Size Matters: Trilogue deal on population statistics

This morning, MEPs from the Employment and Social Affairs committee and diplomats from Council reached a trilogue agreement on the revision of the rules on population statistics.

Until yesterday we did not have the same definition of what “population” means in all EU Member States. Some countries used “usual residence” as a criteria, others “registered residence” or even “legal residence”. As a result, not everybody is counted properly and some member states have as much as a 5% error rate. After yesterday’s trilogue, the usual residence criteria will be the norm. This criteria is more all encompassing and better reflects the reality on the ground.

MEP Irena Joveva (Freedom Movement, Slovenia) who led the European Parliament negotiating team said: “Statistics are usually not a hot topic but they carry great importance—especially when we’re talking about population. As the basis for qualified majority voting in Council, population statistics directly affect the balance of power in the Council. It will also have an impact on the allocation of cohesion money in the future. Total population figures are also used for economic indicators—for example, as a basis for calculating GDP per capita, another important factor in EU decision making. Politics is a numbers game.”

Renew Europe also pushed to have more granular information on ‘hard-to-reach’ groups like homeless people, stateless persons, people with migrant backgrounds or members of the Roma community. “Statistics underpin all policymaking. Every European citizen is an essential part of our European mosaic, and through this reform, we aim to ensure they are all accounted for,” added Irena Joveva.