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Introduction to NUTS

Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics

Oliver MUELLER, EUROSTAT

Eurostat

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Regional data in Eurobase*

* http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database

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NUTS PURPOSE

  • The NUTS classification (Nomenclature
  • of territorial units for statistics) is a
  • hierarchical system for dividing up the
  • economic territory of the EU for the
  • PURPOSE of:

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  • The collection, development and harmonisation of European regional statistics
  • Socio-economic analyses of the regions
    •  NUTS 1: major socio-economic regions
    •  NUTS 2: basic regions for the application of regional policies
    •  NUTS 3: small regions for specific diagnoses 
  • Framing of EU regional policies.
    • Regions eligible for support from cohesion policy have been defined at NUTS 2 level.
    • The Cohesion report has so far mainly been prepared at NUTS 2 level.

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NUTS principles

  • STABILITY OVER TIME:

NUTS 2003 – NUTS 2006 – NUTS 2010 – NUTS 2013 – NUTS 2016

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  • ALIGNED TO NATIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURES:

Prefers units which have administrative authority in the Member State, as this supports:

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      • Availability of data
      • Policy implementation capacity

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If for a given level no administrative units of a suitable size exist, the level can be constituted by aggregating units of a lower, administrative level.

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NUTS principles

  • - COMPARABILITY:
  • population size thresholds to ensure comparability:

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  • For administrative levels: the average population size of the units of the level should fit…
  • For non-administrative (aggregated) levels, each unit should fit…
  • … unless special circumstances exist:

Geographical, socio-economic, historical, cultural or environmental

Level

Minimum

Maximum

NUTS 1

3 million

7 million

NUTS 2

800 000

3 million

NUTS 3

150 000

800 000

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NUTS 2016, �changes

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NUTS 2021 (formerly known as "NUTS 2019")

- Offical NUTS amendment procedure launched in August 2018

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- Deadline to introduce proposals: 1 February 2019

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- Finalisation of legislative procedure end of 2019

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- Application as concerning the transmission of data: 1 January 2021 (n+2-rule)

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- Time series on NUTS 2016 to be delivered by 1 January 2023 (n+4-rule)

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- Will be merged with Statistical Regions

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HTS (Historical time series) Implementing Regulation

Domain

NUTS level 2

NUTS level 3

Agriculture

2013

 

Demography – population, live births, deaths

1990(1)

1990(2)

Labour market - employment, unemployment

2013

2013(3)

Education

2013

 

Environment – waste treatment facilities

2014

 

Health – causes of death

1997(4)

 

Health – infrastructure

1996(5)

 

Health – patients

2003(6)

 

Information society

2013(7)

 

Regional economic accounts: Household accounts

2000

 

Regional economic accounts - Regional accounts

2000

2000

Science and technology - R&D expenditure and staff

2015

 

Tourism

2015

 

Required starting year by statistical domain

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[1] Transmission is not mandatory for reference

years 1990 to 2012.

[2] Transmission is not mandatory for reference

years 1990 to 2012.

[3] The transmission is not mandatory.

[4] Transmission is not mandatory for reference

years 1997 to 2011.

[5] The transmission is not mandatory.

[6] The transmission is not mandatory.

[7] The transmission is not mandatory.

Art. 5(5) NUTS: only for "data already transmitted"!!

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Statistical �Regions

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  • Defined for
    • EFTA countries
    • Candidate countries
    • Potential candidates

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  • No legal basis,

but should correspond to NUTS principles:

    • Preferably administrative units
    • Stable, not too frequent amendments
    • Match population size thresholds

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  • Bilateral agreements
    • NSI - Eurostat

Eurostat

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LAU (Local administrative units)

  • - LAU complement the NUTS as "lower building blocks" and meet the demand for statistics at local level, for instance on cities or on rural areas;

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  • - Two levels of LAU until 2017:
    • The upper LAU level (LAU level 1, formerly NUTS level 4) is defined for most, but not all of the countries;
    • The lower LAU level (LAU level 2, formerly NUTS level 5) consists mainly of municipalities or equivalent units in the 28 EU Member States.

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  • - Since 2017: only one level of LAU; usually former LAU2, in some countries former LAU1

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  • Since there are frequent changes to the LAUs, Eurostat follows up their development from year to year;

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  • - EU Member States send lists of their LAU annually to Eurostat and include, where available, the data on total population and surface area as well as territorial typologies on LAU level.

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Tercet (Territorial typologies)

  • Territorial typologies on NUTS level 3 in the NUTS Regulation:

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  • - urban/rural
  • - metropolitan
  • - coastal/non-coastal

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  • Also existing:

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  • - island
  • - mountain
  • - border
  • - outermost

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  • ec.europa.eurostat/web/regions-and-cities