European statistics
The European Parliament adopted by 568 votes to 22, with 12 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European Statistics.
The European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amends the proposal as follows:
Selection procedure for the heads of the National Statistical Institutes (NSIs)
The amended text stressed the importance of ensuring professional independence is fundamental for providing objective and impartial European statistics and for building public trust in decisions and policies based on them.
Therefore, Member States and the Commission should follow international best practice in the selection, appointment and dismissal of the Heads of the NSIs and the Director-General of the Commission (Eurostat), respectively, on the basis of clear professional criteria such as statistical reputation and a high level of competence in statistics. The reasons for early termination of contract should not compromise professional independence; they should be well justified, specified and communicated in an appropriate way, while respecting the rights of the person concerned.
Statistical response to urgent policy needs in crisis situations
The Commission (Eurostat) should examine crisis situations and may undertake urgent statistical actions where both of the following conditions are met: (a) it is strictly necessary to respond to urgent policy needs which arise from the crisis situation concerned following the activation of established emergency mechanisms in accordance with Union legal acts; (b) those urgent policy needs cannot be met under the European statistical programme.
The urgent statistical actions should be carried out by the Commission (Eurostat) at Union level in close cooperation with the NSIs and other national authorities.
When assessing the need for urgent statistical actions, the Commission (Eurostat) should promptly inform and consult the ESS Committee and duly take into account its professional guidance. Urgent statistical actions to be undertaken are subject to prior examination by the ESS Committee. To that end, the Commission (Eurostat) shall provide the ESS Committee with thorough information on the actions to be undertaken, their justification on a cost-effectiveness basis, the means and timetables for achieving them, the assessment of the response burden on survey respondents and the financial contribution of the Union to cover the incremental costs incurred by the NSIs and other national authorities.
A financial contribution should be made available from the Single Market Programme to the NSIs and other national authorities to cover the incremental costs incurred from the implementation of such urgent statistical actions.
Access, use and integration of administrative data for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics
The NSIs and the Commission (Eurostat) should be consulted on, and involved in, the initial design, subsequent development and discontinuation of administrative data sources, databases or interoperability systems built up and maintained by other bodies.
Where data and metadata needed for European statistics are only available in databases and interoperability systems maintained by Union bodies and agencies, the Commission (Eurostat) may, upon request, share those data with the relevant NSIs or other national authorities responsible for the development, production and dissemination of European statistics.
Obligation of private data holders to make data available for developing, producing and disseminating European statistics
Data requests for privately held data by the NSIs or the Commission (Eurostat) should follow the principle of data minimisation and be proportionate to the statistical need in terms of the level of detail and volume of the data and the frequency with which the data are to be made available. Any processing of data in connection with such data requests should be without prejudice, inter alia, to the General Data Protection Regulation.
The access to data should be free of charge. Where data are requested by an NSI, Member States may provide compensation to the private data holder that is limited to the processing service according to the specifications requested, except where national legislation does not allow NSIs or other national authorities to compensate data holders. Where data are requested by the Commission (Eurostat), it should propose reasonable compensation to the private data holder that is limited to this specific processing service according to the specifications requested.
Non-confidential data sharing in the ESS and between the ESS and the ESCB
Under the amended text, the sharing of non-confidential data, including data made available by private data holders, should take place between the ESS and a member of the ESCB upon request, if necessary and if available in an aggregated form, in areas of shared responsibility or common interest and where the data are used exclusively for statistical purposes and for improving the quality of European statistics developed and produced by that member of the ESCB.
Access to confidential data for research purposes
Access to confidential data, including data made available by private data holders, which allow only indirect identification of statistical units may be granted, by the Commission (Eurostat) or by the NSIs or other national authorities in their respective fields of competence, to researchers carrying out statistical analyses for scientific purposes.