Brussels, 29/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 29 October, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published a new tool for assessing the progress made in the quest to meet the EUROPE 2020 strategy targets. This tool also reflects renewed interest in indicators (see EUROPE 10951) and seeks to establish a close relationship between the wide variety of different data regularly published alongside the political objectives. It will therefore provide a “macroscopic view” of current trends and provide the opportunity to consult them at any time in any place, thanks to an interactive application for smart phones.
Speaking at the European Commission, Eurostat Director General Walter Radermacher told the press what progress his teams had made. There was nothing incidental about his audience or choice of venue for the presentation. Together with the political leaders and statistical data enthusiasts, the press is expected to be a sector that takes ownership of this new tool because, although it will not provide news that has not already been published, it will allow for data to be used in a “new and different way”, explained Radermacher. The venue was chosen because of the link between the different reports and initiatives, as well as the Commission's country by country recommendations and the data presented.
The new tool is, above all, seen as an innovative way of interacting with data provided by Eurostat, which covers the five targets set out in the EUROPE 2020 Strategy. Indicators focus on employment, research and development, climate change and energy, education, poverty and exclusion. Data on these different fields are presented and compiled in different ways, in an effort to provide as varied representation as possible for those consulting them. Data clusters are an effective way of providing information about 2000-2012 trends and developments in several different areas and the link that can arise between them, as is the case with education and employment at EU and individual member state levels.
The EUROPE 2020 strategy therefore provides an insight into what forthcoming Eurostat publications will resemble. Every year, a new publication will seek to provide a fresh look at a specific policy and its impact in terms of figures. Radermacher concluded that “impartial and objective statistical information is essential for evidence-based political decision-making”. In the case of the EUROPE 2020 strategy, the overall balance sheet illustrates that three of the five objectives (employment rates, spending on R&D, risks of poverty and social exclusion) will be particularly difficult for the EU to attain by the given deadline. (JK/transl.fl)