Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on quarterly non-financial accounts for general government

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1. Background of the proposal

The report of the Monetary Committee (EFC) on statistical requirements in EMU, endorsed by the Ecofin Council of 18 January 1999, stressed the need, among other things, for common and harmonised short-term public finance statistics for Member States.

In this respect, priority was given to components readily available or which could be quickly made available at national level: after discussion in the relevant working parties and approval by the Statistical Programme Committee, the Commission adopted the Regulation with respect to short-term public finance statistics [1]. The Commission Regulation requires the transmission of quarterly data for the main components of general government revenue and for social benefits other than social transfers in kind, within three months from the end of the quarter they relate to, starting from June 2000.

[1] See Commission Regulation (EC) N° 264/2000 of 3 February 2000.

In April 2000, the second EFC progress report on implementation of statistical requirements acknowledged work done under this so-called first step and provided the following recommendations: "Member States should complete this first step and work towards establishing simplified quarterly non-financial accounts for general government within three months after the period concerned.... The ultimate objective of simplified quarterly national accounts data is expected to be achieved by the year 2005 for all countries.....In the interim period 2002-2005, Member States will provide to the Commission (Eurostat) expenditure and receipts data for the general government sector on a best estimate basis, in particular for the compilation of euro area aggregates."

In addition, the Regulation proposed is referred to in the "Action Plan on EMU Statistical Requirements" which was endorsed by the Ecofin Council of 29 September 2000: the Regulation is included in the list of modifications to existing Regulations to be submitted by the Commission to the Council by early 2001.

The Regulation was then prepared in the framework of the provisions recalled above.

It was discussed by the working parties on Short-Term Public Finance Statistics, on National Accounts and on Financial Accounts.

2. Content of the proposal for a Regulation

The aim of the Regulation is to specify:

-the content of the quarterly non-financial accounts for general government,

-the list and main characteristics of the ESA 95 categories to be transmitted.

These are summarised below.

The content of these quarterly non-financial accounts is defined by reference to the list of ESA 95 non-financial transactions which constitute the components of general government expenditure and revenue [2].

[2] See Commission Regulation N° 1500/2000 of 10 July 2000.

ESA 95 categories to be transmitted under the Regulation are those of the components of government expenditure and revenue which are not covered by the Commission Regulation (EC) N° 264/2000 of 3 February 2000 with respect to short-term public finance statistics.

The Regulation requires the transmission of quarterly data within 3 months after the end of the quarter concerned.

The first transmission should start on 30 June 2002 for all Member States. During a transitional period - from 30 June 2002 to 30 March 2005 inclusive - the "best quarterly estimates" are allowed. From 30 June 2005 onwards, quarterly data should be fully in line with ESA 95 (the "best estimates" are no longer allowed).

The first transmission of 30 June 2002 should relate to quarterly data - "best estimates" are possible - from the first quarter of 1999 to the first quarter of 2002.

Derogations for some countries regarding the starting date of 30 June are envisaged. The derogation should not exceed one year. For countries with a derogation, the starting date for the transmission should not be later than 30 June 2003: quarterly data should then relate to the period of 1999 to the first quarter of 2003.

2001/0056 (COD)

Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on quarterly non-financial accounts for general government

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 285 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission [3],

[3] OJ C...

Having regard to the opinion of the European Central Bank [4],

[4] OJ C...

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty [5],

[5] OJ C...

Whereas:

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 of 25 June 1996 on the European system of national and regional accounts in the Community [6], (ESA 95) contains the reference framework of common standards, definitions, classifications and accounting rules for drawing up the accounts of the Member States for the statistical requirements of the Community, in order to obtain comparable results between Member States.

[6] OJL310, 30.11.1996, p.1. Last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2516/2000 (OJ L 290, 17.11.2000, p.1).

(2) The report by the Monetary Committee on information requirements, endorsed by the Ecofin Council on 18 January 1999, underlined that, for the proper functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union and the Single Market, effective surveillance and co-ordination of economic policies are of major importance and that this requires a comprehensive statistical information system providing policy makers with the necessary data on which to base their decisions. That report also stated that a high priority should be given to short-term public finance statistics for Member States, in particular those participating in the Economic and Monetary Union, and that the objective was the compilation of simplified quarterly non-financial accounts for the general government sector resulting from a step by step approach.

(3) It is appropriate to define simplified quarterly non-financial accounts for general government by reference to the list of ESA 95 categories of government expenditure and revenue defined in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1500/2000 of 10 July 2000 implementing Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 with respect to general government expenditure and revenue [7].

[7] OJL172, 12.7.2000, p.3.

