1. TASK doing more with available data
Pedro Ferreira

2. Why? When? How? What? State of play
Structure of my talk
Why?
When?
How?
What?
State of play

3. Why?
Unit E4 should assist regional policy by providing a wide set of reliable indicators
Demand for regional statistics is growing faster than supply:
More detailed data
More quantity, more indicators
Different perspectives on the territory ask for new indicators
Timeliness, Relevance, Quality
Above all, flexibility

4. More data Growing demand Eurostat Flexibility More regional indicators
Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion
More data
Growing demand
Eurostat
Flexibility
More regional indicators
Different perspective on the territory

5. Eurostat New indicators take time Only NUTS 2 Statistical burden
Lack of human resources

6. or…

7. TASK
Eurostat

8. What?
TASK is a project to build a new flexible tool for creating new reliable regional indicators without increasing significantly the statistical burden on respondents
new flexible tool
new reliable regional indicators
reduce statistical burden

9. New flexible tool
Flexible, because NUTS 3 data will be used as building blocks for various types of meaningful aggregates
The basic goal of TASK is to have in Eurostat NUTS 3 data on as many topics as possible even if they are unreliable
The reliability of an aggregate is higher than the reliability of their components
Several aggregates of NUTS 3 data can be relevant for policy purposes

10. New reliable regional indicators
Flexibility will allow to create a broad set of new indicators:
Old age dependency ratio in rural areas
Youth employment rate in coastal regions
Demographic change in mountain regions …
Each aggregate will be quality checked before being made available to DG REGIO and the public

11. Statistical burden
TASK is based on the idea that more can be done with data that already exists
Available NUTS 3 data
Non-published NUTS 3 data
Micro data aggregated to NUTS 3 data
TASK is in line with the new vision for the next decade on EU statistics:
The European approach to statistics could also include the production of statistics by the use of non-published national contributions

12. How? (1) NUTS 3 regional codes
Use available data: all available micro data in house relevant for regional policy
Involve thematic units: intensified collaboration between unit E4 and the thematic units to
Check the feasibility of aggregating micro data
Check the reliability of NUTS 3 aggregates
Define disclosure rules
Unit E4 will received only the aggregates, not micro data
Store NUTS 3 data: create a confidential database where all NUTS 3 data, reliable or not, will be stored

13. Reliability of Aggregates
It is not an easy issue
Different and complex sampling designs makes it difficult to come up with a formula to compute the statistical error of an aggregate
Some solutions are being explored
Using the same thresholds of reliability for NUTS 2
Computing an upper limit for the statistical error
Ask for Member-States to provide NUTS 3 coefficient of variation (CV) …

14. Dissemination Clear disclosure rules should be created
Every aggregates should be quality checked against those rules before made available
Until then, NUTS 3 data remains confidential to other DGs and the general public

15. When? May 2010: Analysis of regional labour market micro data
End May: Report on quality and disclosure rules
June – July: bilateral talks with demography (Unit F1)
End September: Working Group Presentation

16. State of play (1)
Member States have already showed their willingness to participate:
YES: Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Cyprus*, Latvia, Luxembourg*, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden
EXPECTED TO SUPPLY: Spain, United Kingdom
PENDING: Germany, France
MIGHT SUPPLY: Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Austria, Finland
WILL NOT SUPPLY: Belgium, Poland, Romania, Slovenia
UNCLEAR: Denmark, Ireland, Malta, Portugal

17. State of play (2)

18. Conclusion
TASK is still a experimental project but we are committed to turn it into successful one
Ex-Ante evaluation was written and it will be sent to the DM for approval
Questions to be discussed
Feasibility of TASK
Does TASK fit your idea on regional statistics?
Thematic Unit support

19. Thank you for your attention!
Any questions?