European Statistical Governance Advisory Board
The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs adopted, at first reading under the codecision procedure, the report by Sharon BOWLES (ALDE, UK) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Statistical Governance Advisory Board.
The amendments adopted by the committee are as follows:
Mission: the Board shall provide an independent overview of the European Statistical System. It shall also prepare an annual report on implementation of the European Statistics Code of Practice by the Commission (Eurostat) and to review the reports on implementing the Code of Practice by Member States and include in the annual report an assessment of the overall implementation of the Code of Practice and its implications for the European Statistical System. Draft reports shall be transmitted to the Commission prior to their final submission to the European Parliament and to the Council.
Composition: the Board shall comprise 7 members (the Commission proposed 5), including the chairperson, each of whom shall act independently of the Commission (Eurostat) and Member State statistical offices. The Commission (Eurostat) shall be represented as an observer. The members of the Board shall be selected from among experts possessing outstanding competence in the field of statistics, shall perform their duties in their personal capacity and shall be selected to provide a range of complementary skills and experience. The Council shall propose and the European Parliament shall approve the nomination of the chairperson of the Board, after consulting the Commission. The chairperson shall neither be a current member of a Member State statistical office nor have held such a post within the last 2 years. The European Parliament and the Council shall each appoint 3 members of the Board after consulting the Commission. The normal term of office for the chairperson and members of the Board shall be 3 years, renewable for a further term of 3 years, with one-third of the Board (not including the chairperson) appointed each year.
Operations: the Board's annual report shall be made public after submission to the European Parliament and the Council. In addition, the Board may decide to publish on the Internet, any conclusion, partial conclusion or working document, provided that it has been communicated in advance to the Commission (Eurostat) or any other body involved, with an opportunity for response. The Board shall be assisted by a Secretariat which shall be supplied by the Commission but must act independently of the Commission. The Secretary shall be appointed by the Commission after consultation of the Board. The Secretary shall act on the instructions of the Board. A review of the role and effectiveness of the Board and consideration of the suitability of establishing a quality label shall be conducted 3 years after the establishment of the Board.