joint meeting working groups on environmental accounts & environmental expenditure statistics...
TRANSCRIPT
Joint meeting Working Groups on Environmental Accounts & Environmental Expenditure Statistics
Luxembourg, 10 March 2015
Confidential data(point 7 of the agenda)
Eurostat – Unit E2
Stephan [email protected]
Eurostat
• Eurostat's goal: => publish EU aggregates
• Bottom-up approach used for EU aggregates
• Country data flagged as confidential => problem
• => Eurostat cannot publish EU aggregates!
• => limited use of environmental accounts!
• => AEA and EW-MFA data become almost useless
• Confidentiality is guaranteed by Regulation (EC) 223/2009
• Dilemma:
• Usefulness of environmental accounts Confidentiality clause
Introduction
Eurostat
• Multidimensional data cubes (AEA, EW-MFA)
• Hierarchically classified dimensions = most important!:
• AEA: NACE with three levels (A*64, A*51, A*21)
• EW-MFA: MATERIAL four levels (1 to 4 digits)
• If one cell is flagged confidential at detailed level:
• => next superior level also confidential (done by country)
• => EU aggregate cannot be shown for cell and superior levels
Problem description (1)
Eurostat
• AEA:
• 23% / 35% confidential in 2012 / 2008
• even NACE A*21 cannot be shown completely for EU !
• AEA becomes useless; cannot be used for input-output modelling (e.g. to calculate carbon footprint)
• EW-MFA:
• ca. 30% confidential
• only MF-1-digit-level for EU
• Policy requests indicators broken down by most detailed materials (ca. 50)(e.g. raw materials initiative of DG GROWTH)
Problem description (2)
Eurostat
1. Countries remove all confidentiality flags
+ perfect option for EU aggregates (all details can be displayed)
- may allow identification of individual units at the level of single countries
2. Countries reduce number of confidentiality flags (unreliable data, check again with experts, changing method)
+ maybe better than present
- still the full detail cannot be shown for EU
Possible solutions enabling EU aggregates (1/3)
Eurostat
3. Countries set 'secondary' confidentiality flags at most detailed level in order to disclose superior cells. Eurostat could provide a tool
+ better than present – EU can be shown at least for NACE A*21 and MF level 1
- still the full detail cannot be shown for EU – more iterations needed
4. Eurostat does controlled rounding of EU aggregates (e.g. to the next thousands, PRODCOM method)
+ EU aggregates can be shown whilst confidential country data stay closed
- the rounded values may become unrealistic or unreasonable
Possible solutions enabling EU aggregates (2/3)
Eurostat
5. Countries do not report confidential cells at the most detailed level; instead mark those as 'not available'
+ Eurostat could estimate the missing/confidential cells and publish all EU aggregates at most detailed level
- in certain cases it could happen that sub-totals need to be estimated too
6. Publication of EU aggregates is given priority. In case of confidential cells all 28 countries are automatically disclosed
+ Countries can report as usual and Eurostat can publish EU aggregates
- country data may be published nationally theoretically enabling identification
Possible solutions enabling EU aggregates (3/3)