6.3 Tercet Oliver MUELLER Eurostat E.4 WG on Regional, Urban and Rural Development statistics – October 2016

Tercet Why? Territorial typologies in use in the ESS (and the OECD), but lack legal recognition; Risks harmonised application; Cumbersome cross-referencing; Policy focus on cities / urban areas, but no legal definition of what cities / urban areas actually are. How? - Integrate the most commonly used typologies into the NUTS Regulation.

Which ones?

Consultations / Discussions WG in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 DIMESA in June 2015 (oral) and May 2016 (written) Inter-service consultation Commission September 2016 ESSC in November 2016

Results Data requirements on cities dropped; Clarification that no new data requirements will be generated by Tercet; Establishment of typologies in the basic act, definitions designed as "uniform conditions" in an Implementing Act; Member States have a great scope to modify the types calculated by Eurostat; no more changes in the NUTS than absolutely necessary to not risk its basic principles; Any changes to the annexes via delegated acts have to follow "corresponding developments" in the Member States, explicit commitments to consult Member States.

How will it work? Eurostat maintains a 1 skm grid based on population density (from Censusses); Eurostat calculates the types of the LAU / NUTS 3 regions; Member States check the results, can modify to take into account geographical, socio-economic, historical, cultural or environmental circumstances; Eurostat publishes the results in the dedicated web sections; Eurostat compiles data by type by aggregation / using results from existing surveys.

Next steps ESSC meeting on 17 November 2016; If positive opinion transmission to the Commission for adoption; Transmission to Parliament and Council; Final adoption: 2018??