WRITTEN QUESTION E-0100/02 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Regional GDP figures.
Date: 2002-01-29
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: dissemination of information, economic indicator, economic statistics, gross regional product, prices

C 160 E/182

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.7.2002

(2002/C 160 E/227)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0099/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(29 January 2002)

Subject: Regional GDP growth

Will the Commission further calculate for each region over those ten years its dispersion from the mean,
placing each region in four quartiles based on how far removed from the mean nominal GDP growth they
have been?

Joint answer
to Written Questions E-0098/02 and E-0099/02
given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(20 March 2002)

The information requested by the Honourable Member can be found in the tables which will be sent to
him direct and to Parliament’s Secretariat.

His attention is drawn to the following points:

/ the calculations have been made on the basis of gross domestic product (GDP) in national currencies
(€ for EUR 15) in order to avoid changes in growth rates due to variations in exchange rates and
regional populations;

/ the data have been provided since 1995, as data have been available since then in accordance with
Council Regulation (EC) No 2223/96 of 25 June 1996 on the European system of national and
regional accounts in the Community (1). Moreover, data over a longer period would be affected by
changes in the regional nomenclature used (NUTS 2);

/ all the basic information used for these calculations is available on the site: http://europa.eu.int/comm/
eurostat/Public/datashop/print-catalogue/EN?catalogue=Eurostat,
to which the Honourable Member
may refer; this database also contains information at a more detailed level (for example, at NUTS 3
level of the regional nomenclature).

The data for 2000 will be available in January 2003.

(1) OJ L 310, 30.11.1996.

(2002/C 160 E/228)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0100/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(29 January 2002)

Subject: Regional GDP figures

Will the Commission state which Member States currently provide regional price series such as to allow a
regional deflation of nominal GDP and to give regional real GDP figures?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(25 March 2002)

The Structural Funds Regulation (1) gives statutory responsibility to the Commission for calculating the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on a purchasing power basis at NUTS 2 level. Currently, the Structural
Funds requirements are accomplished by combining regional GDP values, which are available in the
framework of the regional National Accounts, and national Purchasing Power Parity (PPPs). The latter have
to be used in the absence of regional PPPs, which have so far never been calculated.

4.7.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 160 E/183

National PPPs, in general, are based on PPP price surveys in the capital cities. In the Netherlands three
other cities are regularly surveyed. The prices observed in the capital cities are adjusted to national levels
using spatial adjustment factors. These factors come from different sources, depending on the country (e.g.
from occasional regional PPP surveys in Spain, France,
Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom). There are,
however, no regular Community-wide regional PPP surveys allowing the calculation of regional PPPs. But it
is doubtful if such surveys would be the most cost-effective way of estimating regional PPPs.

It is, however, Eurostat’s intention to respond to the requirement for regional PPPs by their development
over the next few years. As a first step, a study has been commissioned to examine the theoretical
background from both the prices and national accounts aspects. The contractor is due to report first results
in December 2002.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1447/2001 of 28 June 2001 amending Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999 laying down

general provisions on the Structural Fund, OJ L 198, 21.7.2001.

(2002/C 160 E/229)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0101/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(29 January 2002)

Subject: Population change in Oxfordshire

Will the Commission recognise that in recent figures produced for the county of Oxfordshire, Eurostat has
suggested a decline in population when this was in fact mistaken?

Will it confirm that the correct figures show that Oxfordshire has indeed continued to grow in population
and remains one of the most dynamic parts of the United Kingdom?

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(19 March 2002)

The Eurostat publication ‘Regions: Statistical yearbook 2001’, released at the end of October 2001,
wrongly included the region ‘Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire’ (NUTS2) among the top five
regions in the Community losing population due to migration and gave an incorrect net migration rate of
- 76 % population. This was notified in a Eurostat Statement of 12 November 2001 ‘Error on net migration
rates of five United Kingdom (UK) regions’. The correct net migration rate for that region, + 2,9 %, was also
given in this Statement. The error was a result of an information breakdown between the UK Office for
National Statistics (ONS) and Eurostat.

It should be noted that this publication did not contain any information concerning the single county of
Oxfordshire (NUTS3).

The Commission can confirm that, according to the latest available estimates (average figure for 1999), the
population of Oxfordshire continues to show clear positive growth.