UNITED NATIONS E

Economic and Social

Council	Distr.

GENERAL

ECE/CES/47

7 April 1995

Original: ENGLISH

STATISTICAL COMMISSION and ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN STATISTICIANS

Forty-third plenary session

(Geneva, 12-15 June 1995)

Provisional agenda of the 1995 plenary session

(The meeting will start at 2:30 p.m. on Monday 12 June)

1.	The Conference's attention is drawn to the following key items on this year's agenda:

-	Item 3: The integrated presentation of international statistical work programmes covering countries in the UN/ECE, European Union and OECD regions, in which basic information on the statistical work programmes of the ECE, EC, OECD, UN Statistical Division and other international organizations is presented for all fields of statistics covered by the Conference's programme of work. The Bureau's proposals for decisions by the Conference are included in the integrated presentation, project by project. Attention is drawn particularly to the economic and social statistics sub-programmes (3 and 4), which have been amended much more than the other subprogrammes to reflect the outcome of the Bureau's in-depth review of those sub-programmes.

-	Item 7: "Possibilities to describe statistically the effects of ongoing integration processes in the ECE region" is the topic of substantive discussion at this year's plenary session.

2.	The documents intended for discussion are listed in the agenda under the relevant agenda items. Background documents, not intended for discussion at this Conference, are listed in the annex. The more important of the background documents are marked with an asterisk.

3.	Most of the main business of the Conference is expected to be completed by 5:30 on Wednesday. Most of Thursday morning (9:30-12:00) will be devoted to an OECD meeting to which all members of the Conference are invited. Interpretation (English, French and Russian) will be available at both the Conference and the OECD meeting. The main topic on the agenda of the OECD meeting is "Science and Technology Statistics". Further details of the OECD meeting are given in the timetable and in the notes to the provisional agenda.

4.	The plenary session of the Conference will resume at noon on Thursday morning, and the following half hour will be devoted to the election of the new Bureau of the Conference of European Statisticians and to the adoption of the report of the 1995 plenary session. The session is expected to finish its business by 12:30 on Thursday.

* * * * * *

Provisional Agenda

1.	Adoption of the agenda	ECE/CES/47

2.	Implications of meetings of the Conference's parent bodies:

2.1	April 1995 session of the Economic Commission for Europe	CES/1995/R.16

2.2	February 1995 session of the UN Statistical Commission	CES/1995/R.17

3.	Integrated presentation of international statistical	CES/1995/R.15

work in the ECE region	(and background

documents)

3.1	Sub-programme 1: Organization and operation of	CES/1995/R.15/

statistical services	Add.1

3.2	Sub-programme 2: Technical infrastructure and other

cross-cutting issues	Add.2

3.3	Sub-programme 3: Economic statistics	Add.3

3.4	Sub-programme 4: Social and demographic statistics	Add.4

3.5	Sub-programme 5: Natural resources and environment

statistics	Add.5

3.6	Sub-programme 6: Dissemination and support for

secretariat activities	Add.6

4.	CES contribution to the UN Social Summit	CES/1995/R.18

5.	ECE statistical publications

5.1	Report to the Commission on the review of ECE statistical	ECE/CES/46

publications

5.2	New ECE Statistical Yearbook; 'Trends in Europe	Sample of the

and North America'; and book of gender statistics	publications

6.	The analytical use of national statistics at the international

level: a presentation by the ECE secretariat	CES/1995/R.19

7.	Statistical treatment of persons on leave	CES/1995/R.20

8.	Subject for substantive discussion:

Possibilities to describe statistically the effects	CES/1995/R.12

of ongoing integration processes in the ECE region	and addenda

9.	Data protection	CES/1995/R.24

10.	Election of Bureau members for 1995/96 and 1996/97	CES/1995/R.11

11.	Other business

12.	Adoption of the report

* * * * *

Tentative timetable of the session {and of the OECD meeting}

(Monday, 12 June: a.m. Meeting of the CES Bureau)

Monday, 12 June (2:30-5:30 p.m.)

