Report on the quality of fiscal data reported by Member States in 2016

Article 8(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 479/2009 on the application of the Protocol on the excessive deficit procedure (EDP) annexed to the Treaty establishing the European Community requires the Commission (Eurostat) to report regularly to the European Parliament and to the Council on the quality of the actual data reported by Member States. This annual report provides an overall assessment of the timeliness, reliability, completeness and consistency of the data and its compliance with accounting rules. The Commission adopted the previous report on 23 March 2016.

Eurostat regularly assesses the quality of the actual data reported by Member States and of the underlying general government sector accounts. October 2014 was the first time those accounts were compiled in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 549/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 May 2013 on the European system of national and regional accounts in the European Union (ESA 2010). That assessment concentrates on the factors that explain the general government deficit/surplus and changes in general government debt.

Member States send that information to Eurostat twice per year as part of the ‘EDP notification tables’, the ‘Questionnaire relating to the EDP notification tables’, the ‘Supplementary table on government interventions to support financial institutions’ and also via bilateral clarifications. Eurostat also maintains contact with Member States by making regular EDP dialogue visits.

This report is based on the main findings and results of the EDP data reported by Member States in 2016. It focuses on the latest reports submitted in October 2016. Where appropriate, it draws comparisons with the data sent in April 2016 and in 2015.