Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council have successfully reached a provisional agreement to update the regulations regarding European statistics on population and housing. These new rules aim to ensure that data collected from EU member states is comparable, thereby supporting evidence-based policymaking.
This update incorporates current statistics on demography, migration, and censuses, and mandates that member states provide comprehensive data on demographic indicators, housing, and family structures.
During the negotiations, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) emphasised the importance of including provisions to develop methodologies for data collection targeting “hard-to-reach” population groups, such as individuals experiencing homelessness and those with disabilities.
“Statistics underpin all policymaking. If we want to make informed decisions and properly identify the needs of European citizens, we must have have a clear of view of who they are and how many they are,” highlighted rapporteur Irena Joveva (SI, Renew). Â
“This regulation also serves as the basis for qualifying majority voting in Council, where population statistics directly affect the balance of power. But it’s more than that. Every citizen is an essential part of our European mosaic, and through this reform, we want to ensure everyone is accounted for,” the rapporteur added.
This initiative aims to create a more accurate representation of society and to mitigate social and economic inequalities. In response to concerns regarding intersectional discrimination, the updated regulations will require that data be disaggregated by gender, age, disability, nationality, socio-economic status, and other relevant parameters.
To address the previously ambiguous definition of “population base,” EU co-legislators have agreed to introduce a standardised term for “population,” which will not include exemptions. Establishing a consistent EU-wide definition is expected to enhance the comparability of population statistics across the region.
European statistics on population and housing are particularly significant for formulating policies that address both green and digital transformations. To this end, the Parliament has ensured that statistics concerning the energy efficiency of buildings will be easily accessible to national statistical authorities through interoperable databases.
Furthermore, the agreed text empowers the European Commission to request specific data from member states under certain circumstances, facilitating the collection of additional information during times of crisis, whether humanitarian or otherwise. This capability has proven crucial in the context of both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic. The statistics derived from this data are also essential for determining the qualified majority weighting of member states in the Council and for calculating the allocation of seats per member state in the European Parliament.