Opening addresses (2:30-3:00)

Item 1: Adoption of the agenda (3:00-3:15)	ECE/CES/47

Item 10: Introduction to process of Bureau elections

(3:15-3:20)	CES/1995/R.11

Item 2.1: Implications of the April 1995 session of the

Economic Commission	for Europe (3:20-3:25)	CES/1995/R.16

Item 2.2: Implications of the February 1995 session of the

UN Statistical Commission (3:25-3:30)	CES/1995/R.17

Item 3: Integrated presentation of international statistical

work in the ECE region	CES/1995/R.15

- Introductory comments by the Chairman (3:30-3:45)

(break: 3:45-4:10)	CES/1995/R.15/

- Sub-programme 1 (4:10-4:45)	Add.1

- Sub-programme 2 (4:45-5:30)	Add.2

Tuesday, 13 June (9:30-12:30 and 2:30-5:30)

Item 3 (continued)

- Sub-programme 3 (9:30-11:00; break; 11:25-11:45)	Add.3

- Sub-programme 4 (11:45-12:30; lunch; 2:30-3:15)	Add.4

- Sub-programme 5 (3:15-4:00; break; 4:25-5:00)	Add.5

- Sub-programme 6 (5:00-5:10)	Add.6

- Participants' and Chairman's concluding remarks (5:10-5:30)

Wednesday, 14 June (9:30-12:30)

Item 4: CES contribution to the Social Summit (9:30-9:40)	CES/1995/R.18

Item 5: ECE statistical publications

5.1 Report to the Commission (9:40-9:50)	ECE/CES/46

5.2 New ECE statistical publications (9:50-10:00)	(Room documents)

Item 6: The analytical use of national statistics at the

international level: a presentation by the ECE

secretariat (10:00-10:40)	CES/1995/R.19

(break: 25 minutes)

Item 7: Statistical treatment of persons on leave

(11:10-11:25)	CES/1995/R.20

Item 8: Possibilities to describe statistically the effects of ongoing

integration processes in Europe (11:25-12:30)	CES/1995/R.12

and addenda

Wednesday, 14 June (2:30-5:30)

Item 8: Possibilities to describe statistically the effects of ongoing

integration processes in Europe (continued) (2:30-4:00)

(break: 25 minutes)

Item 8: Possibilities to describe statistically the effects of ongoing

integration processes in Europe (continued)(4:25-5:00)

Item 9: Data protection (5:00-5:15)	CES/1995/R.24

Item 10: Election of Bureau members (5:15-5:25)

Item 11: Other business (5:25-5:30)

Thursday, 15 June (9:30-12:30)

(OECD open meeting, 9:30-12:00 - see separate agenda to be issued by OECD)

Item 12: Adoption of the report of the CES plenary, and closing (12:00-12:30)

* * * * *

Explanatory notes to the agenda

Item 1: Adoption of the agenda, and consideration of the procedures

to be followed at the plenary session

The Bureau of the Conference agreed the outline of this provisional agenda at its February 1995 meeting. It is presented in more detail in this document for the approval of the Conference.

At its 1993 plenary session, it was suggested that the Bureau consider whether and how the duration of the plenary sessions of the Conference might be reduced and how its business might be conducted more efficiently and effectively. In response to this request, the Bureau introduced several innovations at the 1994 plenary session which were welcomed by the Conference. The Bureau has approved other innovations which are being tried at the 1995 plenary session, including scheduling the agenda items so that the plenary session and the OECD meeting will be finished by lunchtime on Thursday 15 June.

Item 2: Implications of meetings of the Conference's parent bodies

2.1	The April 1995 session of the Economic Commission for Europe

Information on the discussions held at the April 1995 session of the Economic Commission for Europe and on resolutions and decisions taken at it which have a bearing on the work of the Conference will be presented in CES/1995/R.16. Documents considered by the Commission session which are likely to be of interest to the Conference will also be made available at the plenary session. One is the report of the Chairman of the Commission on the consultations he held with the Bureaux of the ECE Principal Subsidiary Bodies (including the Conference) and Working Parties that report directly to the Commission (E/ECE/1314), and the other is the "summary document" the secretariat to the Commission prepared outlining major developments that have occurred in each part of the Commission's work programme (including statistics) since the April 1994 session of the Economic Commission for Europe (E/ECE/1315).

2.2	The February 1995 Session of the UN Statistical Commission

Information on the the conclusions of the 1995 Session which have a bearing on the work of the Conference is presented in CES/1995/R.17. When necessary, these will be referred to during discussion under item 3 of the provisional agenda.

Item 3: Integrated presentation of international statistical work programmes

At its 1994 plenary session the Conference asked the Bureau to consider ways in which the integrated presentation of international statistical work programmes in the ECE region could be further improved. In response to that request, during 1994/95 the Bureau conducted an in-depth review of sub-programmes 3 (economic statistics) and 4 (social and demographic statistics), which resulted in numerous proposals for changes to be made to the objectives and outputs of the projects in these work areas. The Bureau also suggested that the wording of the headings under each project in the integrated presentation be changed to make their intended meaning clearer, and that the sequence of the headings be re-arranged to permit the material of greatest potential interest to the Conference be placed first within each programme element. It also introduced several new headings into each project. These proposed improvements to the integrated presentation are summarized in CES/1995/R.15, and the results are in addenda 1-6 of the document.

