1. Regional Government Expenditure
Berthold Feldmann
Eurostat

2. Background (1)
Increasing importance of sound and comparable information on the role of general government at a regional level
In June 2007 DG REGIO proposed to launch a call for tender to find an external contractor that would collect detailed data on regional government expenditure
Eurostat could dissuade them by offering to cover this task
We can only keep the European Statistical System its privileged position as statistical data supplier for EU policies by doing something on this issue

3. Background (2)
The Commission needs this information on public intervention at a regional level for a coherent cohesion policy
Regional expenditure information will allow a better assessment of the leverage effects of Structural Funds expenditure
Collecting regional government expenditure data is rooted in the ten year old project of regional government accounts (frozen some years ago)
Existing data on government expenditure at national level (from national accounts) are of major interest to users
national accountants have a developed set of definitions and standards

4. Project description
Step 1: review the availability of annual regional general government expenditure data at NUTS level 2
Time span covered
Which breakdown of government tasks
Data sources
Methodology used for the compilation of the data
Step 2: thorough evaluation
Step 3: start data transmission

5. Time-table Overview on state of play in MS March 2008
Interim report of an expert July 2008
Final report of an expert Dec. 2008
First data sent to Eurostat June 2009
Evaluation of results Sept. 2009
DG REGIO wants to use this data for the 5th Cohesion Report, to be published in 2010, drafted in 2009 !

6. Thank you for your attention!
Any questions?