Eurostat : Improving European water statistics!

In the European Union, the collection of data on water abstractions and uses, wastewater discharges and treatment goes through the national statistical institutes of the Member States that provide such information to Eurostat, the statistical service of the European Commission.

 

To provide figures aggregated at the national level, these statistical institutes collect the necessary information from different services and economic stakeholders and process these data.

 

Most often responsible for a variety of topics, ranging from demographic or expenditure statistics to accounts of the nation; these institutes are confronted with rather detailed technical and thematic information, new for them in the water sector.

 

To help their statisticians to better understand the key concepts and rules of data aggregation and thereby improve the quality of these data, Eurostat proposes dedicated training by sectoral specialists.

 

In this context, IOWater received 14 statisticians from 8 nationalities for three days, from 4 to 6 June 2014.

 

On this occasion, in Paris area, the group was received by the director of the SIAAP Downstream Seine Treatment Plant for a 3-hour field visit that impressed all the participants.