on the position to be adopted, on behalf of the European Union, in the EEA Joint Committee concerning an amendment to Annex XXI (Statistics) to the EEA Agreement (health care expenditure statistics)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1.CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL

In order to ensure the requisite legal security and homogeneity of the Internal Market, the EEA Joint Committee is to integrate all the relevant EU legislation into the EEA Agreement as soon as possible after its adoption.

2.RESULTS OF CONSULTATIONS WITH THE INTERESTED PARTIES AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS

The draft Decision of the EEA Joint Committee (annexed to the proposed Council Decision) aims to amend Annex XXI (Statistics) to the EEA Agreement in order to incorporate Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/359 of 4 March 2015 implementing Regulation (EC) No 1338/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards statistics on healthcare expenditure and financing into the EEA Agreement.

Justification of requested adaptations in incorporation of Regulation (EU) 2015/359 into the EEA Agreement

Relevant provision:

Articles 3 and 5; provision of data regarding day curative care (HC.1.2), day rehabilitative care (HC.2.2), day long-term care (health) (HC.3.2) and enterprise financing schemes (HF.2.3).

Justification and proposed solution:

Information regarding day care (curative, rehabilitative, long-term) and enterprise financing schemes is not available in Liechtenstein, and not relevant at national level. According to Principle 11 of the European Statistics Code of Practice, European statistics are to meet the needs of users; priority needs are to be met and reflected in the work programmes for Eurostat and of the national statistical offices. Conversely, this means that statistical data that do not meet the needs of users should not be gathered.

HC.1.2, HC.2.2, HC.3.2 – Data on day care (curative, rehabilitative, long-term):

Medical providers in Liechtenstein only register data on their activities under the categories inpatient or outpatient care. The distinction between outpatient and day care is not common there is therefore no data available. However, day curative care (HC.1.2) is included in outpatient curative care (HC.1.3), day rehabilitative care (HC.2.2) is included in outpatient rehabilitative care (HC.2.3) and day long-term care (health) (HC.3.2) is included in outpatient long-term care (health) (HC.3.3).

Therefore, the following adaptation is proposed:

“Liechtenstein is exempted from providing separate data on day curative care (HC.1.2), day rehabilitative care (HC.2.2) and day long-term care (health) (HC.3.2), which shall be included in the data provided on outpatient curative care (HC.1.3), outpatient rehabilitative care (HC.2.3) and outpatient long-term care (health) (HC.3.3), respectively.”

HF.2.3 – Enterprise financing schemes:

Information about enterprise financing schemes is not available in Liechtenstein. In addition health expenditure in enterprises represents a very small part of the total health expenditure, and the burden to collect this information is therefore disproportionate. Liechtenstein's exemption from providing data for HF.2.3 shall be subject to continuous reconsideration by the EEA Contracting Parties, on the basis of information provided by the Statistical Office of Liechtenstein which will inform Eurostat in case expenditure on enterprise financing schemes can no longer be considered negligible.

Therefore, the following adaptation is proposed:

“Liechtenstein is exempted from providing data on enterprise financing schemes (HF.2.3). This exemption shall be subject to review by the EEA Joint Committee whenever figures provided by Liechtenstein demonstrate that the expenditure on enterprise financing schemes in Liechtenstein is no longer negligible.”