The complete integrated presentation is too large to produce in a single document. It is therefore presented in several addenda (one for each of the six sub-programmes). Each of these documents contains brief descriptions of the conclusions reached by the Bureau in its review of the work that was carried out in the Conference's work programme since the 1994 plenary session and in its review of work planned to be carried out in the next two years. In each of these documents, the Bureau's recommendations for decisions by the Conference are clearly specified under each programme element.

Document CES/1995/R.15 also contains an annex in which information is given on the resources which are available in the ECE for servicing the programme of work of the Conference in the coming year.

Document CES/1995/R.15/Add.7 is also an important document. It contains up-to-date information on projects in the Conference's programme of work during the period from March to June 1994. Documents numbered Add.1 to Add.6 were finalized in March. It also includes recommendations by the Bureau on future work for decision by the Conference.

The coordination of international statistical work in the ECE region and the taking of decisions on its own work programme are two of the most important functions that the Conference is expected to perform at each plenary session. These responsibilities will be carried out under this agenda item. Therefore, under this item the Conference is expected to take decisions on its own work programme and, when considered appropriate, to offer guidance and advice to other international and supranational organizations on planned activities in their work programmes relating to countries in the ECE region.

Discussion is expected to focus primarily on the material presented in documents CES/1995/R15 and its addenda. However, the various background documents listed in the Annex of the provisional agenda are also available for reference.

Item 4: CES contribution to the UN Social Summit

At its 1994 plenary session the Conference reviewed a draft declaration which the Bureau of the Conference had prepared as a possible contribution from the Conference to the Social Summit. The Conference indicated the types of changes which it wished to have made to the draft. The draft was subsequently amended. The Bureau reviewed the amended version at its October 1994 meeting, and asked the secretariat to arrange to have it submitted to the Social Summit as a contribution from the Conference. The amended version of the Declaration, which was reproduced and distributed to delegations at the Social Summit with the assistance of Danmark Statistiks, has been reproduced as document CES/1995/R.18. Any implications of the Social Summit are expected to be raised during discussion of the work programme in agenda item 3.

Item 5: ECE statistical publications

In its decision 0(45) the Economic Commission for Europe asked the Conference to review the ECE statistical publication programme, and to report its findings periodically to the Commission. The progress report that the secretariat submitted to the April 1995 session of the Commission on behalf of the Conference is reproduced as document ECE/CES/46.

The Conference was informed at the 1994 plenary session of the plans of the secretariat to produce a new statistical yearbook of countries in the UN/ECE region on an experimental basis. Work on the first issue of the proposed new yearbook, entitled "Trends in Europe and North America", proceeded on schedule. Samples of the first issue will be available for review at the plenary session.

Work has also proceeded during the past year on producing a publication on gender statistics in time for the forthcoming World Conference on Women that will be held in Beijing in September 1995. The publication is being produced by Statistics Sweden with financial assistance from the UN/ECE, INSTRAW and Eurostat. An advance copy of the publication is expected to be available at the time of the plenary session.

Item 6: The analytical use of national statistics at the international	level

The ECE secretariat will prepare a note for review under this item, highlighting the uses for which data supplied by countries to the secretariat are regularly used by it in its analysis of the socio-economic situation of countries in the region (CES/1995/R.19). There will be a presentation by the ECE economists responsible for the Economic Survey of Europe and the Economic Bulletin for Europe.

Item 7: Statistical treatment of persons on leave

The ILO will prepare a progress report for review by the Conference under this item (CES/1995/R.20), of its work on the statistical treatment of persons on maternity leave, extended educational or training leave, and persons on unpaid leave initiated by the employer. This note is intended for information purposes only, and is not submitted to the Conference for decision.

Item 8: Possibilities to describe statistically the effects

of ongoing integration processes in Europe

Each year the plenary session has the opportunity to discuss, in the form of a short seminar, a topic of interest to heads of national statistical offices. On this occasion the members of the Conference are invited to comment in substantive discussion on the possibilities to describe statistically the effects of ongoing integration processes in the ECE region, based on a basic paper by Eurostat and supporting papers by Canada, Hungary, New Zealand and Poland (CES/1995/R.12 and addenda 1-4). Notes of the discussion will not be included in the report to be adopted at the end of the session (see agenda item 12) but will be distributed to participants within about two weeks.

