European statistical system: territorial typologies (Tercet)

PURPOSE: to amend Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) with a view to harmonising regional nomenclature.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2017/2391 of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 as regards the territorial typologies (Tercet).

CONTENT: Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishes a common statistical classification of territorial units (nomenclature of territorial units for statistics, or NUTS) in order to enable the collection, compilation and dissemination of harmonised regional statistics in the European Union.

The main aim of the amendments made to existing legislation is to establish a common statistical classification of territorial units (NUTS), in order to enable the collection, compilation and dissemination of European statistics at different territorial levels of the Union. The codification of the typologies is necessary in order to set out unambiguous definitions of and conditions for territorial types, ensuring their harmonised and transparent application and making the typologies stable in order to support the compilation and dissemination of European statistics.

The Regulation establishes a legal recognition of territorial typologies, including the definition of cities, for the purpose of European statistics: this will make it possible for thematic statistical regulations and policy initiatives to refer to these territorial typologies for the purpose of collecting European statistics and/or to target specific territories such as cities, urban, rural or coastal areas and regions in policy.

The Regulation covers existing territorial typologies based on the NUTS level 3 (e.g. urban-rural typology, metropolitan regions), the local administrative units (e.g. degree of urbanisation, cities, coastal areas) and the 1 km² grid level required to calculate the other typologies, which are based on population distribution and density in the grid cells.

The Regulation also contains provisions conferring implementing powers on the Commission and the power to adopt delegated acts for a period of five years (renewable) from 18 January 2018, in order to adapt the typologies to corresponding developments in the Member States.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 18.1.2018.