Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2010)117 - European statistics on tourism - Main contents
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| dossier | COM(2010)117 - European statistics on tourism. |
|---|---|
| source | COM(2010)117  |
| date | 29-03-2010 |
Grounds for and objectives of the proposal The importance of the tourism sector for the economic, social and cultural development of Europe is generally acknowledged. Council Directive 95/57/EC of 23 November 1995 on the collection of statistical information in the field of tourism i provided for the establishment of an information system on tourism statistics at European Union level. The Directive has helped create national data collection systems with data on the capacity and occupancy of accommodation establishments from a business perspective, and on tourism demand from a visitors’ perspective. The current availability of a system of tourism statistics in the European Union would not have been possible without the Directive. Although this system has been a success, both users and producers of the data have underlined the need for it to be updated. On the one hand, the rapidly changing nature of the tourism market since the Directive entered into force has created new or different user needs in terms of changed variables and breakdowns and more timely data. On the other hand, there is still scope for improving the comparability and completeness of the framework by doing more to harmonise the variables and concepts. One spin-off is that there are likely to be more of the basic tourism statistics that are needed for the compilation of tourism satellite accounts (TSA).
General context The aim of this proposal is to update and optimise the existing legal framework for European statistics on tourism, namely Council Directive 95/57/EC. Over the past decade, communications from the Commission and resolutions passed by the European Parliament have called for changes to the legal basis of tourism statistics. Since the Directive came into force, both the tourism industry and the demand for tourism have undergone significant changes. In line with the requirement that official statistics should be relevant, i.e. that they should satisfy current and potential user needs, the proposal revises such variables as tourist expenditure, and takes into account recent phenomena such as more short trips of less than four overnight stays or the use of the internet for booking trips. From a supply side perspective, the proposal responds to changes in user needs, e.g. for data on bedroom occupancy. It also updates the deadlines for data transmission. The proposal further harmonises the variables and concepts and also significantly improves the completeness of tourism statistics, for instance by covering all rented accommodation and including statistics on same-day visitors and non-holiday makers, for which there is heavy demand. The proposal is also mindful of the necessary trade-off between user needs on the one hand and the burden on respondents and national statistical institutes on the other. New variables or breakdowns are offset by doing without some of the existing requirements under the Directive. The level of additional requirements, especially information from businesses, is intended to keep the overall burden comparatively stable. As regards the information to be collected from households or tourists, the efficiency of data collection and the respondent burden is monitored by introducing rotating questions for variables that are expected to be of a more structural nature and by introducing the transmission of micro-data for statistics on tourism trips. The aim here is to enable the national data compilers to share mirror statistics on the basis of a harmonised compilation of tourism statistics, and to arrive at a convergence of concepts, definitions and reporting formats for the data transmitted. If it were to prove impossible to update the legal framework, European statistics on tourism might lose some of their relevance and this could jeopardise sound decision-making in the policy areas that are linked to tourism.
Existing provisions in the area of the proposal As this proposal is designed to update the current provisions and adjust to new needs, the existing legal basis — namely Council Directive 95/57/EC — should be repealed.
Consistency with the other policies and objectives of the EU The crucial role that tourism plays in generating growth and jobs in the European Union was stressed by the European Council in its Presidency Conclusions of 14 December 2007. The growing importance of tourism, and its impact on other policy areas ranging from regional policy, diversification of rural economies, maritime policy, employment, sustainability and competitiveness to social policy and inclusion (‘tourism for all’), make it necessary to adjust the statistical system.
Consultation of interested parties
Consultation methods, main sectors targeted and general profile of respondents The period 2004-2009 has seen intensive technical consultations with data producers in the framework of the European Statistical System in the relevant task forces and working groups. On several occasions, the national data producers have been asked to involve their national stakeholders in the discussions. There have also been consultations within the Commission (DGs ENTR, AGRI, MARE, REGIO, SANCO, ENV, EAC, TREN, EMPL) and with stakeholders from the industry.
Summary of responses and how they have been taken into account This proposal is the result of in-depth negotiations between all interested parties; it takes account of the priorities among the additional user needs and balances them against the additional burden of collection and compilation to which they could give rise.
Scientific/expertise domains concerned The national representatives on DG Eurostat’s Working Group on Tourism Statistics are experts with knowledge of the existing legislation and the national systems for collecting and compiling tourism statistics. Experts on tourism or tourism-related policy analysis in the relevant Commission departments were consulted.
Methodology used Between 2004 and 2008, Eurostat's proposals were discussed by task forces made up of representatives from the national statistical institutes or research departments of the national tourism authorities, other Commission departments and external stakeholders. These proposals were then submitted to the plenary Working Group, which discussed them. Furthermore, in the first half of 2007, Eurostat conducted bilateral consultations with other Commission departments for which tourism may be relevant.
Main organisations/experts consulted National statistical institutes, national tourism authorities, Commission departments, stakeholders from the industry (e.g. HOTREC and EFFAT).
Summary of advice received and used No mention was made of any potentially serious risks with irreversible consequences. There was general agreement among the experts that the legal basis for tourism statistics needed updating.
The advice received from the experts during the many meetings and consultation rounds has resulted in a balanced proposal, which satisfies user needs in, for instance, the field of maritime policy or the social dimension of tourism, while still taking into account the efficiency of data collection, so as to minimise the additional burden on respondents.
Means used to make the expert advice publicly available Task Force and Working Group documents and minutes are available through CIRCA.
