Economy

Brexit: Eurostat starts excluding UK from EU statistics

Agency says move responds to ‘strong demand’ for data leaving out UK

The exclusion means the EU economy officially shrinks by 13%. Photograph: PA Wire

Wed Apr 11 2018 - 10:55

In a sad day for British watchers of European data, the EU's official statistics office Eurostat has started publishing data for the bloc without the UK as it gears up for Brexit next March.

“Following users’ requests, Eurostat published on 10 April 2018 in its database a new aggregate, covering the EU28 without the UK for the most in-demand indicators, such as population, GDP growth rate and unemployment,” the agency said on its website.

It said the move is in response to a “strong demand” for data excluding the UK from both “institutional users as well as the general public”.

Eurostat is still publishing datasets including the UK alongside the new-format statistics - for now.

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But for those who want their EU aggregate house price statistics untainted by the lacklustre British property market, Eurostat is there for you.

Silver lining

Peter Dixon, senior economist at Commerzbank, points to another silver lining for the UK from the move: "It will shine a spotlight on the relationship between the UK and EU, and illustrate the economic importance of each for the other."

At a stroke, the EU economy becomes almost 13 per cent smaller which highlights the resource issue that the EU will face following the UK’s departure.

Indeed, the biggest contribution to the EU budget is based on the gross national income of member states and the EU is urging members to raise their contributions in order to make up the shortfall. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2018

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