1. Environmental Data Centres at Eurostat
European Commission – Eurostat – Directorate ‘E’
Unit E3 – Environment Statistics
Christian Heidorn
“DIMESA 2006” June Eurostat, Luxembourg

2. Statistical domains covered by Unit E3:
Water (Water Resources and Use, Wastewater)
Waste (Waste Statistics Regulation, Data Centre)
Hazardous Substances: Chemicals, Pesticides
Environmental Accounts (incl. Expenditure, Taxes, Environment Industry, NAMEA, Production Consumption Patterns, Data Centre)
Natural Resources (Material Flow Accounting, Data Centre)
SIs: Biodiversity, Air Quality, Greenhouse Gases
IPP

3. Statistical domains covered by other Units:
Agriculture and Environment (IRENA)
Transport and Environment (TERM)
Energy and Environment
Land use
Geographical Information Systems (INSPIRE, GISCO, GMES …)

4. Unit E-3 ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS (15/06/2006)
Head of Unit
Strategic planning and management of human and financial resources
Rainer Muthmann
Secretary: Manon Elsen (on parental leave,
replaced by Michèle Mars)
Unit E-3 ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS (15/06/2006)
Budget and financial dossiers / documentation
Nicole Damiani Sylwia Durys-Jaworska
CO-ORDINATION, COLLABORATION, IMPLEMENTATION
DEVELOPMENT AREA
Team “Basic Environment Statistics;
Data Publication and Dissemination”
Team “Waste and
Hazardous Substances”
Team “Environmental accounts”
Implementation;
Methodological Support
Syntheses; Methodological Support and international cooperation
• Contributions to strategic planning and management
• Collaboration with DG ENV, other DGs and with EEA,
OECD and UN (IWG.ENV)
• Environment Statistics basic data collection and data
banks
• Joint questionnaires
• Publication and dissemination
• Water Framework Directive
• Regional Environment Statistics and MEDSTAT
Jürgen Förster
Christopher Garland
Luca Locatelli, Jean Klein
David Heal, Nicole Buysse
• Implementation of the Waste Statistics
Regulation
• Data Centre “Waste”
• Hazardous substances, Pesticides
• SI-indicators, pressure indicators
Christian Heidorn
Karin Jordan
Wim Kloek
Pierre Nadin
• Environmental accounts
• Data Centres „Natural Resources“ and „Integrated Product Policy“
Air emissions, air quality, climate change,
related SI/SDI-indicators
• Environmental expenditure
• UNCEEA, ‘London Group’
Christian Ravets
Julio Cabeca
Jörg A. Hanauer
Ute Luksch
Nancy Steinbach
Elisabeth Møllgaard
Environment related Structural- and Sustainable Development Indicators, Biodiversity + Environmental Pressure Indicators
Project Managers Secretaries:
Dorothea Wagner (part time) (Priorities: Team Waste and Hazardous Substances) and Claudine Delaval (Priorities:Team Environmental Accounts)
Names of team leaders are underlined 1

5. Co-ordination of Environment Statistics
Annual “Directors’ Meeting” (DIMESA) to bring the two networks together:
EIONET (Ministries and Agencies)
ESS – European Statistical System
Planning and Co-ordination of the Annual Work Programmes

6. Group of Four: Environmental Data Centres
“Group of Four” discussion on thematic
division of
responsibilities:
Technical Arrangement: 10 Data Centres:
Natural Resources – Waste – Integrated Product Policy (IPP) – Soil – Forestry – Air –
Climate Change – Water – Biodiversity – Land Use
November <<< July 2005

7. Data Centres to be managed by Eurostat:
Eurostat = Environmental Data Centres for …
– Waste
– Natural Resources
– Integrated Product Policy (IPP)
(+ Streamlining of environmental indicators)
(+ Application of the “Quality Profile”)

8. Data Centres: EEA and JRC
EEA = Data Centres
Air – Climate Change – Water Biodiversity – Land Use
JRC (IES) = Data Centres
Soil – Forestry

9. Eurostat Data Centres, Implementation:
… what has been done so far:
Data Centre concept integrated into the Work programmes (Annual and 5 years)
Draft “Terms of References” for three data centres (… and for Call for Tenders)
Common Architecture Development Group (interoperability between the data centres)
First ideas: Joint Work Programmes with EEA, JRC

10. Three Data Centres have in common:
Eurostat’s Data Centres shall act as “information hub”
Core reference point for specific (policy-) questions related to statistical information
Manage data, provide access and coordinate quality control of data (“fit for purpose”, “knowledge base”)
Develop methodologies to produce data, information and indicators on the environmental impacts of resources, products and waste
(… taking a life cycle perspective …)

11. Data Centre “Waste”
Full implementation of the Waste Statistics Regulation is key priority, publication of statistics
Integrate quantitative reporting under Community law on waste (Start with Packaging Waste, ELVs and WEEE)
Indicator Development: monitor the Thematic Strategy with appropriate indicators (e.g. recycling rates, hazardous waste, household waste, waste treatment indicators, …)
Coordinate development of methodologies to address environmental impacts

12. Data Centre “Natural Resources”
Management and publication of statistics on Material Flow Accounts
Eurostat is a key actor in MFA methodology development (UN -”London Group”, UNCEEA, OECD)
Lead methodological development to address environmental impacts (formulation of research needs, data generation and modelling, robust data and information)
Indicator Development: To monitor the Thematic Strategy with appropriate (decoupling-) indicators

13. Data Centre “Integrated Product Policy”
Identification of products and services with environmental impacts
Development of codes and nomenclature for the purpose of improving knowledge on products and trade specific for IPP
Indicator development for policy assessment
Detailed objectives still to be defined

14. Data Centre / Information Hub
"Go4" Data Centre
Technical arrangement
Other major "Hub" functions
Co-ordinate network, update sources
Co-ordinate network, update sources
Reply to specific request from policy makers
Reply to specific request from policy makers
Develop resource use / environmental impact indicators
Develop resource use / environmental impact indicators
methodological development

15. Streamlining of Environmental Indicators
Various sets: some have the same name but show different things, others have different names but show the same
The data centres shall coordinate the indicator work
(between EEA Core Set, Structural Indicators, Sustainable Development Indicators, …)
Eurostat will take the lead on the streamlining exercise:
Start November 2005 
Identification of potential by Mid 2006 > End 2006
Integrated list of indicators by November 2006
> Mid 2007

16. Quality assurance / Quality Control
Data centres have essential role in providing final quality assurance on the data to be used for policy making
However, data providers have primary responsibility to ensure quality of their data
Eurostat will assure close collaboration among the data centres on data quality and will assist the other data centres in the application of the “Quality Profile” and the “Code of Practice”

17. Communication on Environment Statistics
Eurostat will in 2006 prepare a Communication on the future of Environment Statistics and Accounts
“The Strategy will present a prioritised and staged programme of action for environmental statistics and accounts, to allow the necessary prioritisation in mid to long term in an area with a very rapid increase in the demand for data and indicators”
(Agenda Item 4.2)