Analysis of effects and implications Option 1 (baseline option, i.e. no new European Union involvement). If the European Union were to take no new action, the comparability and harmonisation of tourism statistics across Europe would be weakened and, in a setting where intra-EU tourism accounts for the dominant share, the opportunities to make efficient use of tourism statistics compiled by partner countries on the basis of common concepts and reporting formats would not be fully exploited. Where tourism statistics from official sources are not harmonised or not available, or only partially available because they are provided voluntarily, it is necessary to use commercial sources. As a result, the quality of the data might suffer and the effectiveness of their use in the abovementioned policymaking might even be put at risk. Option 2 (European Union involvement as proposed). The proposed framework for European statistics makes the data more comparable and thus more relevant for users at both European and national level. Additionally, the use of common concepts and reporting formats can help to make the collection and use of tourism statistics more efficient, e.g. by not collecting information on the same trip in both the country of residence and the Member State visited.
Contents
Summary of the proposed action The objective of this Regulation is to establish a common framework for the systematic production of European statistics on tourism, by means of the collection, compilation, processing and transmission by the Member States of harmonised European statistics on tourism supply and demand.
Legal basis Article 338 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union provides the legal basis for European statistics. It sets out the requirements relating to the production of European statistics, stating that they must conform to standards of impartiality, reliability, objectivity, scientific independence, cost-effectiveness and statistical confidentiality.
Subsidiarity principle The subsidiarity principle applies insofar as the proposal does not fall within the exclusive competence of the European Union.
The objectives of the proposal cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States for the following reason(s).
Comparability is a central quality concern for any statistical data. The Member States cannot achieve comparability to the necessary extent without a clear European framework, i.e. European legislation laying down common statistical concepts, reporting formats and quality requirements. To this end, there has been European legislation in the field of tourism statistics since 1995. However, users and producers have called for an update.
Action by Member States alone would adversely affect the Member States’ interests for the following reason. Since tourism, in addition to its domestic component, also has an important international dimension in terms of inbound and outbound tourism, the tourism authorities of the Member States want to have internationally comparable statistical information available. Without such statistics - collected and compiled using a common framework at European Union level - the relevance and effectiveness of the (national) systems of tourism statistics would be diminished. Furthermore, the lack of a common framework using common concepts and reporting formats would jeopardise or completely rule out the possibility of exchanging mirror statistics.
Action at European Union level will better achieve the objectives of the proposal for the following reason(s).
The objectives of the proposal can be better achieved at European Union level on the basis of a European legal act, because only the Commission can coordinate the necessary harmonisation of statistical information at European Union level; the collection of data and compilation of comparable statistics on tourism, on the other hand, can be organised by the Member States. The European Union may therefore take action to this end in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the TEU.
As regards using qualitative indicators to demonstrate that the objective can be better achieved by the Union, since the aim of the proposal is to produce harmonised European statistics on tourism, it can only be put into effect at European Union level. The proposal will lead to more comparable and thus more relevant data.
The proposal aims to harmonise concepts, subjects covered and characteristics of the required information, coverage, quality criteria and reporting deadlines and results, in order to achieve relevant, timely, comparable and coherent European statistics. However, it is up to the Member States to decide how to collect the data, since the national data compilers are best placed to make a judgement on the most appropriate methodology and data sources. For this reason, the European Union initiative on methodological standards will be limited to the production, in close cooperation with the Member States, of a set of recommended guidelines.
The proposal therefore complies with the subsidiarity principle.
Proportionality principle The proposal complies with the proportionality principle for the following reason(s).
In accordance with the principle of proportionality, the Regulation confines itself to the minimum required to achieve its objective and does not go beyond what is necessary for that purpose. It does not specify the data collection mechanisms for each Member State, but merely defines the data to be supplied so as to ensure harmonised structure and timing.
The reduced frequency of data transmission in some instances, and the opportunity to make greater use of sources other than surveys (e.g. administrative sources or appropriate statistical estimation techniques), should reduce the financial and administrative burden on national, regional or local authorities, on economic operators and on citizens.
Proposed instrument: Regulation.
Other means would not be adequate for the following reason(s). The selection of the appropriate instrument depends on the legislative goal. Given the information needs at European level, the tendency with European statistics has been to use regulations rather than directives as the basic acts. A regulation is preferable because it lays down the same law throughout the European Union, leaving the Member States with no leeway to apply it incompletely or selectively. It is directly applicable, which means that it does not need to be transposed into national law. Directives, in contrast, aim to harmonise national laws. They are binding on Member States as regards their objectives, but leave to the national authorities the choice of the form used to achieve these objectives. They also have to be transposed into national law. The use of a regulation is in line with other statistical legal acts adopted since 1997.
The proposal per se has no implications for the budget of the European Union. Nevertheless, and subject to the availability of relevant appropriations entered in the budget of the European Union, Member States may receive from the Commission a financial contribution of a maximum of 70% of the costs eligible under the rules on grants in the Financial Regulation, in relation to future possible ad hoc modules as referred to in Article 3 i of the proposal.
Simplification
The proposal provides for simplification of administrative procedures for public authorities (EU or national) and for private parties.
The reduction of the breakdown of supply-side data by regions, the possibility of limiting the scope in terms of the size of the tourist accommodation establishments, and the abolition of transmission of quarterly data for demand-side statistics will simplify the work of EU and national administrations.
The possibility of limiting the scope of data collection on the capacity and occupancy of tourist accommodation establishments will reduce the burden on respondents, especially micro-enterprises. Giving Member States the freedom to produce the necessary figures by using a combination of sources (surveys, but also administrative data or estimation procedures) is intended to lighten the burden on respondents – enterprises and households alike.
Repeal of existing legislation The adoption of the proposal will lead to the repeal of existing legislation.
European Economic Area The proposed act concerns an EEA matter and should therefore extend to the European Economic Area.