former ‘BA’ lines), indirect research, direct research.

(31) Sub-ceiling for external staff covered by operational appropriations (former ‘BA’ lines).

(32) As regards traditional own resources (customs duties, sugar levies), the amounts indicated must be net amounts, i.e. gross amounts after deduction of 25 % for collection costs.

Top

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 7.9.2016

COM(2016) 557 final

ANNEX

to 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

{SWD(2016) 287 final}
{SWD(2016) 288 final}

ANNEX

The Annex to Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 is amended as follows:

(1) Point I. Statistical Outputs is amended as follows:

(a) In Objective 1.1.1, the first paragraph is replaced by the following:

"Provide high-quality statistical information, which should be available in a timely manner for the European Semester, to monitor the implementation of Europe 2020. New indicators shall, to the extent possible, be based on available statistical data."

(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;"

"— 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."

(e) Objective 2.1.1 is amended as follows:

i) The fourth indent is replaced by the following:

"— reinforcement of links with national accounts in the areas of social protection, health and education"

ii) Two new indents are inserted after the fifth indent as follows:

"— the 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;"

(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:

"— the 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;

— the development of experimental ecosystem accounts;

— the development of climate change-related statistics, including statistics relevant to climate change adaptation; and

— the 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 or social economy (such as health and education)."

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 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) A new indent is inserted after the seventh indent as follows:

"— the provision of population projections and of their annual updates;"

(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, 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 and security of supply. 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."

(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 mechanism based on the Code of Practice and the ESS Quality Assurance Framework;

— assessment of compliance with the Code of Practice;"

"— 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 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, quality assurance frameworks, standardisation and harmonisation approaches to third countries and regions;"

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