20. 8. 94 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 216/1 (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 2062/94 ‘ of 18 July 1994 establishing a European Agency for Safety and Health at Work THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 235 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (3), Whereas safety, hygiene and health at work are among the priorities of an effective social policy; Whereas the Commission has described the measures which it intends to take in this area in its programme concerning safety, hygiene and health at work (4), and in its action programme concerning the implementation of the Community Charter of Fundamental Social Rights for Workers; Whereas, in its Resolution of 21 December 1987 on safety, hygiene and health at work (5), the Council welcomed the Commission communication on its programme concerning safety, hygiene and health at work and, inter alia, called on the Commission to examine ways of improving the exchange of information and experience in the field covered by the Resolution, particularly as regards the gathering and dissemination of data and the advisability of setting up Community 1 2 (1) OJ No C 271, 16. 10. 1991, p. 3. o] (3 * ) O] O] No C 128, 9. 5. 1994. O] No C 169, 6. 7. 1992, p. 44. O] No C 28, 3. 2. 1988, p. 3. O] No C 28, 3. 2. 1988, p. 1. 4 5 machinery to study the repercussions at national level of Community measures in this field; Whereas that Resolution also called for intensified cooperation with and between bodies active in this field; Whereas the Council also stressed the fundamental importance of employers and workers being aware of the issues involved and having access to information if the measures advocated in the Commission’s programme were to prove successful; Whereas collection, treatment and analysis of detailed, reliable and objective scientific, technical and economic data are necessary in order to provide the Community bodies, the Member States and those involved in the field with the information to enable them to respond to all the requests addressed to them, to introduce essential measures for the protection of the health and safety of workers and to provide the persons concerned with adequate information; Whereas there are already organizations in the Community and the Member States which provide this type of information and services; Whereas, in order to obtain the maximum benefit at .Community level from work already carried out by these organizations, it is appropriate to establish a network to form a European monitoring system for collecting information on health and safety at work, to be coordinated at Community level by a European Agency for Safety and Health at Work; Whereas, in order to be able to respond more effectively to requests addressed to them, Community bodies, the Member States and those involved in the field should be