On Thursday 14 September, the European Parliament ratified by a clear majority, the inter-institutional political agreement on the draft regulation extending the European Statistical Programme to 2020.
The political agreement between co-legislators was ratified with 512 vote in favour, 54 against, and 66 abstentions. It was obtained after only two negotiating sessions last June (see EUROPE 11803). It grants an envelope of €218 million over three years to enable the European Statistical Programme to continue providing statistics in priority areas such as the economy, employment, the environment, energy and migration.
This is “not just an extension” emphasised rapporteur, Roberto Gualtieri (S&D, Italy), during the debate preceding the vote. He also explained that it was a means of “restructuring” the programme by strengthening the way it operated and by adapting it to new forms of data production.
It should be recalled that the programme helps to assess how the EUROPE 2020 strategy and 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda objectives are being respected. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)