Information society, eEurope: Community statistics

The committee adopted the report by Luis BERENGUER FUSTER (PES, E) approving the proposal under the 1st reading of the codecision procedure, subject to a number of drafting amendments aimed at making the text clearer and more succinct. The committee also amended the two annexes, stipulating that not all subjects will necessarily be covered each year and that regional breakdowns will be limited to no more than three groupings. It introduced a new point in each annex stating that, whenever significant new data requirements are identified or insufficient quality of data is to be expected, the Commission will institute pilot studies to be carried out on a voluntary basis by the Member before any data collection, in order to assess the feasibility of the relevant data collection.