WRITTEN QUESTION E-1105/02

by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission

(18 April 2002)

Subject: Regional GDP figures

Further to the answer given to my Written Question E-0100/02(1), will the Commission state whether there are any regional price series (i.e. regionally collected consumer price indices) in any Member States that allow regions to assess the real growth of their GDP figures from one period to another?

Are there any other series collected privately or officially of a basket of goods and services which allow some regional versus national inflation comparisons?

(1) OJ C 160 E, 4.7.2002, p. 182.

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(19 June 2002)

Following is the information requested:

- Germany: No information is available since July 2000, when regional prices were collected but not such as to permit regional income comparisons. Consumer price indexes (CPIs) were however published for the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the former West Germany.

- Spain: No information is available since July 2000, when regional CPIs were being published at the NUTS-3 level.

- Italy: No information is available since July 2000, when the Italian statistical office, ISTAT, was publishing CPIs for the main city in each of 20 regions. In addition, about 80 municipalities published their own CPIs.

- Austria: Disaggregation of the national CPI at the NUTS-2 level are not published but are available on request (a charge is made). No information is available on any other regional price indices.

- Portugal: No information is available since July 2000, when regional CPIs were being published at the NUTS-2 level.

- Finland: Regional CPIs at the NUTS-2 level are published, but they are not regarded as suitable for providing regional gross domestic product estimates in real terms. No other relevant regional price indices are produced.

Belgium, Denmark, Greece, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden and United Kingdom do not publish regional CPIs, and as far as can be ascertained no other relevant indices are produced in these countries.