Item 9: Data protection

The Bureau was asked by presidents of the statistical offices of Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland to arrange time during the course of the 1995 plenary session for the Conference to discuss recommendations of the Council of Europe and its Working Group on the protection of personal data. The recommendations refer to the protection of personal data, including personal data collected for statistical purposes. The Bureau recommends that this subject be considered under this item. The ECE secretariat has informed the Council of Europe of this decision of the Bureau, and has invited a representative of the Council of Europe and its Working Group to attend the plenary session.

Eurostat offered to prepare a note for this item, outlining how a similar situation was dealt with within the European Community (CES/1995/R.24).

Item 10: Election of Bureau members for 1995/96 and 1996/97

The term of office of the current Bureau of the Conference expires at the closing of the 1995 plenary session. The Conference will elect a new Bureau under this item for the period running from the closing of the 1995 plenary session to the closing of the 1997 plenary session. The rules governing the election of Bureau members and the responsibilities that are expected to be carried out by Bureau members, as agreed by the Conference at its 1991 plenary session, are outlined in CES/1995/R.11.

Item 11: Other business

This item on the agenda will include any topic which the Conference may decide to add during the adoption of the agenda.

Item 12: Adoption of the report

The Conference is expected to adopt the report of the present plenary session before it adjourns. To enable this to be accomplished as quickly as possible, the Bureau has requested the secretariat to prepare a considerably shorter draft report than was prepared in the past. It has also requested it to limit the information presented in it, to the greatest extent possible, to decisions taken by the Conference during the course of the plenary session. If delegates wish to offer amendments to the report, it will be helpful if they could be offered in writing and in English before or during the discussion of the adoption. The secretariat will make each part of the draft report available as soon as it has been prepared in all three official languages.

Annex: Background documents for item 3 of the provisional agenda

The following supplementary documents contain background information related to item 3 of the provisional agenda. They are listed in order of the relevant programme element (P.E.) number. Documents CES/R.4-R.11 are the main documents for item 3. The background documents on the list marked with an asterisk are those which the Conference may consider to be more important than others listed here. These documents are not intended to be discussed.

Agenda item 3	Document

Sub-programme 1: Organization and operation of statistical services

P.E. 1.1: Report of the Oct. 1994 meeting of the CES Bureau	CES/BUR.95/10*

P.E. 1.1: Report of the Feb. 1995 meeting of the CES Bureau	CES/BUR.95/25*

P.E. 1.3: Report on ECE-Eurostat-OECD joint program

review meetings	CES/1995/R.4

P.E. 1.3: Resource inventory of statistical work in

the ECE region	CES/1995/R.22

Sub-programme 2: Technical infrastructure and other cross-cutting issues

P.E. 2.1: Report on Working Party on EDP	CES/WP.9/340

P.E. 2.2: Report of the work session on data editing	CES/1995/R.5

P.E. 2.3: Report of the work session on statistical metadata	CES/1995/R.7

P.E. 2.3: Progress report on EDIFACT	CES/1995/R.13

P.E. 2.6: Report of the work session on GIS	CES/1995/R.2

Sub-programme 3: Economic statistics

P.E. 3.1: Report of the Meeting on SNA	CES/AC.68/23

P.E. 3.4: Report of the Working Party on	Transport Statistics	CES/AC.62/79;

TRANS/WP6/127

P.E. 3.10: Report of the work session on statistics

connected with environment-related agriculture statistics	CES/1995/R.6

P.E. 3.14: Report of the work session on business registers	CES/1995/R.1

Sub-programme 4: Social and demographic statistics

P.E. 4.2: Report of the work session on gender statistics	CES/1995/R.14

P.E. 4.4: Report of the work session on registers and

administrative records	CES/1995/R.10

P.E. 4.5: Report of the work session on population censuses	CES/1995/R.21

P.E. 4.11: Report of the Working Group on migration statistics	CES/1995/R.9

Sub-programme 5: Natural resources and environment statistics

P.E. 5.1: Report of the work session on methodology	CES/1995/R.3

P.E. 5.1: Report of the work session on waste statistics	CES/1995/R.23

P.E. 5.2: Report on Physical environmental accounting	CES/1995/R.8

Sub-programme 6: Dissemination and support for secretariat activities

P.E. 6.1: Progress report on the ECE statistical database	CES/1995/R.13

_____________________

* Documents marked with an asterisk are ones that the Conference may consider more important than the others.