# CE2004078EN.01012001.xml

| 27.3.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CE 78/120 |
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27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 78/120

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(2004/C 78 E/0121)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2497/03

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(25 July 2003)

Subject:   Foreign direct investment

Subject:

Will the Commission list the different figures produced by different international organisations (such as Eurostat and also the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and Member States for foreign direct investment, and will it clarify any differences in definitions that might lead to discrepancies in the figures?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(12 September 2003)

(12 September 2003)

Section 1 (of the annexes sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat) provides a comparison between FDI data published by Eurostat and by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD). Section 2 (of the annexes sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat) provides the same comparison for the European Central Bank (ECB). Section 3 is about national data published by the Member States. A summary of Eurostat data collection process for FDI is also included (particularly in section 1), showing the links and differences with data collections of the OECD and of the ECB.

Main conclusions are as follows:

| — | there are no methodological differences between Eurostat and the OECD with respect to FDI data. Existing differences in data published for the EU15 Member States (1995-2002 is the period considered) are of limited impact on total numbers. Differences are due either to rounding (exchange rate effect, data in billions or in millions), or to temporary differences in timing of data revisions for latest years. Maximum total difference 2 % (Table 2); |
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there are no methodological differences between Eurostat and the OECD with respect to FDI data. Existing differences in data published for the EU15 Member States (1995-2002 is the period considered) are of limited impact on total numbers. Differences are due either to rounding (exchange rate effect, data in billions or in millions), or to temporary differences in timing of data revisions for latest years. Maximum total difference 2 % (Table 2);

| — | there is one methodological difference of a certain importance, concerning the Netherlands, between the data published by Eurostat and the ECB for the Eurozone. Eurostat and the ECB are working actively with the Netherlands to eliminate this difference during the course of next year 2004; |
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there is one methodological difference of a certain importance, concerning the Netherlands, between the data published by Eurostat and the ECB for the Eurozone. Eurostat and the ECB are working actively with the Netherlands to eliminate this difference during the course of next year 2004;

| — | Member States also apply the international methodological definitions in their data collection on which are based the data collected by Eurostat, the OECD and the ECB. Concerning the publication of data, some temporary differences may exist due to differences in timing of data revisions for latest years. |
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Member States also apply the international methodological definitions in their data collection on which are based the data collected by Eurostat, the OECD and the ECB. Concerning the publication of data, some temporary differences may exist due to differences in timing of data revisions for latest years.

Please find the development of these conclusions in Annex A supported by tables 1, 2 and 3 that are sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat

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