(4) Priority in the step by step approach was given to taxes, actual social contributions and social benefits other than social transfers in kind, as categories representing reliable indicators of trends in public finances that are already available on time (first step).

(5) The transmission of this first set of categories on a quarterly basis, from June 2000, in all Member States is covered by Commission Regulation (EC) No 264/2000 of 3 February 2000 on the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 with respect to short-term public finance statistics [8].

[8] OJL29, 4.2.2000, p.4.

(6) It is necessary to supplement the first step with another set of categories in order to obtain the full list of categories constituting general government expenditure and revenue.

(7) The reliability of quarterly data provided under this Regulation with regards to annual data should be assessed. A report on the quality of the quarterly data should therefore be made before the end of 2005.

(8) Articles 2 and 3 of Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 lay down the conditions under which the Commission may adopt amendments to the ESA 95 methodology in order to clarify and improve its content. The compilation of quarterly non-financial accounts for general government will require additional resources in Member States. Their transmission to the Commission cannot therefore be dealt with in a Commission Decision.

(9) The Statistical Programme Committee (SPC), set up by Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom [9], and the Committee on Monetary, Financial and Balance of Payments Statistics (CMFB), set up by Council Decision 91/115/EEC [10], have each been consulted in accordance with Article 3 of those Decisions,

[9] OJL181, 28.6.1989, p.47.

[10] OJL59, 6.3.1991, p.19.

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Subject matter

The purpose of this Regulation is to define the content of quarterly non-financial accounts for general government, to lay down the list of the ESA 95 categories to be transmitted by Member States from 30 June 2002, and to specify the main characteristics of these categories.

Article 2

Content of the quarterly non-financial accounts for general government

The content of the quarterly non-financial accounts for general government is defined in the Annex by reference to a list of ESA 95 categories constituting general government expenditure and revenue.

Article 3

Categories concerned by the transmission of quarterly data

1. Member States shall transmit to the Commission (Eurostat) quarterly data for the categories or groups of categories included in the list provided in the Annex, with the exception of those categories for which data must be transmitted pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 264/2000.

2. Quarterly data shall be transmitted for the following categories (or groups of categories) of general government expenditure and revenue:

(a) On the expenditure side:

- Intermediate consumption (P.2)

- Gross capital formation + Acquisitions less disposals of non-financial non-produced assets (P.5 + K.2)

- Gross fixed capital formation (P.51)

- Compensation of employees (D.1)

- Other taxes on production (D.29)

- Subsidies, payable (D.3)

- Property income (D.4)

- Interest (D.41)

- Current taxes on income, wealth etc. (D.5)

- Social transfers in kind related to expenditure on products supplied to households via market producers (D.6311 + D.63121 + D.63131)

- Other current transfers (D.7)

- Adjustment for the change in net equity of households in pension funds reserves (D.8)

- Capital taxes + Investment grants + Other capital transfers, payable (D.91 + D.92 + D.99)

(b) On the revenue side:

- Market output + Output for own final use + Payments for the other non-market output (P.11 + P.12 + P.131)

- Other subsidies on production, receivable (D.39)

- Property income (D.4)

- Imputed social contributions (D.612)

- Other current transfers (D.7)

- Investments grants + Other capital transfers, receivable (D.92 + D.99)

3. Transactions D.41, D.7, D.92 and D.99 are consolidated within the general government sector. The other transactions are not consolidated.

Article 4

Compilation of quarterly data: Sources and methods

1. Quarterly data relating to the first quarter of 2001 onwards shall be compiled according to the following rules:

(a) Quarterly data shall be based as much as possible on direct information from basic sources, with the objective of minimising, for each quarter, differences between the first estimates and the final figures;

(b) Direct information shall be completed by coverage adjustments, if needed, and by conceptual adjustments in order to bring quarterly data in line with ESA 95 concepts;

(c) The quarterly data and the corresponding annual data shall be consistent.

2. Quarterly data relating to the first quarter of 1999 until the fourth quarter of 2000 shall be compiled according to sources and methods ensuring consistency between the quarterly data and the corresponding annual data.

Article 5

Timetable for the transmission of quarterly data

1. Quarterly data referred to in Article 3 shall be delivered to the Commission (Eurostat) at the latest by three months after the end of the quarter to which the data relate.

Any revision of quarterly data for previous quarters shall be transmitted at the same time.

2. The first transmission of quarterly data shall relate to data for the first quarter of 2002. Member States shall deliver these data no later than 30 June 2002.

However, the Commission may grant a derogation, not exceeding one year, concerning the date of the first transmission of quarterly data for the first quarter of 2002 onwards, in so far as the national statistical systems require major adaptations.

