Community statistics: 2003-2007 programme

PURPOSE : proposal for the establishment of the Community statistical programme for the period 2003-2007. CONTENT : this is the sixth successive medium term programme prepared by Eurostat. In fulfilling its mission to provide the Union with a high quality statistical information service, the European Statistical System (ESS) has to meet three specific challenges: 1) the needs of Community Policies as users of Community statistics. The ESS faces growing difficulties in meeting the statistical information needed to monitor the ever-increasing policy requirements of the Community. The growing emphasis on satisfying the "user need" in terms of policies is of paramount importance and specific strategies have been developed to meet these needs. 2) enhancing the quality of data by improving the partnership between Eurostat and its partners in the ESS particularly in view of the enlargement of the Union. Timeliness and quality problems risk being exacerbated in the face of enlargement. The development of appropriate mechanisms is required in order to obtain the necessary data within the enlarged ESS. Eurostat has created a complementary network known as the Committee on Monetary, financial and Balance of Payment statistics (CMFB) with the essential aim to meet the requirements for monetary union and the ECB. 3) fixing priorities and allocating resources within a framework of constant or diminishing resources. The operational resource requirements for Eurostat deriving from the Community Statistical Programme during the period 2003-2007 are estimated at EUR 192.5 million. In the light of programme priorities Eurostat will redeploy its operational and human resources to respect the priority actions in the Statistical Programme. The main axes for redeployment are: - to improve the statistics required for the Euro-zone as indicated by ECOFIN. - to develop further the structural indicators necessary to implement the European Council provisions initiated in Lisbon. - to provide support for the candidate countries with the support of the Community PHARE budget. - to consolidate the resources for the Social Indicators in response to the needs identified by the European Councils so far as possible within budgetary appropriations. - to ensure across the programme that the resources for work linked to the objectives in the area of sustainable development policy, as agreed by the Gothenburg European Council, are given priority. The document attached to the proposal describes the statistical requirements judged as necessary for all of the policy Titles of the Treaty and presents the main impacts of community policies on each of these Titles. �