European environmental economic accounts: new modules
The European Parliament adopted by 492 votes to 82, with 48 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 as regards introducing new environmental economic accounts modules.
The position adopted by the European Parliament at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure is as follows:
Aim of the Regulation
The amended text specifies that the Regulation contributes to provide sound information on key trends, pressures and drivers for environmental change and thereby supports monitoring and evaluation of the Union‘s progress in meeting its environmental objectives laid down in Union law as well as its international commitments in this area.
Delegated acts
To take account of environmental, economic and technical developments, the Commission should have the power to adopt delegated acts to supplement this Regulation by providing methodological guidance and to amend the Annexes.
Programme of pilot studies
The Commission should 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 should include pilot studies to test the new environmental economic account modules. In drawing up the programme, the Commission should give particular attention to modules producing data on energy subsidies, including fossil fuel subsidies, and ensure that no additional administrative or financial burdens are placed on the Member States and on the respondent units.
In addition to the programme of pilot studies, the Commission (Eurostat) should by 18 months from the date of entry into force of this Regulation at the latest, in cooperation with the Member States carry out an assessment of methodological possibilities and the feasibility of monetary valuation, possible reporting values where those values are missing and possible alternative ways of measuring for Ecosystem services Accounts taking into account international standards of SEEA EA. Based on the results of these studies, the Commission may submit to the European Parliament and to the Council a new proposal amending this Regulation in order to include monetary ecosystem accounts.
Derogations
The Commission may adopt implementing acts granting derogations to Member States in so far as the national statistical systems require major adaptions.
Financing
For the implementation of this Regulation, the Union should provide, from the Single Market Programme, financial support to the national statistical institutes and other national authorities for: (i) the development of methodologies for statistics under this Regulation; (ii) to improve statistical quality of accounts, in particular for the development or enhancement of processes, including digitally based solutions that aim to produce statistics of a higher quality; (iii) to improve timeliness of accounts and to reduce the administrative and reporting burden.
The amount of Union financial contribution should be established in accordance with the rules of the Single Market Programme as part of the annual budgetary procedure, subject to the availability of funding.
Environmental Economic Account Dashboard
The Commission (Eurostat) should establish an Environmental Economic Account Statistical Data Portal ('Dashboard'), which should summarise the key indicators from environmental economic accounts in a user-friendly and interactive way.
The Data portal should display the data provided by Member States in each of the modules covered in this Regulation and on climate change mitigation investment. The Data portal should be operational by December 2024 and should be updated by the Commission (Eurostat) once a year. The data portal should be made publicly available on the Eurostat website.
Review
By 31 December 2024 at the latest and at least every two years thereafter, the Commission (Eurostat) should issue a digital publication that contains data and statistics on climate-change mitigation including investments, compiled from the relevant data available from the environmental economic account modules and, if appropriate, from other data sources.
By 2 years from the date of entry into force of this Regulation, the Commission should assess the quality of data available on energy subsidies, including fossil fuel subsidies, on climate change adaptation and on water, and, if appropriate, submit a legislative proposal introducing the new modules.