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Community statistics on the information society

2008/0201(COD)

PURPOSE : to ensure the continuation of the existing common framework for the systematic production of reliable, harmonised, timely and high quality Community statistics on the information society and the provision of annual statistical data on ICT usage in enterprises and in households, and amending Regulation (EC) No 808/2004.

LEGISLATIVE ACT : Regulation (EC) No 1006/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 808/2004 concerning Community statistics on the information society.

CONTENT : following an agreement at first reading with the European Parliament, the Council adopted a regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 808/2004 concerning Community statistics on the information society.  

The annual provision of statistics on the information society as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 808/2004 is restricted to up to five reference years after the date of entry into force of that Regulation and will end in 2009. However, there is a continuing need at Community level for the annual provision of coherent statistical information on the information society domain.

The amended regulation is designed to ensure the continuation of the existing common framework for the systematic production of reliable, harmonised, timely and high-quality Community statistics on the information society and the provision of annual statistical data on ICT usage in enterprises and in households. It also aims to update the Regulation according to the needs of a rapidly evolving statistical domain.

The main amendments are as follows :

  • the statistics to be compiled shall include information which is useful to the structural indicators and required to benchmark political strategies of the Community on the development of the European information space, business innovation and the European information society, such as the i2010 benchmarking framework and its developments under the Lisbon strategy, and other information necessary to provide a uniform basis on which to analyse the information society;
  • Member States shall transmit the data and the metadata required by this Regulation and its implementing measures to the Commission (Eurostat) in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics on the transmission of confidential data;
  • every year, Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with a report on the quality of the data transmitted as well as on any methodological changes that have been made.

The Regulation should not increase the burden on respondents and national statistical authorities, measured by the number of mandatory variables or interview duration, in respect of the collection and transmission of harmonised statistics as compared to the situation existing before the entry into force of the Regulation.

ENTRY INTO FORCE : 20/11/2009.