PURPOSE: to draw up a common framework for the collection, transmission and evaluation of European environmental economic accounts.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European environmental economic accounts.
CONTENT: Regulation establishing a common framework for the compilation of European environmental economic accounts.
Supplement existing indicators: in its Communication of 20 August 2009 entitled "GDP and beyond: Measuring progress in a changing world", the Commission recognised the need to supplement existing indicators with data that incorporate environmental and social aspects in order to allow more coherent and comprehensive policy making.
To that end, environmental economic accounts offer a means of monitoring the pressures exerted by the economy on the environment and of exploring how these might be abated. Environmental economic accounts show the interaction between economic, household and environmental factors and consequently are more informative than national accounts alone. They provide a significant source of data for environmental decisions and the Commission should consult them when drawing up impact assessments.
Environmental statistics: the new regulation obliges member states to annually report to the Commission (Eurostat) statistics concerning their air emissions, the environmentally related taxes they charge and the material flows in their economy. It may be extended to other environmentally-related statistics in the future. The first reporting year is 2011 and member states have up to two years to transmit their data to Eurostat.
Pilot studies: the Commission shall draw up a programme for pilot studies to be carried out by Member States on a voluntary basis in order to develop reporting and improve data quality, establish long time series and develop methodology. The programme shall include pilot studies to test the feasibility of introducing new environmental economic account modules. In drawing up the programme, the Commission shall ensure that no additional administrative or financial burdens are placed on the Member States and on the respondent units.
Report and review: by 31 December 2013 and every 3 years thereafter, the Commission shall submit a report on the implementation of this Regulation to the European Parliament and the Council. That report shall evaluate in particular the quality of the data transmitted, the data collection methods, the administrative burden on the Member States and on the respondent units, as well as the feasibility and effectiveness of those statistics.
The report shall be accompanied by proposals: for introducing new environmental economic account modules, such as Environmental Protection Expenditure and Revenues (EPER)/Environmental Protection Expenditure Accounts (EPEA), Environmental Goods and Services Sector (EGSS), Energy Accounts, Environmentally Related Transfers (subsidies), Resource Use and Management Expenditure Accounts (RUMEA), Water Accounts (quantitative and qualitative), Waste Accounts, Forest Accounts, Ecosystem services Accounts, Economy-Wide Material Stock Accounts (EW-MSA) and the measurement of unused excavated earthen materials (including soil).
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 11/08/2011.
DELEGATED ACTS: the power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to certain conditions. The delegation of power shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of 5 years from 11 August 2011 (tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than 3 months before the end of each period). It may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. A delegated act shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of 2 months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council.