Moreover, she suggests improving and broadening the statistics database for direct investments, according to OECD and UN patterns, as well as introducing investment sub-targets and indicators at national level, to demonstrate the progress towards an attractive investment environment, while assessing investment policies and their positive effects on the real economy and employment.

The high value in these commodities is increased due to the high risk involved in crossing international boundaries for criminal gain, by land or by water.

12. Proposes improving and broadening the statistical database for direct investment, in accordance with the international models of the OECD and the World Bank, and the adoption of supplementary investment targets and indicators at national level (urban environment, social infrastructure), so as to highlight the progress that is being made towards an attractive investment environment, while at the same time evaluating the investment policies and their positive effects on the real economy and employment in the various countries and regions;

This will mean that the core indicators will in the future operate at a higher level of generalisation than before.

The many issues that we have dealt with in this report include the following: the actual definition of development cooperation and, therefore, of what each Member State is legitimately entitled to include under public development aid; the minimum level of aid to be obtained if our commitments are to be honoured; the untying of aid, a process that Member States – a number of them, in any case – are clearly reluctant to apply; the absence of indicators enabling real progress in improving European aid to be assessed; or, again, the concern of actors on the ground who note a certain ...[+++] reluctance to involve beneficiary countries in the strategies and programmes intended for those countries.

set up, at the earliest opportunity, an Advisory Board (the “EILC Advisory Board”) composed of a representative of each Member State and one representative of the Council of Europe, whose mandate shall be to advise the Commission on technical matters, such as: the specification of the tender for the creation of the testing instruments; the assessment of the work of the contractor; the appropriate arrangements, standards and technical protocols for data-gathering activities in the Member States, taking into consideration the need to prevent undue administrative and financial burdens for the Member States; in order to assist Member States to define the organisational and resource implications for them, ...[+++]give this Board the initial task of bringing forward a timetable for the work and a more detailed description of the construction and administration of the tests, including: sample size; preferred testing method, and preferred arrangements for administering the tests, taking the possibilities of e-testing into account; the minimum sample size that should determine whether a test for a particular language shall be made available to Member States; report back in writing to the Council by the end of 2006 on the progress of work and, if appropriate, on any issues outstanding;