Division Current situation

Regional statistical data are collected for about a dozen broad statistical domains, some of which are covered by a legal act while others are governed by an agreement. Typically, data are sent continuously to Eurostat. Urban data for the urban audit has been collected every 3 years since 2003.

Geographic information is collected and maintained in the GISCO database, for the use of Eurostat and all Commission Directorate Generals. The lack of standards and of a harmonised framework for the collection of information requires a significant amount of resources for proper maintenance and updating. On the other hand, the growing awareness of the potential of the combination of geographic with statistical and thematic information increases the demand for mapping, analyses and applications.

Main initiatives for 2008 to 2012:

• the work to be undertaken under the statistical programme 2008 to 2012 will be determined by the shape of the new Community regional policy within the new programming period for the structural funds. Consolidation work on the existing data will be continued, notably in the urban audit, transport, environment and R & D areas. The implementation of a legislative framework for regional population data and the anticipated revision of the ESA 95 Regulation encompassing the regional accounts data will be of significant importance for the structural indicators work. The methodological consistency of regional statistics will be improved by the inclusion of more rigorous methodology in the relevant legislative framework when revised and the application of quality standards already commenced in regional accounts data will be extended to other regional statistics to assure comparability and timeliness. The implementation of NACE Rev. 2 classification of economic activities will necessitate re-calculating of time series for periods prior to the introduction of the Revision,

• the availability and accessibility of geographical information across the EU will be revolutionised by the implementation of INSPIRE, which aims to develop a European spatial data infrastructure to support environmental and other policies. This will have a significant impact on the organisation and use of such information by Commission services. During this programme period the geographical information team of Eurostat will have to not only contribute to the development of the technical implementation and to provide the organisational infrastructure (including setting up and running the INSPIRE Committee) but also support the implementation of INSPIRE across the EU. The promotion of spatial analysis techniques combining statistical and geographical data will continue for Commission users; the increased availability of spatial data following the infrastructure deployment will greatly improve the potential for the definition of accurate indicators.