(DRAFT)Memorandum of Understanding

Cooperation in Transport SafetyStatistics

Version 3.0March 2010

(DRAFT)Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

Eurostat, DG MOVE, ERA, EASA, EMSA

GENERAL PROVISIONS

THE STATISTICAL OFFICE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

hereinafter referred to as “Eurostat”

which for the purpose of the signature of the present Memorandum of Understanding is represented by its most concerned Director,

DGMobility and Transport,

hereinafter referred to as DG MOVE

which for the purpose of the signature of the present Memorandum of Understanding is represented by its most concerned Director,

THE TRANSPORT (SAFETY) AGENCIES OF THE COMMISSION,

hereinafter referred to as their acronym (ERA, EASA, EMSA)

which for the purpose of the signature of the present Memorandum of Understanding are represented by their most concerned Executive Director,

AGREE THE FOLLOWING

OBJECTIVE

This Memorandum of Understanding among Eurostat, DG MOVEand the Transport Safety Agencies has for objective to formalise and organise in an efficient way a process of compilation and dissemination of safety statistics for different modes of transport,

ofor the benefit of the users of EU transport statistics

oharnessing the work already done and optimising the resources devoted for that purpose by each party.

RESOURCES

Each party will bear the costs arising from its participation in the activities mentioned in the present MoU.

ENTRY INTO FORCE, AMENDMENTS AND TERMINATION

ThisMoU will enter into force on the date of signature by each involved partyfor a period of one year. By default the commitment is automatically renewed every year for a period of one more year.

Any amendment to this MoU shall be effected by means of a written agreement signed by all involved parties.

Any of the parties may terminate its participation in this MoUby writing to the other parties involved, with immediate effect.

Transport Safety Statistics

1.Background and objective of the process

1.1 Eurostat and DG MOVEhave a long history of co-operation. The recent policy challenges,mostly identified in the White Paper on Transport Policy[1]and in its mid-term review[2], as well as in the legislation which results from them, have put at the top of the transport policy agenda:

  • enhancing safety(the issue relevant for the present process)
  • combating congestion
  • and reducing the damage to the environment: local pollution and noise, and climate change.

These challenges imply continuously new requirements for statistics. The present MoU aims at organising a cooperative process among the five partners, in order to produce and disseminateEU statistics on safety for all modes of transport, harmonised as much as possible among the MemberStates and other participating countries.

1.2While statistical information needs are constantly increasing, resources for data collection and treatment are simultaneously coming under considerable pressure, both at Eurostat and in the national statistical authorities in the Member States. In this framework of pressure on resources, creativity and innovative methods of cooperation are particularly welcomed for statistical production and dissemination.

1.3Regarding the respective remits and objectives:

  • DG MOVE initiates, conducts and monitors the EU transport policies, such as enhancing safety
  • Eurostat organises the collection, treatment and dissemination of transport statistics,as harmonised as possible at EU level, in order to provide the necessary statistical support to the national and EU transport policies. It is worth noting that Eurostat and the European Statistical System Committee (ESSC) have recently adopted strategic orientations for the future business architecture of EU statistics[3]. One of them, the so-called integrated model, is based on the fact that governments and other public bodies collect data for many non-statistical purposes, and that efficiency gains can be obtained by the re-use of these data for statistical purposes
  • The transport safety agencies, set up by a legal act of secondary legislation, aim at accomplishing a specific technical, scientific or managerial task in the framework of the EU's so-called "first pillar".
  • The construction of a safe, modern integrated railway network is one of the EU’s major priorities. Railways must become more competitive and offer high-quality, end-to-end services without being restricted by national borders. ERA (European Railway Agency) was set up to help create this integrated railway area by reinforcing safety and interoperability.
  • EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency) helps in matters of maritime safety, security and preventing pollution caused by ships.
  • EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) provides technical expertise by assisting in the drafting of rules for aviation safety in various areas and providing technical input to the conclusion of the relevant international agreements. Moreover, EASA may carry out certain executive tasks related to aviation safety, such as the certification of aeronautical products and organisations involved in their design, production and maintenance.

2.Operational objectives and procedures

2.1To carry out their tasks, the transport agencies need to collect data of technical or administrative nature from the Member States. These data constitute a precious primary source of information which can also, once adequately processed, be harnessed for EU- or EEA-wide statistical dissemination, at the service of national and EU-wide transport policies. The present process aims at organising the collaboration between DG MOVE, Eurostat and the different transport safety agencies in order to do so.

2.2In the framework of the present process, theoperational objective for Eurostatisthe annual compilation and dissemination of statistics on safety in all transport modes, produced by:

  • an extract from the CARE database for road transport;
  • ERA's safety annex to its Directive for rail transport;
  • a contribution from EMSA for maritime transport;
  • a contribution from EASA for air transport;
  • and the voluntary contribution from the National Statistical Authorities for inland waterways transport.

The case of accidents in pipelines might also be considered if and when necessary.

2.3The implementation of this process implies different tasks for the partners.

  • The transport safety agencies (and DG MOVE for road accidents data) transmit to Eurostat,
  • every year,
  • one or several datasets containing the agreed information (cf.reference manual on transport safety statistics, hereafter abbreviated as "manual") based on definitions and concepts with commonalities that ensure enough comparability across the different transport modes,
  • in the format agreed (cf.manual),
  • and using the communication tools agreed (cf.manual).
  • Eurostat collects these data, compiles them with the data extracted from CARE and from the inland waterways transport voluntary data collection, and disseminates them every year under an agreed harmonised format, on different agreed media (cf. manual).
  • Eurostat provides the different agencies with the necessary advice and technical support in order to elaborate the datasets and transmit them, with the eDAMIS tool, to the "Single Entry Point" in its data centre (cf. manual).

2.4The reference manual will describe how to implement this strategic orientation (definitions, concepts, tools, procedures…). It will be drafted by Eurostat in close cooperation with the four partners and will have to be explicitly agreed by them. Once a common agreement is reached on the manual, it will become an annex to the present chapter of the MoU and its provisions will become an integral part of it.

3.Follow-up ofthe process

3.1In order to organise efficiently the communication between DG MOVE, Eurostat and the transport safety agencies, each of them designates contact persons (see hereafter the appropriate levels of representation)who ensure the follow-up of the MoU.

3.2DG MOVEand the concerned transport agency(ies)are invited to participate in Eurostat's working groups meetings, including the annual Coordination Group on Statistics of Transport (CGST) meeting, at the appropriate management level.

Eurostat is invited to participate, at the appropriate management level, in working group meetings convened by DG MOVEand transport safety agencies when these contain agenda items related to the present project.

This cross-participation in each others' meetings seeks to ensure that all concerned EU Commission DGs and agencies, as well as all bodies involved in statistics on transport in the Member States,adopt and maintain a consistent approach, in the users' interest.

3.3Every year DG MOVE and Eurostat meet for the so-called "hearings", during which the current situation of statistics on transport is assessed and prospects are discussed. The implementation of the MoU is a mandatory item of the hearings agenda, which takes place in DG MOVE's premises and is held at Directors' level.

For DG MOVEFor Eurostat

For ERAFor EASAFor EMSA

Annex: Reference manual on transport safety statistics(as soon as agreed by all partners)

1

[1] European transport policy for 2010: time to decide, COM(2001) 370

[2] Keep Europe moving – Sustainable mobility for our continent, COM(2006) 314

[3]Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the production method of EU statistics: a vision for the next decade 12 May 2009; adopted by the ESSC in its meeting of 2 October 2009.