National accounts data: revision of the transmission programme

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil (EPP-ED, ES) on the proposal regarding the amendment of Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 with respect to the transmission of national accounts data. The amendments relate to the fact that the Commission proposal only includes derogations for the new Member States (except Cyprus and Malta) and Germany, from which data were not requested for before 1995 and 1991 (the Federal Republic of Germany before unification), respectively. The amendments put forward a list of exceptions for various macro-economic sizes and periods extended to the rest of the Member States, which are justified to give the national statistical Institutes time to adjust to the new rules and conditions. A new recital states that the statistical basis for the composition of public budgets is crucial for economic reform in line with the Lisbon strategy and the transmission of health, education and social protection data would help in its achievement. The provision of such information should become mandatory after a phase of provision under a voluntary basis.