UNSC 2013 – lunch time seminar 26 February 2013 Implementation of the SEEA Central Framework
Environmental accounts implementation in the
European Union
Walter J. Radermacher
Chief Statistician of the EU
Eurostat
Overview
• A bit of history
• EU environmental accounts - current production
• Legal framework
•
Regulation 691/2011 on European environmental economic
accounts
•
New legislation in preparation
• Implementation of SEEA 2012
• Development work and next steps
W. J. Radermacher
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Eurostat
European environmental accounts
Began methodological development in the 90s
Work in several areas, including forestry accounts
New unit created at Eurostat in 2010
Major contribution to SEEA 2012 development
Voluntary data collection in several areas
First EU Regulation adopted in 2011 covering air emissions,
material flows and environmental taxes
• Extension of legal framework well advanced to include also
energy, environmental protection expenditure and the
environmental goods and services sector
• For more detail on Eurostat's work see:
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http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/environmental_accounts/introdu
ction
W. J. Radermacher
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Eurostat
EU environmental accounts – regular
production (voluntary so far)
• Air emissions in a breakdown by economic activities
• Economy-wide material flow accounts
• Environmental taxes – revenues as well as taxes paid
in a breakdown by economic activities
• Environmental protection expenditure from joint
OECD/Eurostat questionnaire
• Environmental goods and services sector
Environmental accounts need good quality input from
many other areas of EU statistics – SUTs and COFOG
data from national accounts, energy, transport, external
trade, business, agriculture statistics…
W. J. Radermacher
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Eurostat
Example results: IO analysis based
on air emissions accounts
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-11022/EN/KS-SF-11-022-EN.PDF
W. J. Radermacher
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Eurostat
Environmental tax revenue in the EU
(TSC = total revenue from taxes and social contributions)
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-12-053/EN/KS-SF-12-053-EN.PDF
W. J. Radermacher
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Eurostat
Resource productivity
Figure: Resource Productivity in comparison to GDP and DMC, EU-27, 2000-2009
(Index: 2000=100)
120.00
2000=100
115.00
110.00
105.00
100.00
95.00
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Resource Productivity
2005
DMC
2006
2007
2008
2009
GDP
(1) GDP (= Gross Domestic Product) in chain-linked volumes, reference year 2000; suited for comparing single country over time
(2) DMC = Domestic Material Consumption
Source : Eurostat (online data code: nama_gdp_k, env_ac_mfa)
W. J. Radermacher
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Eurostat
EU environmental accounts –
legal framework
Regulation 691/2011 on European environmental
economic accounts
• Is an EU law directly applicable to Member States
• Adopted on 6 July 2011, first obligatory data delivery by
Member States in September 2013
• Includes 3 modules:
• Air emissions accounts (14 pollutants x 64 ISIC categories +
households + bridge table to IPCC totals)
• Environmental taxes (4 types x taxpayers: 64 ISIC categories +
households + non-residents)
• Material flow accounts (economy-wide, no industry breakdown
but detailed material categories)
W. J. Radermacher
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Eurostat
New legislation (2nd batch)
• Extending Regulation 691/2011 with a second batch of
modules is now under preparation
• Environmental protection expenditure
• Environmental goods and services sector
• Physical energy flow accounts (by industries)
• Legal process to take about 2 years
• Development work for 3rd batch under way
W. J. Radermacher
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Eurostat
Implementation of SEEA 2012
• EU advanced in several areas, especially chapters 3 and 4
of SEEA 2012 (physical flows accounts and environmental
activity accounts)
• Eurostat conceptual and compilation handbooks exist for
several areas – reviews will determine whether they need
to be updated.
• Will follow the flexible and modular approach of SEEA
implementation
• Work on asset accounts (sub-soil assets, forests, land) has
been a focus several years ago – importance for countries
varies a lot
• Eurostat not working on alterative ('adjusted') national
accounts aggregates
W. J. Radermacher
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Eurostat
Development work
• Work areas under development include e.g.
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Forest accounts
Environmental subsidies and similar transfers
Resource management expenditure
Water accounts
Input-output analysis, environmental employment in the EU
• Strategy for developing new work areas currently being
reviewed (European Strategy for Environmental Accounting
– ESEA – 2003 – 2008 - 2013).
• Report to European Parliament and Council end 2013
• SEEA experimental ecosystem accounting:
• Main actor in Europe is European Environment Agency
• Work to compile accounts using existing data - satellite images
complemented with statistics e.g. agriculture and forestry
statistics
W. J. Radermacher
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Eurostat