Skip to content
Adopted text

European environmental economic accounts: new modules

TA-9-2023-0390 · P9_TA(2023)0390 · PE738.601

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull text
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 26 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

Parliament's amended version of a proposed regulation amending Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 on European environmental economic accounts. It adds new modules, including energy subsidies, water, waste, climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity and pollution. It requires the Commission to propose further modules and a dashboard, and shortens data transmission deadlines. The amended text sets the overall objective of providing data to monitor the Union's environmental objectives and international commitments. It requires Member States to submit climate change mitigation data from 1 January 2025 and to provide high-quality data within set time limits.

Key points

  1. The accounts' overall objective is to provide data supporting monitoring and evaluation of the Union's progress on environmental objectives and international commitments.
  2. The Commission must present a legislative proposal within 3 years of entry into force to develop modules on energy subsidies including fossil fuel subsidies, other potentially harmful subsidies, water, waste, circular material use, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, biodiversity, pollution, resource management and environmental footprint.
  3. The Commission (Eurostat) must submit a report to Parliament and the Council within 18 months of entry into force on monetary valuation of ecosystem services, including methodological possibilities and feasibility.
  4. Within one year of entry into force, the Commission must publish a study on climate change mitigation reporting data and propose a dedicated climate adaptation module, with an indicative timeline.
  5. The Commission must draw up a programme for pilot studies by Member States on a voluntary basis, giving particular attention to energy subsidies including fossil fuel subsidies, without additional administrative or financial burdens.
  6. Member States may use innovative approaches such as earth observation (Copernicus services) and must inform the Commission in the preceding year; the Commission may advise against an approach within 3 months and must facilitate exchange of best practices.
  7. The Commission (Eurostat) and the European Environmental Agency must develop a freely accessible European Environment Accounts Dashboard within 18 months of entry into force, updated annually.
  8. Member States must submit data on climate change mitigation from 1 January 2025, integrating current investments and capital transfers by institutional sectors for activities listed in Annex VI to Regulation (EU) 2021/241.
  9. Statistics for Annexes VII, VIII and IX must be transmitted within 12 months of the end of the reference year, shortened from 21 or 24 months.
  10. The Commission must publish all derogation requests from Member States for Annexes VII, VIII and IX.
  11. The delegated power for adopting new modules and amending existing ones is conferred on the Commission for five years from 11 August 2011, with tacit extension, and may be revoked by Parliament or the Council.
  12. The list in Article 10 of possible future modules is deleted.

Who is affected

  • Member States, which must provide high-quality data within set time limits and may use innovative approaches.
  • The Commission, which must propose new modules, publish studies and a dashboard, and report on ecosystem services valuation.
  • Eurostat, which must present data more accessibly and develop the dashboard with the European Environmental Agency.
  • National Statistical Institutes and other national authorities, which may use innovative approaches to reduce administrative burden.

Figures and deadlines

  • EUR 520 billion per year, the estimated private and public investment gap for the green transition for the next decade.
  • EUR 210 billion of additional investments by the end of 2027 to reduce fossil fuel dependence and accelerate the energy transition.
  • 1.5 °C, the global warming limit target of the Paris Agreement.
  • 3 years from entry into force, deadline for the Commission to present a legislative proposal for new modules.
  • 18 months from entry into force, deadline for the Commission to submit a report on monetary valuation of ecosystem services.
  • 1 year from entry into force, deadline for the Commission to publish a study on climate change mitigation and propose a climate adaptation module.
  • 1 January 2025, date from which Member States must submit climate change mitigation data.
  • 12 months of the end of the reference year, deadline for transmitting statistics under Annexes VII, VIII and IX.