8 Amendments of Hans-Peter MARTIN related to 2010/0035(NLE)
Amendment 8 #
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Recital 1 a (new)
Recital 1 a (new)
(1a) The warning issued as far back as 2004 by Eurostat, and the Commission’s initiatives on this subject, which it set out in a communication of 22 December 2004 entitled ‘Towards a European governance strategy for fiscal statistics1’, unfortunately did not lead in the Council to reforms of the governance framework for financial statistics, which were overdue even then, whereas, if timely action had been taken, the errors in reporting the relevant data on public deficit could have been identified much sooner and the resulting crisis could at least have been contained. It is therefore of critical importance that Eurostat should receive an appropriate competence framework, adequate staffing and as much independence as possible. __________ 1 COM(2004)0832.
Amendment 9 #
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Recital 1 b (new)
Recital 1 b (new)
(1b) A European Parliament committee of inquiry should ascertain how the collection and evaluation of financial statistics from Member States was conducted in the past, name the responsible parties and draw the relevant conclusions. The work of this committee of inquiry should be supported by experts from a 'commission of historians'.
Amendment 15 #
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Recital 5 a (new)
Recital 5 a (new)
(5a) The comparability of economic data requires a uniform methodology. The Commission should therefore promote the harmonisation of statistical data collection.
Amendment 17 #
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Recital 6 a (new)
Recital 6 a (new)
(6a) In order for Eurostat to be able to responsibly fulfil its extended supervisory duties, it requires an increase in staffing levels in the relevant departments from the present number of just 15 to 45 qualified employees. This additional outlay for staff and costs should be covered by budget and staff transfers within the Commission.
Amendment 26 #
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Article 1 – point 3
Article 1 – point 3
Regulation (EC) No 479/2009
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Article 11 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
3. The methodological visits may be unannounced and are designed to monitor the processes and verify the accounts which justify the reported actual data and to draw detailed conclusions as to the quality of reported data, as defined in Article 8(1).
Amendment 29 #
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Article 1 – point 4
Article 1 – point 4
Regulation (EC) No 479/2009
Article 12 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Article 12 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
1. Member States shall, at the request of the Commission (Eurostat), provide the assistance of experts in national accounting, including for the preparation and undertaking of the methodological visits, which may also be unannounced. In the exercise of their duties, these experts shall provide an independent expertise. A list of those experts in national accounting shall be constituted on the basis of proposals sent to the Commission (Eurostat) by the national authorities responsible for the excessive deficit reporting.
Amendment 30 #
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Article 1 – point 5
Article 1 – point 5
Regulation (EC) No 479/2009
Article 12 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
Article 12 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1
2. In the framework of the methodological visits, which may also be unannounced, the Commission (Eurostat) shall have the right to access the accounts of all government entities at central, state, local and social security and state pension fund levels, including the provision of underlying detailed accounting information, such as transactions and balance sheets, relevant statistical surveys and questionnaires and further related information, such as analytical documents and the accounting data of other public bodies.
Amendment 32 #
Proposal for a regulation – amending act
Article 1 – point 5
Article 1 – point 5
Regulation (EC) No 479/2009
Article 12 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Article 12 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 2
Member States shall take all necessary measures to facilitate the methodological visits, which may also be unannounced. Those visits may be carried out in national authorities involved in the excessive deficit procedure reporting, as well as in all services directly or indirectly involved in the production of government accounts and debt. Member States shall ensure that those national authorities and services, and where necessary, their national authorities who have a functional responsibility for the control of the public accounts, provide the Commission officials or other experts referred to in paragraph 1 with the assistance necessary to carry out their duties, including making documents available to justify the reported actual deficit and debt data and the underlying government accounts. Confidential records of the national statistical system should only be provided to the Commission (Eurostat).