Article 6

Transmission of backdata

1. Member States shall deliver to the Commission (Eurostat) quarterly backdata for the categories referred to in Article 3, starting from the first quarter of 1999.

2. Quarterly data relating to the first quarter of 1999 until the fourth quarter of 2001 shall be transmitted to the Commission (Eurostat) no later than 30 June 2002.

However, the Commission may grant a derogation, not exceeding one year, concerning the date of the first transmission of quarterly data from the first quarter of 1999 onwards, in so far as national statistical systems require major adaptations.

Article 7

Implementation

1. Member States shall provide the Commission (Eurostat) with a description of the sources and methods used to compile the quarterly data referred to in Article 3 (initial description), at the same time as they start to transmit quarterly data according to the timetable referred to in Article 5(2).

2. Any revision of the initial description of the sources and methods used to compile the quarterly data shall be provided to the Commission (Eurostat) when the revised data is communicated.

3. The Commission (Eurostat) shall keep the SPC and the CMFB informed of the sources and methods used by each Member State.

Article 8

Report

On the basis of the results referred to in Article 3, and after consulting the SPC, the Commission (Eurostat) by 31 December 2005 at the latest submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report containing an assessment of the reliability of quarterly data delivered by Member States.

Article 9

Transitional provisions

1. Member States which are not in the position to transmit, during the transitional period provided for in paragraph 4, quarterly data from the first quarter of 2001 onwards according to the sources and methods provided for in Article 4(1) and to the timetable referred to in Article 5(1) shall apply paragraph 2.

2. The Member States referred to in paragraph 1 shall transmit to the Commission (Eurostat) their « best quarterly estimates » (that is incorporating all new information that becomes available during the process of compiling an improved system of quarterly non-financial accounts for general government) according to the timetable referred to in Article 5(1).

They shall indicate at the same time which steps still need to be accomplished in order to comply with the sources and methods provided for in Article 4(1).

3. During the transitional period provided for in paragraph 4, the Commission (Eurostat) shall examine the progress made by Member States towards full compliance with Article 4(1).

4. The transitional period shall start from the date of the first transmission referred to in Article 5(2), and shall end on 31 March 2005 at the latest.

Article 10

Entry into force

This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels,

For the European Parliament For the Council

The President The President

ANNEX

Content of the quarterly non-financial accounts for general government

Quarterly non-financial accounts for general government are defined by reference to the list of government expenditure and revenue included in Commission Regulation N° 1500/2000 of 10 July 2000.

General government expenditure comprises ESA 95 categories recorded under the use side, or the changes in assets side or the changes in liabilities and net worth side of the sequence of accounts for general government, with the exception of D.3 which is recorded under the resource side of general government accounts.

General government revenue comprises ESA 95 categories recorded under the resource or changes in liabilities in net worth side of the sequence of non-financial accounts for general government, with the exception of D.39 which is recorded under the use side of general government accounts.

By definition, the difference between general government revenue and general government expenditure, as defined above, is net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) of the general government sector.

The transactions D.41, D.7, D.92 and D.99 are consolidated within the general government sector. The other transactions are not consolidated.

The table below shows ESA 95 categories constituting general government expenditure and revenue. Categories shown in italics are already subject to transmission on a quarterly basis in the context of the Commission Regulation (EC) N° 264/2000 of 3 February 2000.

ESA 95 codes // General government expenditure

P.2 // Intermediate consumption

P.5 + K.2 // Gross capital formation + Acquisitions less disposals of non-financial non-produced assets

P.51 // Gross fixed capital formation

D.1 // Compensation of employees

D.29 // Other taxes on production

D.3 // Subsidies, payable

D.4 // Property income

D.41 // Interest

D.5 // Current taxes on income, wealth etc.

D.62 + D.6311 +

D.63121 + D.63131 // Social benefits other than social transfers in kind + Social transfers in kind related to expenditure on products supplied to households via market producers

D.7 // Other current transfers

D.8 // Adjustment for the change in net equity of households in pension funds reserves

D.9 // Capital transfers, payable

ESA 95 codes // General government revenue

P.11 + P.12 + P.131 // Market output + Output for own final use + Payments for the other non-market output

D.2 // Taxes on production and imports

D.39 // Other subsidies on production

D.4 // Property income

D.5 // Current taxes on income, wealth etc.

D.61 // Social contributions

D.611 // Actual social contributions

D.612 // Imputed social contributions

D.7 // Other current transfers

D.9 [11] // Capital transfers, receivable

[11] Adjustments for taxes and social contributions assessed but never collected, when recorded under D.9, are considered as negative revenue.

D.91 // Capital taxes

B.8g // Saving, gross

B.9 // Net lending/net borrowing