Reliable, relevant evidence based on timely and publicly available European statistics that can be used for policy-making is essential for measuring the progress of and evaluating the efficiency of the Union's policies and programmes, especially in the context of the Europe 2020 Strategy set out in the Commission Communication of 3 March 2010 entitled ‘Europe 2020: A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ (Europe 2020) and the Commission's Agenda for Jobs, Growth, Fairness and Democratic Change.
(2)
European statistics should take a comprehensive Union-wide approach that provides accurate data to assist further integration processes in the Union.
(3)
The availability of reliable, comprehensive European statistics is an important public good that benefits decision-makers, researchers and the public.
(4)
A good balance between economic and social goals in the European Semester is particularly important for the sustainability and legitimacy of the Economic and Monetary Union. Accordingly, social and employment goals have become more prominent in the European Semester, with both country reports and country-specific recommendations assessing social and employment challenges and promoting policy reforms based on best practice. To that end, social statistics are of particular importance.
(5)
Under Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), the European statistical programme (the ‘programme’) is to provide the framework for the development, production and dissemination of high-quality European statistics, setting out the main fields and objectives of the actions envisaged for a period corresponding to that of the multiannual financial framework. The programme should be implemented by individual statistical actions in accordance with Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009. Annual work programmes should be based on the programme.
(6)
Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4) only covers the period from 2013 to 2017, whereas the current multiannual financial framework extends to 2020. That Regulation should therefore be amended without delay to extend the programme to 2020 and to fill statistical gaps where urgently required.
(7)
In the context of the Commission's Better Regulation Agenda, Union policies should increasingly be designed and monitored on the basis of reliable evidence that has a solid statistical basis. European statistics have a distinct role to play in that respect, and can make a real difference, especially in policy areas where analytical value based on reliable data and responsiveness are key for policies to be successful.
(8)
High-quality statistics are therefore crucial to achieving better results and to contributing to a better Europe. Greater efforts should be made to boost investment in official statistics at both the European and national level. The programme should also provide guidance on priority policy areas, capacity-building and the ongoing reprioritisation. Furthermore, in order to ensure a harmonised approach to achieving the objectives of this Regulation, cooperation with international organisations should be strengthened.
(9)
Action should be taken to tackle the most urgent statistical gaps, to increase timeliness and to support political priorities and economic policy coordination throughout the European Semester. The Commission (Eurostat) should also provide new population projections in close cooperation with national statistical institutes, including as regards migration flows, in order to update the analyses of the social, economic and budgetary implications of population ageing and of economic inequalities.
(10)
To support efficient policy-making, indicators should be published in a timely manner. In accordance with Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, the Commission (Eurostat) should communicate publicly on timeliness, including the provision of relevant information in respect of any insufficient timeliness that might occur, as an aspect of the statistical quality.
(11)
Experimental ecosystem accounts and climate change statistics, including those relevant to climate change adaptation and ‘footprints’, should be further developed using existing data. The European Energy Union and the 2030 climate and energy framework, which aim to make the Union's economy and energy system more competitive, efficient, secure and sustainable, will require new statistics on energy consumption, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, energy dependence and security of supply, as well as new statistics on the circular economy.
(12)
High-quality statistics developed, produced and disseminated under the programme, in particular statistics on innovation, research and development, social statistics, environmental statistics as well as energy and transport statistics should allow the monitoring of objectives and targets of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that are to be set at the Union and Member State level and, in that way, contribute to the achievement of those objectives and targets.
(13)
Progress should be made in improving qualitative and quantitative information that contributes to the exhaustiveness of national accounts and thus allows for better estimates of the tax gap and tax avoidance.
(14)
The extension of the programme is an opportunity that should be taken to make adaptations and reflect the new orientations, in particular in line with the European Statistical System (ESS) Vision 2020, to complement the existing objectives, ongoing prioritisation and the availability of data in a context where the Union is facing important challenges in terms of economic development and social cohesion. It should ensure continuedcooperation between the Commission (Eurostat) and the national statistical institutes, and should ensure regular dialogues with the European Statistical Advisory Committee established by Decision No 234/2008/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (5). It should also ensure the coordination between the ESS and the European System of Central Banks. The Commission (Eurostat) should monitor Member States' compliance with the European Statistics Code of Practice (Code of Practice).
(15)
It is particularly important to measure pockets of high unemployment, including youth unemployment in cross-border regions.
(16)
An appropriate increase in the budget for statistics at Union level should support the changes to the programme and the ongoing efficiency work of the ESS by bringing significant added value and results for the improvement of the quality of data through large scale projects, structural leverage effects and economies of scale that can improve statistical systems across Member States.
(17)
This Regulation lays down a financial envelope for the extension of the programme to cover the period from 2018 to 2020, which is to constitute the prime reference amount, within the meaning of point 17 of the Interinstitutional Agreement of 2 December 2013 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline, on cooperation in budgetary matters and on sound financial management (6), for the European Parliament and the Council during the annual budgetary procedure.
(18)
In extending the programme, the Commission (Eurostat) should give particular consideration to the consequences of the withdrawal of a Member State from the Union.
(19)
Since the objective of this Regulation, namely to extend the programme to cover the period from 2018 to 2020, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States but can rather, by reason of the scale and effects of the action, be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Regulation does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective.
(20)
In accordance with Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, the draft proposal for an extension of the programme to cover the period from 2018 to 2020 has been submitted for prior examination to the European Statistical System Committee (ESSC), the European Statistical Advisory Committee and the Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payments Statistics established by Council Decision 2006/856/EC (7).
(21)
Regulation (EU) No 99/2013 should be amended accordingly,
