European Environmental Accounts OECD Working Party on National Accounts Paris, 3 - 5 October 2007 Presented by Elisabeth

1. European Environmental Accounts OECD Working Party on National Accounts Paris, 3 - 5 October 2007 Presented by Elisabeth Møllgaard, Eurostat Unit E3 Environmental Statistics and Accounts

2. Overview • Policy Background • Environmental Accounts in Europe • Working Strategy at Eurostat • Environmental Data Centres at Eurostat • Dissemination of Environmental Accounts

3. EU Policy Background (I) • Commitment by Commission AND European Council in renewed Sustainable Development Strategy (June 2006): “… avoid overexploitation of renewable resources, apply the concept of life-cycle thinking, break the link between economic growth and environmental degradation”

4. EU Policy Background (II) • Commitment by Commission AND European Council in renewed Sustainable Development Strategy (June 2006): “… build on the EU Strategy on the sustainable use of natural resources”

5. EU Policy Background (III) • Commitment by Commission AND European Council in renewed Sustainable Development Strategy (June 2006): ”For better understanding of interlinkages between the three dimensions of SD, the core system of national income accounting could be extended by inter alia integrating stock and flow concepts and non-market work and be further elaborated by satellite accounts e.g. environmental expenditures, material flows and taking into consideration international best practices.”

6. Usefulness of Environmental Accounts for Policy Assessment (I) • Link between environment and economy • Good complement to environment statistics • Disaggregating data by economic activities • National or regional level

7. Usefulness of Environmental Accounts for Policy Assessment (II) • Tool for policy making and monitoring • Decoupling indicators • Sustainable production and consumption • Degradation of natural resources • Effects of economic policy measures (Env. Expenditure)

8. Environmental Accounts in Europe • Eurostat Environmental Accounts Team • Network of European Statistical System • European Commission: DG ENV, DG Research, DG ECFIN • Co-operation with the OECD • UN City groups: most relevant = the London Group • UNCEEA, high level committee on environmental accounting

9. Working Strategy at Eurostat (I) • Priority to fill in the data gaps for priority areas: • Environmental Expenditure, Environmental Taxes • NAMEAs for air emissions • Economy Wide Material Flow Accounting. • Areas to be developed: Environmental industry, water and energy • EU aggregates including estimations • Indicators derived from Environmental Accounts • Promotion and dissemination of the Accounts

10. Working Strategy at Eurostat (II) • Two Working Groups on EA and Expenditure • Task Forces to develop methodology • ESEA Task Force • State of play of Environmental Accounts • Grants programme on Pilot Studies

11. Working Strategy at Eurostat (III)Task Force on ESEA 2007 and 2008 European Strategy on Environmental Accounts Objectives of the mandate: • Review of the ESEA (2003): • the readiness and ability to compile EA • further developments • Contribute to the work of the London Group • Possible regulation on the area of EA • Promotion of EA including development of indicators • Harmonisation, completeness and timeliness • Recommendations of a core set of EA

12. Working Strategy at Eurostat (IV)“EA – State of play of recent work” • Eurostat assessment of progress • to assess progress made by EU and partner countries in compilation of environmental accounts from 2000 onwards • to analyse projects and studies on environmental accounts carried out by European countries • Interview survey focused on the present state of environmental accounts in European countries • Coordinated with similar UN assessment

13. Working Strategy at Eurostat (V) • Continuation of the Grants programme on Pilot Studies • Main strategy: - Filling data gaps • Required: promotion and dissemination of the Accounts • Secondary: - Develop new areas in the countries. - New aspects on existing accounts • The grants programme will be continued in 2008

14. Environmental Data Centres Eurostat responsible for EDCs on • Resources including indicators on MFA, on sustainable use of Natural Resources • Products (Integrated Product policy) including data on Life-Cycle-Analysis (LCA) • Waste (Waste Statistics Regulation) Other EDCs JRC: Soil, Forestry EEA: Air, Climate Change, Water, Biodiv., Land Use

15. D-P-S- cause-effect chain (‘Statistisches Bundesamt’) State Driving forces Pressures Aggregated impact indicator Economic production and final use activities Change of environ- mental assets (impacts) Environ- mental pressure flows Physical product flows Environmental sciences social value judgements Environmental-economic accounting (SEEA) Environmental sciences Economic accounting (SNA)

18. European Environmental Accounts Beyond GDP:http://www.beyond-gdp.eu Thank you for your attention ! Elisabeth.Mollgaard@ec.europa.eu http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/pls/portal/url/page/PGP_DS_ENVACC/PGE_DS_ENVACC